Trying to find information about Polish old school black metallers Iugulatus is rather like removing the proverbial teeth. Arriving shorn of promo sheet or any form of information the music must speak entirely for itself which, it rapidly transpires, is a very good thing indeed because ‘Call of the horned god’ is an excellent, ferocious, atmospheric beast of an album which deserves to be heard.
Opening with the ominous rumble of black knight, when the guitars do arrive about thirty seconds into the track they recall the regimentally disciplined guitars of recent Satyricon while the drums are reminiscent of Frost’s brutal work on Gehenna’s ‘WW’ which should tell you that this band have been working damn hard at producing the darkest, blackest set of songs possible. Throw in a vocalist who clearly has a love of Gorgoroth and a bassist who seems to be off in a jazz-orientated world of his own and you have a band that is more than capable of delivering knock-out blows, one of which is the atmospheric, misanthropic opening track which rapidly silences any possible criticisms by offering up a convincingly brutal sound only with what could be termed a slightly progressive edge thanks to the bass flourishes and lead guitar elements. However, fears from traditionalists that this band in any way temper their fury with such musical flourishes are groundless – this is as dark and as unpleasant as it gets and the chorus of “I hate you and I wanna kill you” is all too convincing while the crushing beats pile up and crowd in upon you as the track reaches its furious conclusion. ‘Right time’ is no less vicious than its predecessor, opening with a slowed down riff that grinds down resistance before a huge chugging riff eradicates it altogether. The vocals, meanwhile, remain a high point and unusually clear for a black metal releases with most of the lyrics proving remarkably easy to make out even amidst the blur of drums and guitar that surrounds them. A real highlight of the album, ‘Corpse eater’ comes next and it’s a monster – a slicing, vicious blast of white hot black metal that drips hatred and menace while the guitars are both exceptionally tight and memorable which just serves to highlight the fact that not only do Iugulatus have the passion and aggression but also the songs to match making them a potent force to be reckoned with.
‘Child of chaos’ should probably struggle after such a monolithic slab of doom laden black metal, but such is the quality control exerted by these four musicians that no track stands out as being disappointing or weak – rather every track here maximises the band’s potential by offering up a different vision of their music. On ‘child…’ where the previous track raged, here you find a glacial, slowed down approach that is as cold as a mountain stream and eerily intense, even if the refrain of “I am the chosen one” strangely does recall The Machines Of Loving Grace’s ‘Golgotha tenement blues’ from The Crow soundtrack. Like the other tracks on offer here, ‘child of chaos’ moves through multiple moods and once again it is the high level of musicianship that shines out above all else – these guys know their instruments well and their dedication to practice is clearly represented by the imaginative and excellent compositions that grace this album. ‘Werewolf’ sees the band move into more predictable territory lyrically, but musically they are still running ahead of the pack with a fast moving slab of traditional black metal played by consummate professionals. Final track, ‘call of the horned god’ rounds out this six track, forty minute masterpiece with a brutal run through the multiple elements of the rest of the album, offering up light and shade, dynamic twists between brutally heavy slowed down riffs and razor sharp guitar playing all held together by vocals hewn from chipped granite. It’s a sterling end to an astonishing performance and there is no doubt that Iugulatus are more than worthy of your time and cash.
Overall it’s hard to rate this album highly enough. Arriving on our desk shrouded in mystery, the quality of the music is without doubt while the passionate and furious performance is enough to convince even the most jaded black metal fan that Iugulatus are a force to be reckoned with. Incorporating elements of black metal, traditional metal and thrash nothing here sounds like a compromise and the production, though admirably raw, also packs an almighty punch and clarity where necessary. Skilled, refined and astonishingly good this is an essential purchase for fans of the genre.
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