Heavy / Doom / Black Metal from Chile
Tómid-Nótt is a Burzum/Manes cover, originally tittled Tomhet and Natt.
Black Stone Wielder is a Candlemass cover.
Tempus Vernum is an Enya cover used as intro/outro.
I bet most European metalheads have spent their entire lives blissfully unaware of the Chilean Bewitched, a band we're almost completely unfamiliar with. I won't even mention the Swedish Bewitched, as they're a household name and respected, but if anyone hasn't heard them, they'd better catch up as soon as possible with at least the absolutely iconic "Pentagram Prayer." As for the Chileans, I had an older double compilation of their early recordings somewhere in my collection, but I'll freely admit I'd completely forgotten what it contained. Now, for some reason, I associate them more with forest-like, buzzing black metal, laced with screeching vocals.
I decided to refresh my memory of them next time I'm on the lookout, especially since we're talking about a band formed several years earlier than their Swedish namesakes. The Chileans not only formed earlier, debuted earlier, and recorded more albums, but also lasted nearly a decade longer. Since Bewitched was one of only three albums in the large package that arrived from the other side of the world, in digital format, requiring no unpacking of dozens of discs shipped loosely without boxes, it was this one that first found its way into my player.
...and it's been spinning for a week now.
If I mention the combination of black metal and doom, the first associations that will likely arise in my head will be dark black metal played at relatively slow tempos—perhaps Stabat Mater, for example, or the slower tempos of Archgoat. Nothing could be further from the truth in the case of Bewitched, which combines classic black metal with... classic doom metal with heavy metal leanings, reminiscent of Candlemass's heyday. And needless to say, the leader of Bewitched not only ripped off his band's name from a Candlemass track, but also based his nickname—Doomicus Stardust—on the title of the legendary doom metal crew's first album. "In Via Increatae Lvx" is roughly the band's seventh full-length album. The album is primarily based on a sinister, black metal atmosphere, but the longer you listen, the more its doom metal nature becomes apparent. The best example of this is the first track, "Carvanas," which follows the atmospheric, instrumental intro. However, the first thing I associated with this track was good old American Acheron, but in a much heavier—and believe me, even darker and more sinister—form. This music emerges from the darkness of night, like a gloomy castle on a moonless night: the longer we gaze into the darkness, the more differences between the shadows we observe, and the more uneasy we become about what we slowly perceive...
The next track, "War Blood Victory," is even more Acheron-esque, with that characteristic picking playing over a dangerously trotting riff from the very beginning. Over time, it becomes increasingly mayhem-like with "De Mystriis," but the sound isn't quite as brutal. Eventually, we reach a style reminiscent of old Celtic Frost, and then it returns again with Acheron. While the previous track featured delicate keyboards that heightened the atmosphere, here we're treated to several backing vocals.
The vocals are one of the most diverse parts on this album. There are several styles, overlapping and attacking the listener depending on the intended effect. Screeches, growls, manic laughter... However, it's noticeable that all the vocals—apart from those added in the background—are performed by a single person, which, despite their extended nature and the occasional appearance of several screams at once, adds incredible cohesion. But that's not all...
In the following track, "The Usurper's Death," the vocals are dripping with even more tar, and musically, it's a combination of the two previous tracks.
Sample:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLi-HjECHoU&t=607s