Review by Alex on December 7, 2019.

Going to the grocery store to pick up the common necessities could be a bit of bore sometimes given you have a general idea of what you set out to get, hence there should be no issue as long as the list can be fulfilled by the supplier. Uneventful mostly, however there are some instances you encounter an item/s that appeals to your urge in that particular moment and what happens is, shopping becomes a thrill for a few minutes again. That’s how I feel about thrash metal, I've grown so accustomed to it that it sounds of background music for working out or doing absolutely nothing. But once in a while something makes you want to bang your head again and relive the first moments you discovered the sub-genre. That's my impression on Cruentus' sophomore album Fake, which is their follow-up to 1996's In Myself. That's what I call a highly anticipated return album. Some bands have only been around for 5 years and have nearly as much albums if not more and that’s not a good look at all, (grindcore). Cruentus on the other hand have spent time wisely trying to make their second offering a thing that speaks for both past and present thrash metal eras and the band as a functioning unit. The genre Cruentus plays is death/thrash metal; many bands have approached metal from that angle, still it has at least for me proven to be a bore on many occasions considering the uneventful drum patterns, monotone vocals and filler riffs. Cruentus understands that the sub-genre is like gum, after a few minutes of being bombarded by teeth, its flavor begins to dissipate rapidly. How do they combat the reality of a beaten sub-genre, they step out of it's safe-space to make a memorable album instead of just another item with a price tag? To achieve such Cruentus dissected and added depth to the tunes through the use of sludge, groove, doom metal and some attributes of Death's technical/progressive metal era among other things.

Getting me to forget how much I dislike thrash metal even for 30 minutes is not easy but Cruentus did an above decent job of that with Fake. I think what helped the record from falling into the barrel of boredom comes through their fine incorporation of sludge metal and groove, in turn giving the recordings a rhythmic posture preventing that stationary, inanimate linear effect most thrash metal usually inscribes. 'Spoil the Flesh', 'Never Forget', 'Funambulism' and 'Shadows' are among some of the best moments to be experienced on Fake. Demonstrating not just the experience of the group, but they’re never faltering will to produce distinguished music. In addition, Fake arrives with a lingering presence of the early 90s thrash/death scene, hence reinforcing the band never abandoned their roots, instead reserved what most consider the golden years of the genres as an embedded characteristic of their recordings.

Having enjoyed most tracks on the record, I still was not content; it seemed as though I was searching for that one grand finale, decisive track and I'm happy that I did. It came to be later down the order in the form of 'The Strain'. What bit me? The opening riff which sounded like a merging of Inquisition's "Where Darkness is Lord and Death the Beginning" and "Desolate Funeral Chant". Either that riff was manufactured subconsciously, or it was penned as a direct nod to Inquisition (Colombia) whom might I remind you, started their quest as a thrash metal band; hence it seems fitting. Though probably not the best of examples, it's certainly structured similar to that of an Inquisition riff. Definitely the most memorable of songs featured on Fake; it takes the best aspects of Cruentus' playing and amalgamates them in succinct fashion. Their mid-tempo trotting, high-octane thrash metal riffing and drumming, the organic vocals, the sludge metal influences of Crowbar and Pantera all congregate and are executed effectively to give the listener a good lasting impression as the album meets its closing moments. Nicola Bavaro (vocals), Antonello Maggi (guitars), Domenico Mele (guitars), Valerio Di Masi (drums) and Adriano Boghetich (bass) amassed a work of significance to remind all ears the band is still very much dedicated to genre.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Alex on September 2, 2020.

Shrouded in seclusion and obscurity, the collective that is Novae Militiae, has been an ever-growing force that relied on letting their music do all the talking rather than their image. According to what I was presented-with and able to dig-up, the band members identities have yet to be revealed since formation, which makes Novae Militiae and moreso, Topheth, somewhat of an exotic find. Matching their mysterious aura, is the methodology behind Novae Militiae's art, which sees them strike up an affair with ambient pieces that match the cosmetics of their latest effort, all the while standing firm their ground in allegiance with the violence a black metal album is supposed to evoke.

Topheth serves as the sophomore album from this French black metal sect that steers visions of child sacrifice to Canaanite deities, Moloch and Baal. The place of such offerings was known as Topheth, located in Jerusalem. This is what caught my attention, the concept behind the music to be heard. Many black metal records go the route of giving some rendition of biblical or ancient times but only few ever manage to convincingly scribe a musical portrayal of what they aim to cover. Novae Militiae on the other hand, play as though they were attendees at the event. Thus, they are able to convey sonorous music and an atmosphere that are both accurate in depicting the scenery.

Setup as a 6-piece installment, with 2 rerecorded old tracks for a total of 8, Topheth moves about at a militant pacing with the occasional drop in speed to create a ritualistic feeling. This is done on the opening track, 'Towards the Sitra Achra', that sees the band build into a momentum of mustered violence that'd slowly begin to seep out as the tempo is gradually lifted from an ambient introduction to a riff driven, chant eclipsed, mid-paced black metal throbbing to a thing of astoundingly dark 2nd wave black metal thanks to incendiary vocals and razor-like tremolo riffing.

A shadow of fear is cast with denser effect, flames heighten in hunger and aggression is elevated; 'Advent of the Prophet' mounts the black metal stage and flaunts a frightening blaze of heart pounding blast beats and mewing yells while guitars scorch the landscape with steaming after effect. Following such an incinerating display of all-round aggression, 'Faithfully Reduced to Ashes' provides the requiem to your cauterized soul. Novae Militiae then takes an ambient break before restarting the ritual. There really is no protection from the merciless onslaught suddenly launched with 'Elevated to Him' that mimics the ferocity whilst sporting tremolo licks and a trance-like 2nd second wave black metal rapture. Yet even amongst the slowest of parts the molten adversity could still be felt during the climax to towards the song's conclusion.

Its relatively hard to ignore the textbook ferocity displayed in Topheth, that runs all the way through to the ideally titled 'Affliction of the Divine'. The vocal weight is just raw and obliterating, the drumming moves like a machine gun with some sections being slower to reload and the riffing is just a massive heatwave to the third degree. There aren't many variations on Topheth, I don't think it needed much to be honest, given the music seemed to present itself as an ever-blazing, heat-magnifying idol's seventh chamber. The album will sit well with those of patience, given the ritualistic approach it takes through the linear yet effective music and tonality.

And with Topheth, Novae Militiae speak louder without the aid of visual representations of themselves. Their music channels the visions you get, and onwards they march to exaltation.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Alex on September 2, 2020.

Shrouded in seclusion and obscurity, the collective that is Novae Militiae, has been an ever-growing force that relied on letting their music do all the talking rather than their image. According to what I was presented-with and able to dig-up, the band members identities have yet to be revealed since formation, which makes Novae Militiae and moreso, Topheth, somewhat of an exotic find. Matching their mysterious aura, is the methodology behind Novae Militiae's art, which sees them strike up an affair with ambient pieces that match the cosmetics of their latest effort, all the while standing firm their ground in allegiance with the violence a black metal album is supposed to evoke.

Topheth serves as the sophomore album from this French black metal sect that steers visions of child sacrifice to Canaanite deities, Moloch and Baal. The place of such offerings was known as Topheth, located in Jerusalem. This is what caught my attention, the concept behind the music to be heard. Many black metal records go the route of giving some rendition of biblical or ancient times but only few ever manage to convincingly scribe a musical portrayal of what they aim to cover. Novae Militiae on the other hand, play as though they were attendees at the event. Thus, they are able to convey sonorous music and an atmosphere that are both accurate in depicting the scenery.

Setup as a 6-piece installment, with 2 rerecorded old tracks for a total of 8, Topheth moves about at a militant pacing with the occasional drop in speed to create a ritualistic feeling. This is done on the opening track, 'Towards the Sitra Achra', that sees the band build into a momentum of mustered violence that'd slowly begin to seep out as the tempo is gradually lifted from an ambient introduction to a riff driven, chant eclipsed, mid-paced black metal throbbing to a thing of astoundingly dark 2nd wave black metal thanks to incendiary vocals and razor-like tremolo riffing.

A shadow of fear is cast with denser effect, flames heighten in hunger and aggression is elevated; 'Advent of the Prophet' mounts the black metal stage and flaunts a frightening blaze of heart pounding blast beats and mewing yells while guitars scorch the landscape with steaming after effect. Following such an incinerating display of all-round aggression, 'Faithfully Reduced to Ashes' provides the requiem to your cauterized soul. Novae Militiae then takes an ambient break before restarting the ritual. There really is no protection from the merciless onslaught suddenly launched with 'Elevated to Him' that mimics the ferocity whilst sporting tremolo licks and a trance-like 2nd second wave black metal rapture. Yet even amongst the slowest of parts the molten adversity could still be felt during the climax to towards the song's conclusion.

Its relatively hard to ignore the textbook ferocity displayed in Topheth, that runs all the way through to the ideally titled 'Affliction of the Divine'. The vocal weight is just raw and obliterating, the drumming moves like a machine gun with some sections being slower to reload and the riffing is just a massive heatwave to the third degree. There aren't many variations on Topheth, I don't think it needed much to be honest, given the music seemed to present itself as an ever-blazing, heat-magnifying idol's seventh chamber. The album will sit well with those of patience, given the ritualistic approach it takes through the linear yet effective music and tonality.

And with Topheth, Novae Militiae speak louder without the aid of visual representations of themselves. Their music channels the visions you get, and onwards they march to exaltation.

Rating: 8 out of 10