Review by Felix on June 6, 2021.

The debut of Occult Burial from Canada had a playtime of less than 32 minutes. Maybe this is the reason why Burning Eerie Lore begins with a comparatively long (and unfortunately completely boring) intro which repeats the same guitar tones again and again. Things can only get better and indeed, the following title track delivers a ladle full of malicious energy. The vile guitar sound and the pumping, very present bass liaise with fast drumming, while the sometimes pretty shrill lead vocalist combines nagging and screaming in an unholy manner. It's nice to see that the band has shed the teething troubles of the debut. Nearly nothing reminds of the almost prehistoric discs of Venom. Not that these were bad - but now the plus in independence and sharpness catapults Occult Burial to a higher level. The combo seems to be reborn.

Anyway, this first fast-paced and wicked attack represents the album appropriately, although a few tracks feature other characteristics as well. For example, the casually titled 'Skeletal Laughter' holds some rocking elements that sound quite strange in the context of this album. The longest track, the mid-paced 'Highway Through Borderland', puts the focus on the rasping (and, by the way, very casual) old school riffing and on a more and more apocalyptic mood. Anyway, usually the formation jumps headfirst in the dirty pond where Nifelheim are already waiting. No doubt, this output makes fun due to its evil aura - and the fact that the end of the French titled fifth song evokes associations with Mercyful Fate (listen to the King-like vocals, in particular the diabolic laughter) is anything but bad. But the best comes at the end: the last two tracks surpass the previous highlights once again in intensity, density and madness. The trio is completely electrified during these songs. I'm surprised I didn't get an electric shock from just listening to them.

The production is well done for this filthy kind of metal. It is reduced to the essentials, it sounds slightly old (but without any reference to the early eighties) and finds the nearly perfect balance between clarity and dirt. The raw musical approach (including the echoing hate speeches of the lead singer) and its technical implementation go hand in hand and that’s exactly how it should be. Due to the fact that black thrash metal generally spits on innovation, we can fully concentrate on the quality of execution. Believe me, Occult Burial do not fail. Quite the opposite: Their diabolic energy is contagious and compared with the relatively mediocre debut, Burning Eerie Lore, an album that grows with every new round, is nothing less than a quantum leap.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Felix on June 6, 2021.

The debut of Occult Burial from Canada had a playtime of less than 32 minutes. Maybe this is the reason why Burning Eerie Lore begins with a comparatively long (and unfortunately completely boring) intro which repeats the same guitar tones again and again. Things can only get better and indeed, the following title track delivers a ladle full of malicious energy. The vile guitar sound and the pumping, very present bass liaise with fast drumming, while the sometimes pretty shrill lead vocalist combines nagging and screaming in an unholy manner. It's nice to see that the band has shed the teething troubles of the debut. Nearly nothing reminds of the almost prehistoric discs of Venom. Not that these were bad - but now the plus in independence and sharpness catapults Occult Burial to a higher level. The combo seems to be reborn.

Anyway, this first fast-paced and wicked attack represents the album appropriately, although a few tracks feature other characteristics as well. For example, the casually titled 'Skeletal Laughter' holds some rocking elements that sound quite strange in the context of this album. The longest track, the mid-paced 'Highway Through Borderland', puts the focus on the rasping (and, by the way, very casual) old school riffing and on a more and more apocalyptic mood. Anyway, usually the formation jumps headfirst in the dirty pond where Nifelheim are already waiting. No doubt, this output makes fun due to its evil aura - and the fact that the end of the French titled fifth song evokes associations with Mercyful Fate (listen to the King-like vocals, in particular the diabolic laughter) is anything but bad. But the best comes at the end: the last two tracks surpass the previous highlights once again in intensity, density and madness. The trio is completely electrified during these songs. I'm surprised I didn't get an electric shock from just listening to them.

The production is well done for this filthy kind of metal. It is reduced to the essentials, it sounds slightly old (but without any reference to the early eighties) and finds the nearly perfect balance between clarity and dirt. The raw musical approach (including the echoing hate speeches of the lead singer) and its technical implementation go hand in hand and that’s exactly how it should be. Due to the fact that black thrash metal generally spits on innovation, we can fully concentrate on the quality of execution. Believe me, Occult Burial do not fail. Quite the opposite: Their diabolic energy is contagious and compared with the relatively mediocre debut, Burning Eerie Lore, an album that grows with every new round, is nothing less than a quantum leap.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Felix on June 6, 2021.

The debut of Occult Burial from Canada had a playtime of less than 32 minutes. Maybe this is the reason why Burning Eerie Lore begins with a comparatively long (and unfortunately completely boring) intro which repeats the same guitar tones again and again. Things can only get better and indeed, the following title track delivers a ladle full of malicious energy. The vile guitar sound and the pumping, very present bass liaise with fast drumming, while the sometimes pretty shrill lead vocalist combines nagging and screaming in an unholy manner. It's nice to see that the band has shed the teething troubles of the debut. Nearly nothing reminds of the almost prehistoric discs of Venom. Not that these were bad - but now the plus in independence and sharpness catapults Occult Burial to a higher level. The combo seems to be reborn.

Anyway, this first fast-paced and wicked attack represents the album appropriately, although a few tracks feature other characteristics as well. For example, the casually titled 'Skeletal Laughter' holds some rocking elements that sound quite strange in the context of this album. The longest track, the mid-paced 'Highway Through Borderland', puts the focus on the rasping (and, by the way, very casual) old school riffing and on a more and more apocalyptic mood. Anyway, usually the formation jumps headfirst in the dirty pond where Nifelheim are already waiting. No doubt, this output makes fun due to its evil aura - and the fact that the end of the French titled fifth song evokes associations with Mercyful Fate (listen to the King-like vocals, in particular the diabolic laughter) is anything but bad. But the best comes at the end: the last two tracks surpass the previous highlights once again in intensity, density and madness. The trio is completely electrified during these songs. I'm surprised I didn't get an electric shock from just listening to them.

The production is well done for this filthy kind of metal. It is reduced to the essentials, it sounds slightly old (but without any reference to the early eighties) and finds the nearly perfect balance between clarity and dirt. The raw musical approach (including the echoing hate speeches of the lead singer) and its technical implementation go hand in hand and that’s exactly how it should be. Due to the fact that black thrash metal generally spits on innovation, we can fully concentrate on the quality of execution. Believe me, Occult Burial do not fail. Quite the opposite: Their diabolic energy is contagious and compared with the relatively mediocre debut, Burning Eerie Lore, an album that grows with every new round, is nothing less than a quantum leap.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Dominik on September 17, 2025.

If I had to pin Membaris down with just two words, they would be "endurance" and "perseverance". For over twenty years the band has been hovering in that strange twilight zone where the motto seems to be "almost there", "just shy of a breakthrough", or "you can hear the talent, but…". They seem always circling the gates of greatness, never quite storming through. The band has consistently shown promise, but I've long felt that Membaris lacks that elusive "something" that would push their records over my personal threshold of 80/100, which separates a "good" record from a "must-hear" category.

"Black Plasma Armour" doesn't break the pattern, until, disturbingly, it does. This is one of those rare albums in my collection that constantly drives me to the brink of madness. Few albums I recall swing so wildly between "is this mediocre?" and "holy hell, this is brilliant". On Monday it feels run-of-the-mill, and I shrug it off. On Tuesday I wonder how I could have missed the inspired passages tucked inside the songs and am floored by sections I swear I hadn't heard before. By Wednesday I'm not even sure I listened to the same record at all. If that sounds confusing, it's because it is, and that's part of the charm, or maybe the curse. If nothing else, Membaris has found a way to make gaslighting into an art form.

Let me start with the easy part: the songs that impressed me right away. "Onwards To The Last Blink Of Reason" stands out immediately. The bass around the 1:40 mark rumbles in a way that recalls Bölzer, giving the track extra weight and reminds you that string instruments can sound like wild animals when handled correctly. The music mirrors its bleak lyrics, surging forward with manic aggression before pulling back into melodic reprieves. These are brief moments where the listener can reflect on the insignificance of human existence. Midway through, clean vocals appear, quoting Schopenhauer, before the song crashes back into urgency. It's a convincing mix of madness and philosophy, in other words: pure black metal existentialism. Probably just what your therapist warned you about.

"N.O.V.A." is another highlight, and the only song performed in German, which makes everything sound ten times more accusatory. At nine minutes, it's a beast of shifting dynamics. The opening minutes are relentless, building like there's no tomorrow, before slowing into a riff that oscillates between reflective and accusing. A short acoustic interlude interrupts the flow, only for the band to slam the gas again. The vocals follow suit, switching between despairing shrieks and guttural growls, painting a picture of someone screaming at the universe, then immediately realizing the universe doesn't care. Which is, of course, very German. Towards the end the song winds down in a doomy crawl. Think of it as the apocalypse in acts.

"Threshold Of Dystopia" lives up to what the title promises. The band sounds as though they're standing at the edge of a collapsing world, peering into the abyss of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Especially the vocal performance is gripping. It moves between hopelessness, frustration, and despair. Both musically and lyrically, it's easy to immerse yourself in this vision of ruin, and Membaris nail the atmosphere completely. So far, so good. But "Black Plasma Armour" also challenges me in ways that are less pleasant.

The title track, which also opens the record, is a prime example. My first thought was "utterly unpredictable". Which sounds like a compliment—after all, nobody wants predictable black metal and to die of boredom. But here, unpredictability often feels like incoherence. It is less creative freedom and more like a drunk driver behind the wheel. The blasting sections work well enough, but the slower parts break the flow and feel stapled on. At the 4:24 mark, a bass solo jumps in from nowhere, without a clear purpose and vision. It is followed by acoustic plucking and spoken words. While each piece might work on its own, together they feel like mismatched puzzle parts forced into the same frame.

"Poet Of Fire" leaves me with similar frustration. It starts promising, but then a short acoustic fragment battles with aggression. In that moment it feels more like two tracks awkwardly stitched together than one unified composition. The tremolos sometimes drift into generic territory. The varied vocal tones—clean vocals, followed by a more imploring, desperate, and everything in between pitch—are strong, but they can't disguise the lack of cohesion.

And that's really the story of "Black Plasma Armour". There are moments of brilliance, and then there are moments where the band's ambition makes them stumble. Membaris keep circling greatness without quite landing on it. Still, I have to admire their stubbornness. After twenty years, they're still writing, experimenting, and refusing to play it safe. I genuinely hope their next release converts me into a fully-fledged disciple. Membaris deserve that much.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10, because my verdict changes more often than the weather forecast. And the album knows it.