- 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 themes revolve around alien abductions, strange creatures and a fairly dark sci-fi setting, something that fits perfectly with the music.
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 shifts in tempo 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.
On “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 changes help the tracks avoid 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 in the heavy points and clean vocals in 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 wanted most is a bit more work on the solos. The melodies are strong, but there are points where a more technical guitar approach would have given 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 doesn’t try to become overly complicated and that ultimately works in its favour.
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
