- Country: England
- Genre: Progressive Black Metal / Atmospheric Black Metal / Melodic Death Metal
- For fans of: Mare Cognitum, Enslaved, Oranssi Pazuzu, Borknagar, Be’lakor
“Wretched Spawn of Iniquitous Orders” is the debut of Namu, a one-man project from England. The subject matter revolves around alien abductions, strange creatures and a fairly dark sci-fi setting, which fits the music perfectly.
The core sound is built on Atmospheric and Progressive Black Metal, but within the songs there are plenty of Melodic Death Metal elements. The guitars go from tremolo riffs and blast beats to more melodic passages, while the tempo shifts keep things interesting.
“Catharsis in Stasis” sets the record’s atmosphere early with clean guitars and plenty of reverb, before the band moves into the heavier points.
In “A Fold’s Gather” we have one of the best examples of how the record works. It starts aggressively, drops into calmer acoustic passages and returns with a slower groove and melodic guitars. These shifts help keep the tracks from becoming monotonous.
The synths on “The Fibre Prismatic” and “Triptych” add a nice 80s sci-fi feel and tie in very well with the concept. The vocals also change with the music, with harsh vocals at the heavy points and clean vocals at the calmer ones.
“Triptych” is among the best moments and closes the record beautifully, with chants, atmosphere and a strong vocal rise.
What I would have liked more is a bit more work on the solos. The melodies are strong, but there are points where a more technical guitar approach would give even greater intensity.
Overall, “Wretched Spawn of Iniquitous Orders” is an interesting debut that combines Black Metal, Melodic Death Metal and sci-fi atmosphere without losing its character. It does not try to become overly complicated and that ultimately works in its favor.
Tracklist
- Catharsis in Stasis – 07:24
- Edict of Absolution – 04:30
- Ineffable Constructs – 05:35
- A Fold’s Gather – 06:46
- The Fibre Prismatic – 06:24
- Aberration of Light – 06:16
- Triptych – 08:04
