Glorification of the Night

Before the unfortunate split in the middle of the decade, Lycanthropy’s Spell were on to a definite winner. Not only did the duo greatly please the old school contingent with their worship of the second wave, in particular the likes of Burzum and Darkthrone, and generally the early 1990’s black metal scene in Scandinavia, they also drew in a crowd from the depressive sub-genre who were affected by their long streams of melancholic melodies. This Belgian band have grown in stature since their departure from the scene after the untimely death of Sarmak, the band’s integral member who provided the bass, the guitars and the vocals for all their efforts, including this final full-length effort entitled ‘Glorification of the Night’. In fact, respect for this band has probably heightened due to Sarmak’s tragic passing at the hands of heart failure. Though the band’s influence may be limited on both the Belgian scene and the worldwide demographic, Lycanthropy’s Spell have a fairly large fan base which is ever growing. There are several reasons as to why this is and why their music is as accessible now as it was five or so years ago when it first hit home.

There is a feeling of longevity in their music. Their soundscapes transcend time and in doing so, this gives the underground act a feeling of endurableness despite the influx of bands into the depressive scene since their departure. In 2005, the depressive sub-genre was only truly beginning to take off. Although it may have started several years prior to the early part of the current decade, the use of the internet truly made this a sub-genre to be reckoned with. Although it may be clustered up by the bedroom bands, there is still a number of active and defunct bands, like Lycanthropy’s Spell, who give the sub-genre a certain amount of credit through these troubled times. In terms of the bands own discography, I would rate this record, the final chapter in the illustrious, but short lived career of the Belgian band, somewhere in between that of the likeable ‘Lycanthropic Hymns’ and the loveable ‘Misanthropic Visions’. All three records sound similar to the next, but with each one grows a sense of being more memorable, though the middle ground, that being ‘Misanthropic Visions’, is certainly the pinnacle record to which all Lycanthropy’s Spell records should be compared against.

Records like this do not come along that often, despite the fact that a number of Darkthrone clones exist in abundance and not since Darkthrone has a band been able to use that hollow lo-fi sound to their advantage to the same sort of level as Lycanthropy’s Spell have. The shallow, scratchy feeling to the sound quality is actually a positive because it heightens the animalistic vibe that runs throughout all of the Belgians’ records. After all, the band revolve their music around the concept of werewolves and there is definitely a distinctive animalistic feeling to the atmospherics, which are very crude and raw. When Darkthrone used the infamous lo-fi sound on ‘Transilvanian Hunger’, it was probably ahead of its time in regards to the unrelenting atmospheric sound. However, that lo-fi sound has had years to digest and be dissected in an attempt to prove what it does and does not bring to the table. In the present day, being a long-time black metal fan, I’m used to lo-fi proceedings and bands opting for this minimal approach because it certainly does offer the scene something rewarding, despite not being a new idea, but only when done right, as Lycanthropy’s Spell will prove.

Despite the quality of the production, all aspects are audible, which is a unique feeling. From the bass to the aspects of percussion, each area feels like it has enough space to manoeuvre in despite the claustrophobic feel to the atmosphere. The reason why the band are able to stand up to the problems and limitations of using a lo-fi production is simple - excellent song writing, which is what makes the bands records so memorable and enduring. Sarmak, who I assume controls the song writing, is a visionary when it comes to this style. His capabilities must be highlighted when discussing the pros and cons of his projects, especially this one. He is also a knowledgeable man, enlisting someone to play authentic drums on his records, instead of relying on the dread drum machine which has caused problematic issues for several bands, though the likes of Abyssic Hate and so on have managed to avoid these errors in judgment.

Using authentic drums gives the band more access to variation, something they’re not afraid of despite being largely repetition in areas. As songs like ‘Requiem’ show, the duo are capable of remaining interesting over long periods due to the fact that the song writing is so good. Not only do the band incorporate variation, and with it a sense of dynamism, they also incorporate acoustics and a number of sweet sounding solos which act as anthems to the feeling of depression. The instrumental song ‘Midnight Symphony’ is a good example of how Lycanthropy’s Spell do not avoid confronting issues like experimentation despite the fact that most bands in a similar vein are monotonous and it is also a fitting ending to the bands full-length career, a truly beautiful and haunting song. The beautiful side to the Belgian band is one that reflects well against the confrontational side, which includes harsher soundscapes. ‘Glorification of the Night’ is a pure unadulterated classic which highlights how well a sub-genre like this can sound when you have a terrific song writer behind the music.