Song: Liturgical Perversity
Album: Consummatum Est
Year: 2008
Genre: Black Metal
Black Metal is a fascinating area of music. I’m not speaking of the outlandish and controversial history and lore which surrounds the genre, but about the actual music. I don’t believe another type of music exists that has so many varied sub genres within its domain. Here’s my best effort to create a concise list of black metal classifications; true, symphonic, pagan/Viking/folk, raw, atmospheric, depressive/suicidal, industrial, progressive, avant-garde, ambient, Cascadian, and I’m sure more exist. As modern-day black metal spread from the lovely, frozen Scandinavian plains, musicians in other regions put their own spin on the traditional blueprint. Although they all reside in the same sunless pit, each classification has a unique trait and stylistic variation to differentiate itself from another. If one were to listen to Dimmu Borgir (symphonic) and then Craft (true), similarities exist which tie them together, but the musical and creative differences are substantial. Orcivus are a relatively newer band and fit best into the “true” black metal realm. They have a penchant for the brutal and bleak, but they also find ways to incorporate dynamic guitar work and timing/tempo changes that showcase their songwriting ability; none of which takes away from the dark and intimidating sound they band wants to convey. One might say Orcivus are sort of an oddity since a single person, simply called Perditor, is responsible for all the music, while the man called Mortifer provides the tortured vocals. Now, this setup isn’t unheard of in black metal, but, more often than not, these stripped down projects end up being hyper speed drum machines backed by poor to mediocre instrumentation and song structure. Listening to either of their records, you can tell Orcivus have an elevated standard of musicianship. They’re complicated enough to be interesting, yet, they don’t over-complicate the structure and seamlessly shift from one part to another while losing neither the intensity nor the integrity of the song. This is a skill many weathered veterans in extreme music are still trying to learn. If Orcivus are able to maintain the quality of songwriting they’ve already displayed, they will gain cult legend status in no time. Let’s end this with the typical black metal sign off…Hail Orcivus!!!
Listen to "Liturgical Perversity" here.
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