As black as a raven, but sublime like a stream in a lush forest, 殞煞 Vengeful Spectre raged onto the scene with their self-titled debut released from Pest Productions. The band was formed in 2019 in China, and unfortunately there's not much else out there about them. That being the case, there is still much to say about their luminous debut.
Vengeful Spectre with 6 tracks has a runtime a bit of 36 minutes, and is something of a concept album about war and betrayal rich with the history of eastern swordsmen. The bands characteristic style is for fans of bands like Finntroll or Moonsorrow, i.e. black metal rich with the sounds of traditional folk instruments from their area of origin. The release is brimming with sounds of the pipa (Chinese lute), the dizi (bamboo flute) and others.
A peculiar point to bring up is that the traditional instruments are usually meant to evoke sound of the heavens or nature, as a big meaning for the traditional instruments is that they are from nature. Vengeful Spectre have perverted the normal usage of these instruments into an inflamed force, while still taking time to evoke sounds of the heavens as well.
The mix of the album is magnificent, rich with the sounds of a natural atmosphere, and extraordinarily well defined, with no part out shadowing another. The vocals are crisp, the traditional instruments are defined and come out to the front, and the guitars, bass and drums come through without overpowering the listener. All the parts blend into a hellish sound that sweeps you away into a landscape of blood, death and ultimately hope. Sadly there are no videos or photos of Vengeful Spectre to share, so please be sure to check out their Bandcamp, buy a cd or cassette, and revel in the ride that is Vengeful Spectre.
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