In Memory...

In Memory is a more savage and focused short player than this band's 1993 obscurity Under the Sight of Dragon, but it comes at the cost of some of the crude but distinct riffing found thereupon. Where the band were once kindling a primitive sense for progression, here they've largely adopted the ethos of many European peers, to play as ruthlessly as possible, with straight blasting sequences and vicious vocals. For the vocals, they certainly got it right, because these are appropriately hallowing and harsh, so much that they often smother the less interesting music below with their carnal charisma; but this was still a band seeking to carve out an identity of its own, not quite arriving at the finish line, even though half a decade and numerous interim demos had passed.

In Memory is more substantial than that last EP, and while the band doesn't prove to be such a repugnant curiosity, they certainly offer up some variation. The first two tracks, "Angel of Light" and "Four Fiery Crowns" are performed with the raw force I noted above, drums programmed to blast incessantly while the churning vortex of guitars evoke the barbarity of Mayhem and other Scandinavian evil-smiths. The climax of "Angel of Light" comes with a cheesy female Satanic chant that reminds me of the Wampyrinacht EP (which I believe one of thee guys was involved in); and both of these tunes use keyboard strikes to enhance their sense of full moon madness, ultimately manifesting in some half-decent, if forgettable camp that is at least fun in the actual listening.

After this, though, the contents of the EP shift direction, with the keyboard ambient piece "Hymn to Satan" and further ritual incantation, and then the generally slower "Morbid Rites", which features more use of melody along its black/doom gait. "The Meeting" falls somewhere in between that track and the initial pair of compositions (which were also released as a promo the same year, independently of the rest), a good and sleazy organ deep in the bridge that pairs up with the ghastly snarls. As one might expect, the lyrics here are all pure occult in the vein of Mercyful Fate, Venom, Morbid Angel, and so forth, and the production is amply raw, but not so much that the instruments lose any clarity. Ultimately, In Memory is a more potent effort than Under the Sight of Dragon, as it seems the band's intentions are more sinister and serious, but aside from its passable writing and the 'creep factor' of its vocal carnage and haunted house atmosphere, there is not much to distinguish it from hundreds of other, similar recordings.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Vorphalack is mainly known because of Naer Mataron's Lord Alatoth and for being the pre-Astarte project of Tristessa. I was searching for some fine Hellenic BM again and this EP was one of the recommendations I received.

First thing I realized was the extremely trebly low-fi production - absolutely no low end, no bass, extremely fuzzy, cheap-sounding guitars and lifeless drums. I'm used to weak production and I'm also one of those guys who think that sub par production can enhance certain music styles, but this is just too much.

"Angel of Light" is the first song, embracing the listener with furious blastbeats and some fierce vocal work by Lord Alatoth and Tristessa, but much of its energy is lost due to the fuzzy production. The guitar riffs are very simple, not memorable and purely Norwegian-styled. No Hellenic BM to be found (except for maybe one riff in Morbid Rites, if I remember it correctly). Not to say that Norwegian BM must be bad, but I was expecting some great riffage, but there is none to be found here.

I won't describe every song in detail, since they're all too similar (except for the boring monotonous synth/spoken word piece "Hymn to Satan") and really aren't anything special.

The EP gains a few points for good vocal work, but everything else ranges from average to sub par. I was told that Vorphalack's earlier days were inspired by Hellenic metal, but I highly doubt it, because this release contains no stellar songwriting or ANY aspect that made the Greek metal scene so special.

This was supposed to be a tribute to the (at the time) recently deceased Anton Szandor LaVey, but I doubt another average release would impress him much.