Heir to Scoria and Ash is the brand new release on Apocalyptic Witchcraft (love that name!) from Irish black metal heathens Mortichnia, containing five furious tracks of molten extreme metal mayhem for any fan of the classic Norwegian scene or the more modern take on the genre existing in the US. The tracks are lengthy, allowing for plenty of extended passages of not only furious onslaught, but light & atmospheric textures as well. "Searing Impulse" tosses at the listener crushing blast beats, hellish rasps, and thunderous yet highly textured guitar riffs, while the near 14-minute "Carrion Proclamation" chills to the bone with eerie, lilting guitar riffs, booming passages of crushing doom, and haunting, tortured vocal wailing. "A Furious Withering" is, well, fairly furious, but there's a boatload of bottom end going on throughout, with some serious bass rumbles, and the raging "Heir" manages to add plenty of melody to the otherwise catastrophic arrangement, with some splendid tremolo picked guitar riffs cascading over the top of brooding atmosphere, manic drums, and indecipherable screams & moans. Think early, galloping Primordial and you aren't too far off.
Pretty good stuff here for any fan of epic, atmospheric black metal, complete with top notch musicianship and a chilling vibe.
Track Listing
1) Searing Impulse
2) Carrion Proclamation
3) The Waning
4) A Furious Withering
5) Heir