After nine years of silence, Hecate Enthroned are back with their new album Virulent Rapture.
The way the album opens with Thrones Of Shadow is incredible, with ambient and clashing noises building up the album perfectly, and when the full band kick in it just blows you away. Vocalist Elliot has so much power behind his voice, which helps move the song forward, and as it progresses it gets better and better. The keyboard sections add a lot to the song atmosphere-wise and the way it abruptly ends, along with the fading out whispered vocals, is fantastic.
In all honestly, Thrones Of Shadow sums up the album perfectly and gives the listener a good insight into what the rest of the album will be like. Hecate Enthroned have got a fairly unique sound and take on the black/death metal genre, with the keyboards a valuable asset into making the album as striking as it is. They just add the perfect amount of melody to the heaviness.
One of the strongest tracks is Abyssal March, which has an eerie-sounding introduction that leads into harsh screams. You can’t help but want to bang your head along to it before the middle section, which is a little more melodic, powers in and grips you again, before it ends in the same manner in which it began.
There really isn’t a bad song on this and needless to say, Hecate Enthroned have really delivered where it matters. Fantastic stuff.
9/10
The album is currently streaming on Terrorizer so why not check it out?
