A few days ago I discovered in my mailbox the promo material for the band Countess Erzsebet which apparently is a one woman band hailing from the States. The main character behind this project is going by the name of Rachel Bloodspell Moongoddess (she also played in Xasthur at some point) and on the 28th of July AB the self-titled mini album will come out on CD and LP formats.
According to the description that came with this promo, Rachel not only handles all the instruments on this record, but she also built them herself (electric bass and guitar). The only outside help comes from Steve Peacock (Spirit Possession and Pandiscordian Necrogenesis), who plays the drums on 4 of the album tracks.
Having no idea whatsoever what to expect from this band I put the headphones on, pressed Play and immersed myself into the music. What struck me in the first place was the sound, grim and primitive as fuck, and yet very melodic. In the second place, there was the atmosphere, so nocturnal and mysterious. I am not sure if this is indeed a new recording or some old resurrected demo tape found in the attic in a dusty box, but I fucking love it.
The 6 tracks on this EP/mini album or whatever you want to call it contain a mixture of ferocious black metal inspired by the Scandinavian scene of the early 90s, some dungeon synth oriented parts and witchy acoustic interludes that create an ethereal soundtrack for an occult ritual held somewhere in the bowels of a ruined castle.
While spinning this material I felt like I was listening to a rehearsal or a demo tape from a young Scandinavian band from the summer of 1993. Even though we’re light years away from those magical years, you can still feel on this record that same (youthful) enthusiasm and passion that drove the bands of the era to challenge the norms and create their timeless masterpieces.
Rachel‘s vocals are both seductive and blood chilling (“In the Blood of Virgins“, “666“), while the acoustic guitars and the keyboards are in stark contrast with the viciousness of the raw riffs and blast beats that surface from tracks like “Glorification of the Profane“, “Pray to the Devil” or “Obliteration of Thine Enemy“. The songs flow extremely well into each other so at the end you still feel the urge to play them again, just to discover another riff or chord that you may have missed the previous time.
Even if very short (just a bit over 15 minutes), “Countess Erzsebet” is that type of record with a very strong and homogeneous content which will get you hooked from the very first listen. Unlike many other new releases, this mini album radiates a sinister atmosphere with strong occult vibes that will haunt you each time you’ll play it.
Countess Erzsebet may be a new band, but its spirit lies elsewhere, in a world infused of witchcraft, devil worship and occult rituals. With this debut album Rachel has created a very special release, with a unique sound and feeling. To come up in 2023 with a black metal record which reeks of such a nostalgia, while still being somehow original, is definitely no small thing.
Countess Erzsebet Tracklist:
1. In the Blood of Virgins
2. Glorification of the Profane
3. 666
4. Pray to the Devil
5. Obliteration of Thine Enemy
6. Exile into Depravity
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