Pure yet defiled, definite yet chaotic, conservative yet innovative, Idolatria are a four-piece black metal group from Pordenone, Italy. Their 2015 debut Breviarium Daemonicus Idolatrorum came out of nigh nowhere and set the black metal world ablaze. While that first album was an independent release, their debut on Signal Rex, Tetrabestiarchy proves that their first effort was far from a fluke. Across six tracks, these longform exercises in extreme violence blend doom with destruction to bring forth a bloody, animalistic work that stands out from the rough and unpolished black metal pack.
The album starts out with an intro called “Glorious Praise to the Tetrarchs,” which is filled with ambience and an ominous choir. Before long, the first proper track “Serpent: The Father of Darkness” starts off in a fashion not unlike “Black Sabbath” by Black Sabbath, from the album Black Sabbath (nope, couldn’t help myself), before tearing into blast beats and furious guitars at around a minute and a half in. Soon after, a lead guitar rings out over the war beneath it, with alternate picking making for a simple but effective melody. As punishing as this song is, it’s got this mysticism and high melody about it that makes it. The fist-pumping section around the five and a half minute mark is going to bust some heads come concert time. All told, it’s a sweeping eight minutes.
Next is “Noctule: The Emperor of Scourge,” starting in with dissonant and disjointed chords over blast beat barrages. At times, vocalist Malum Ferus Maeficus snarls his vocals, especially through a brief interlude without instrumentation, adding a chilling coldness to the already frosty assault. The cold settles into the bones in the final section, in which a clean guitar plays out the tune over another ominous choir sample. After this comes “Goat: Servant of the Underworld,” which begins with arpeggios equally articulate and ersatz. This song takes a more methodical approach to start out, letting off the gas just a bit, at least until about the two and a half minute mark. Vocally, Maeficus gets up to a mid-scream at highest, which complements some of the more death metal moments on the track and the album as a whole. The low growls serve to unnerve in all of the right ways.
The last full-length song is “Vulture: The God of Last Rites,” as it starts off with ringing chords and manic drumming. After a minute and a half of this eight minute hellride, the tone changes to a mid-tempo sway, with a bit more presence from the synths than we’ve had so far, excluding the intro. This is a song that sends off an album in style, an epic final act that commands attention, like the culmination of a long ritual. The more traditional black metal elements don’t kick in until just before the halfway mark, but when they do come in, they feel more welcome than before. It is in this allowing the music to breathe and knowing when to shift gear that Idolatria succeeds in executing this rendering record.
While Idolatria may prefer their tracks on the longer side, no single song on this record feels like it overstays its welcome. They make black metal not only interesting, but fresh and exciting. If you are one of those who show disdain towards the symphonic or gothic side of black metal, this may be the record to keep you on the dark side. The atmospheric moments are there when they need to be, but the less is more approach to the instrumentation, coupled with the more is more composition, allow the songs to reach out to whatever lengths they need to. In short, it’s a great metal album, and a fine black metal album to boot.
Tetrabestiarchy is available now via Signal Rex.
Comments