Evolving from a 2007 project and delivering two EPs that promised much, Sacrilegious Impalement's 2009 first full length divided opinion, with most disappointed by being too generic to be as earth-shattering as hoped. Dissonance, distortion, tremolo-picking, and with plenty of cool riffs, Exalted Spectres shows how the band have matured into something more befitting of their musical aspirations. The opening 'Intro (Soul Link between two Voids)' emerges from silence and is an outstanding atmospheric and melodic piece that subsides into an esoteric vocal chant that is too quickly overthrown by the black metal onslaught of 'Blessed to Resist'. 'Wolves of the Black Moon', with Hellwind Inferion's chilling chant of "666" at the end, along with the dark and barren ambience of 'Woods in a Solitary Soul' and 'Alethia', are among the high points of the album. But the best is saved for last, and it is the melancholic epic 'Grand Funeral Convoy', with a howling wind, distant thunder, and ominous church bells evoking 70s horror movie atmospheres (and Black Sabbath, of course), that stands out. More controlled than its eight predecessors in its elaborate structure and musical textures, this is the albums zenith. In fact, had they explored and developed the themes and moods of the intros and the progressive sections, this album could have been much better than it already is. For those who anticipated more from Sacrilegious Impalement, Exalted Spectre is still, in some respects, a straightforward black metal album but its musical substance and variety makes for a vast improvement over 2009's Cultus Nex and shows that Sacrilegious Impalement have learnt much in the interim. Recommended.
Track Listing:
1. Intro (Soul Link Between Two Voids)
2. Blessed to Resist
3. Abyss Absolute (Enter Godhood)
4. Wolves of the Black Moon
5. Woods in a Solitary Soul
6. At the Altar Afore Eternity (Enter Godhood)
7. Aletheia
8. Omnipotens Aeterne
9. Grand Funeral Convoy
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