Ever since checking out the new Sodom album, I’ve been in a black metal mood. That’s not to say the new Sodom album is black metal. There’s only a handful of songs that meet the definition. However, their importance to the genre’s early development, alongside Venom, Mercyful Fate, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Bathory, etc., can’t be overstated. It was Sodom who paved the way for Absu, who in turn paved the way for Mongrel’s Cross.
Despite being labelled a black/thrash band, there’s little to no thrash on the third Mongrel’s Cross album, Arcana, Scrying and Revelation. While earlier releases were cut from the same barbaric cloth as fellow countrymen Deströyer 666 and Gospel of the Horns, Arcana, Scrying and Revelation is a mesmerizing conjuring of black and traditional metal. Each song weaves a magickal spell, leaving the listener on the edge of their seat and hungry for more.
Joining the band for this musical journey into the forbidden and arcane is none other than Absu mastermind, Proscriptor McGovern. It truly is a match made in Uruk. Absu has been the premiere American black metal band since…well, since forever. It’s also been forever since we’ve heard the voice of Proscriptor on a full length release. Needless to say, his delivery is as evil and energetic as ever. His addition has taken Mongrel’s Cross to the next level.
Musically, Arcana, Scrying and Revelation is all about the riffs. We’re treated to a barrage of blackened tremolo picking set to blastbeats, as per usual. But contrasting these bursts of brutality are exquisite lead guitar sections reminiscent of Mercyful Fate and Iron Maiden. The six string wizardry of Grand Mongrel is off the charts. The sound is rounded out by colossally epic riffs that can be heard on the mid tempo sections of tracks like “Suffer the Witch to Live”, “A Magician’s Prayer”, and “Fate of the Grail, Pt. 2”. They’re atmospheric and almost orchestral in nature, though without crossing the threshold into atmospheric or symphonic black metal territory.
Arcana, Scrying and Revelation is more than just another black metal album. It’s the channeling of ancient spirits into a black metal opus. There’s a lot to be said for releases in this genre that keep the listener entranced from beginning to end. Hopefully this review says it all and then some.
8 out of 10
Label: Hells Headbangers Records
Genre: Black Metal
For fans of: Absu, Malokarpatan, Mercyful Fate