IDOLATRIA
Tetrabestiarchy
SIGNAL REX
Italian black metallers siphon the arsenic from the orthodox
After a rather inconsequential intro, Italy’s Idolatria slowly pull you into their occultic existence on second album Tetrabestiarchy. The band remain staunchly beholden to Scandinavian black metal’s second wave, but also to the sonically orthodox and anti-religious black metal scene of their homeland. You won’t find any stylistic surprises here, nor were any expected. Idolatria move consistently between blasting blasphemy and slower death marches in militant fashion, albeit with the odd shard of melody cutting through. However, some transitions could do with a sharper sleight of hand to blur the joints and tighten up some of the less impactful sections. Overall, though, the Mayhemic atmosphere distracts you from the least glaring structural issues, and at full-pelt and at their most hate-riddled, these Italians have the promising ability to invoke Marduk.