ARCANIST 'Caustic Apparitions' LP

Moonworshipper Records ‎– MWR-116

"A raucous, jangling and highly spirited new effort from Lord of the Moon-clan himself, Arcanist emerges from a brume of noxious marsh gas bearing nine fresh tracks known collectively as Caustic Apparitions.

Although rooted stylistically in the familiar but largely under-explored territory notably visited of old by the likes of Ildjarn, and in recent years by a host of worshippers, on Caustic Apparitions Arcanist strikes with fresh energy and flavor. The guitar work walks a perfect balance between brutal straightforwardness and frosty winter madness, rhythmically boring forth with acid-etched definition and bilious will, frequently accented with primitive, single-note lead playing. A thundering, mud-caked but hard-hitting production job encloaks the otherwise virtuosic drum performance that emanates from within the fray, as Arcanist’s wretched, delay-laden oratory spews inspired verses like those declaimed on tonight’s preview track, “Drinking Blood.”

As the moon begins to rise
The marsh is draped in glowing eyes
A chorus of insects and amphibians
Sing cacophanus nocturnal hymns

Torch in hand, I enter the swamp
Trudging through the knee-deep muck
In search of a horror ages old
Immortalized, drinking blood!…

Arcanist’s debut harnesses a notoriously unruly, punkish facet of black metal and pulverizes it with adroit execution, unique vision, and an all-around fantastic attention to detail. In short, it’s essential releases like this that keep the scene interesting and ward off stagnation."