Review by Jeger on July 30, 2024.

Orthopraxy - the proper and liturgical approach to Satanism/Devil Worship as practiced through the inner workings of a magickal order and through strict ritualistic guidelines where gnosis is achieved through discipline. The great mystery of The Occult unraveled partially here and there by black metal collectives such as Finland's Curse Upon A Prayer who so graciously share with us their understanding of Satanism along with their hatred of Christianity and Islam. Occult practitioners? Perhaps. Astute black metal artists? Oh, definitely…

Any inclination that could steer you away from the fact that black metal is the most precious dark art should now be abandoned. For now, we approach not the gates of Hell, but into the throes of passion we thrust the entirety of ourselves, as He is passion, just as He is rage, and both are palpable here within the infernal warmth of Curse Upon A Prayer's latest The Worship: Orthoprax Satanism LP, released on July 26, 2024, via The Cursed Order / Korpituli Productions.

The Craft should stand properly represented by the music, therefore the music should always be transcendent in nature a la Thy Darkened Shade, Serpent Noir, Mortuus, and Ofermod. After all, we’re traversing the metaphysical plane here and not just throwing together "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" 2.0. Black metal is occult and adversarial music - the worship of the Dark Gods, and these aren't just imaginative concepts that these artists so boldly explore. Ritual translating into song and principle into lyric. The resulting work of esoteric art this time coming in the form of a ten-track tome of diabolically epic proportions and featuring spirit-awakening album cuts like 'Orthopraxia' that rouse the senses and summon great Daemons into our presence this blackened eve. Racing progressions set to paradiddled blast beats and so brutishly overlain by savage DM-worshipping vocals. Not blackened death but not too far off. Just within the parallels of what defines true black metal does The Worship: Orthoprax Satanism fall. And it's in the energy… Crimson aura radiating from each temped passage into an atmosphere most warm and seductive. A writhing orgy of soundscapes wherefrom great epiphanies and ecstatic moments are gleaned.

'Cunt God' - a Profanatica-level of blasphemy achieved, but at triple the energy and quadruple the dynamics. A lyrical slaughtering of the holy set to arrangements that race through vortex-like compositional gauntlets before the intensity is dialed down, and once again under the warmth of His austere gaze do we find ourselves as we absorb every soulful moment: the entrancing intro to 'Blood Poetry' and the sweet melodies that follow, the hypnotic 'He That Eateth My Flesh' as it plays out like the soundtrack to one’s own Faustian transaction and just the fucking passion captured within each blissful second of runtime.

Don the cloak this night and abandon divinity for the orthodox. Forget most of what you thought you knew about black metal and partake in its taboo ritualism. An awakening into the realm of enlightenment and liberation awaits just beyond the boundaries of where discipline and ecstasy are joined. The Worship: Orthoprax Satanism as the gateway and into some of the most brutal yet strikingly gorgeous musical territories do we emerge. Music with meaning! Not just fuck 'em, stab 'em and set 'em on fire in an abandoned basement death metal or the same tired apocalyptic thrash album you've heard a gillion times over in various forms. Meaningful to the artist for sure and did you feel the intimacy? A unique bond between artist and listener as can only be experienced within the sphere of black metal. A triumph for both BM and for His Infernal Majesty. Lux Tenebris and hails be unto Him eternally…

Captivation: 9/10
Concept: 10/10
Cover Art: 8.5/10
Production: 8/10
Revisitability: 9/10

Rating: 9 out of 10