CD reissue of the band debut album (2020) previously only available in cassette and digital.
Calderum is yet another black metal band from Catalonia that actually began as a dungeon synth project. The first two EPs were okay, but didn't really stood out and felt a bit generic. In 2020, Calderum would drop their debut album "The Krypts of the Sorcerer", which would mark as a transitional period towards a more black metal style.
Well, not exactly. Instrumental-wise, this album has a pattern of having one track be dungeon synth, and then the next track is black metal, and so on. However, the quality differences between the dungeon synth tracks and black metal tracks are different. The dungeon synth tracks are simple and consist of just one main riff, but they are a lot more effective at its atmospheres than in the previous two EPs. The strongest cases being in "Entrance to the Orcs Fortress" and "The Spell of Darkness", as they feel like a good homage to stuff like Depressive Silence. On the other hand, the black metal tracks feel forgettable. Listening to stuff like "In a Cold and Freezing Winter" do feel okay, but this style of raw riffs, fast blastbeats, and raw production is something I've heard of various other bands from Bandcamp, and they don't really seem to last very long. Then again, seeing how this is the first time a style like this is used for the band, I'll give it a little leeway as they're more or less experimenting on what works. For now, the dungeon synth tracks are far superior in quality, but the metal tracks don't seem too awful either.
As for the vocals, they're also interesting. Much of them are from the metal tracks, which utilize high-pitched shrieks. The best track for these vocals are in "Black Sorcery", as not only are the guitar riffs a little better, but the shrieks flow pretty well with the chaotic atmosphere and help paint a picture of black magic being used. As for the dungeon synth tracks, they also make an appearance. In "Quest to a New Full Moon" for example, we hear echoed shrieks in the background, but they don't feel as sincere since agonized shrieks over calming dungeon synth don't really work for me, besides some exceptions like Erevos's "My Black Desires". However, the vocals still sound good on their own, and do benefit the generic black metal instruments a lot.
Even though this album is still dungeon synth first, both styles are done pretty okay. The dungeon synth tracks improve their execution in sound and atmosphere heavily from the previous releases, and the black metal tracks, despite their genericness, can have their moments at times. If you're looking for a mix of black metal and dungeon synth, then I would check this one out.
Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmEANVPh750&t=1062s
