ONDSKAPT
Grimoire Ordo Devus
OSMOSE PRODUCTIONS Sulphur-steeped black metallers add dynamism to their diabolism
Ondskapt’s fourth fulllength lives up to the band’s description of it: the “audial and spiritual essence of evil”. But for anyone familiar with the past rites of this Swedish black metal horde, was anything else actually expected on their first record in a decade? Ondskapt’s sole founding member, Acerbus (guitars/ vocals), is a defender of the Luciferian black metal faith – vehemently so, in fact. Backed by a feverishly intense new line-up of seasoned musicians, Acerbus’s (re)dedication to the dark arts creeps through the more subtle ritualistic passages across the album, where spoken word, choirs, symphonic keyboards and acoustic codas are used sparingly to dynamically enrich aphotic compositions formed from blasting hellfire drums and vicious, tremolo-riddled axework. ■■■■■■■■■■