Necromantia is one of the most unique and mysterious black metal bands. When you hear about black metal, you imagine bands like Darkthrone, Mayhem, or Immortal, right? Well, if you do so, you will be surprised by Necromantia, as the band has its own sound, personality and point of view about black metal. Scarlet Evil Witching Black is probably the band's magnum opus and generally a crowning achievement of the whole extreme metal scene.
The most characteristic thing about this (and every Necromantia release) is the lack of guitars.Instead, there is an 8-string bass that plays the role of the guitar. However, in Scarlet Evil Witching Black you can hear some of the most ferocious riffs! The influence of early Manowar can't be hidden, as some of these riffs are truly epic and violent, like the opening riffs in the songs "Pretender To The Throne (Opus I)" and" The Serpent And The Pentagram". There is a variety of amazing riffs, from extremely fast to more slow and doomy and that is one of the reasons that make you want to listen to the album again and again.
Another thing that makes this album so unique is the orchestration. There are many instrumental parts in every song, filled with haunting keyboard melodies, that create a mysterious and evil atmosphere, which is able to create unique feelings to the listener. It is also easy to understand that Necromantia are also inspired from classical and jazz music, as they use piano, acoustic guitar and even a saxophone!The drumming in this record is also mind-blowing, not only in the fast parts but in the slower parts as well.
The lyrics that Necromantia write are excellent and reveal the band's talent and their poetic side. Dark, occult and blasphemous are written in a way that can only impress.Another thing that also impresses is the vocals. Magus Wampyr Daoloth's voice always impressed me, even since the Rotting Christ era. His screeches and screams are extraordinary, but the spoken parts, where Magus speaks his blasphemous words, are capable of sending chills down your spine.
I recommend this masterpiece to any fan of dark and occult music who wants to stick with an album for a long time and trip with it. Scarlet Evil Witching Black is a monument of black metal that stands out for its breathtaking atmosphere and proves that what maters in this kind of music is not the speed, but the atmosphere and...the artwork.
Sample:
youtube.com/watch?v=KyCGbpqsso4&list=RDKyCGbpqsso4&start_radio=1
