Since forming in 2019 the three members of Melbourne-based outfit Werewolves have not been hanging around in that they have released seven albums, while also being active in other outfits, so in the downtime they created Faustian to pursue technical black metal and have now released the debut under that name. David Haley (drums), Matt Wilcok (guitars) and Sam Bean (vocals) have a work ethic which put others to shame, with the three of them currently being in a total of 22 other bands, although it is not unusual to see them pairing up again so two are members of The Berzerker, two in Abramelin, two in The Antichrist Imperium, two in The Amenta etc.
But what is most impressive is not actually the number of bands they are involved with, nor the number of albums, but more the sheer quality of this. Given they are so very highly active indeed it is not really a surprise that they know what they are doing, and that they are as tight as one could possibly imagine, but one would not expect an album to be so insanely over the top as this. This sounds like a band who have been highly focussed on a single entity, not one where the musicians involved have so many different artistic elements, as this is Emperor distilled and delivered to a new generation. Kit is difficult to explain just how good this is as they flirt with technical death but instead keep it just inside the bounds of black metal with plenty of atmosphere and dark, cold and twisted passion. All the way through, they blast and blister with an intense attack, which leads us to the final track, the mighty and imperious “The Rot Shall Inherit The Earth” which commences with picked guitars and is full of dynamic and contrast and turns into an absolute riff fest.
At just under 42 minutes the album is at an end, with church bells and the sound of miery fading out, so the only thing to do is play it again. Given their workload I expect the next album to be released before the end of the year, and I am already looking forward to it. If you like your black metal to be fast and furious, heavily influenced by Emperor and Mayhem, with the buzzsaw attack so reminiscent of classic Venom and Darkthrone, then this is essential.
Rating: 9/10
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/faustianblackmetal
https://apocalypticwitchcraft.co.uk/