After an explosive and highly appreciated promo tape which came out almost 3 years ago, Hungarian black metal band Lidérc finally releases its first full length album, “Profán Mystérium“, on the 9th of March. Sun and Moon Records will handle the CD version while the tape will be co released with Total Darkness Propaganda, in a limited edition of 160 copies.
The above mentioned demo tape was fantastic and kept me wanting for more, so I was super stoked to hear the news about the band’s debut album, as I was extremely curious to see how the new songs will turn out and what the final outcome will be. Well, after listening to the album promo, I can tell you that I am not disappointed at all. I think this record will receive a lot of positive feedback and I am sure the band will get many opportunities to spread their craft in live appearances.
According to the EPK, the album evokes “a rustic medieval-infused world of deranged alchemists, superstitious masses and rural witchcraft practitioners, with a vicious, grotesque and twisted sonic atmosphere“. I cannot agree more with this statement, as you can feel the devilish atmosphere right from the very first notes of the opening track. You’re then taken on a musical voyage in 6 chapters back to the times when the Devil was an active and common presence in the daily life, when people actually feared him and tried to learn how to live with him.
The album contains 6 tracks, with a duration of 32 minutes, more than enough to hook and immerse you into its atmosphere. Besides the 2 songs already present on the demo, “Bacchanalia” and “Az elkárhozottak“, there are 4 more songs which will catch your attention at the first listen. As they continue on the same path of rural wickedness and trickery, they will incite you to dance feverishly all night long while indulging in excessive amounts of dubious alcohol and ecstatic, intoxicating rites.
The tracks are fast, melodic and emanate a very “primitive”, raw sound, especially in the guitars. G.Caesus‘s sharp riffs combined with Agost‘s fantastic solos create the tunes on which the Devil dances around, from one place to another (pay attention to the main theme on “Bacchanalia“, it will appear several times during the album). The hammering drums keep the rhythm by switching between savage blast beats and slow passages, while Comes Listhius‘s raspy vocals are the vessel through which the Devil manifests. His whispers and hysterical shrieks add a certain “theatrical” wickedness to the already mystic atmosphere, as you can hear it in tracks like “Zsarátnok“, “Az elkárhozottak” or “Caprineus“.
As its title implies, the album represents a journey into the world of occult and impious mysteries craftily evoked through intelligent Hungarian lyrics and black metal tunes full of aggression and melancholy. The fantastic cover and hand drawn layout created by the talented Grafit és Hamu and Comes Listhius make you think of a medieval treatise on demonology and witchcraft, which highlights even more the album’s themes.
The cursed offspring of the impure wedding between raw black metal and the world full of mysticism, folklore and medieval Satanic imagery, “Profán Mystérium” is one hell of a debut album and it’s the perfect way to fuel the band’s momentum. For those interested, be sure not to miss the band’s live appearance on the 23rd of March in Budapest, during the final edition of the infamous Inner Awakening Festival.
Lidérc – Profán Mystérium Track List:
1. Bacchanalia
2. Zsarátnok
3. Az elkárhozottak
4. Ekpyrosis
5. Tövisliget
6. Caprineus
Lidérc Line-Up:
Comes Listhius – vocals
G. Caesus – guitars
Agost K – guitars
K. Carnarius – Bass
K. Kazimir – drums
Links:
scrollsofdarmoth.com 
Leave a comment