Absent from the metal scene since 2020, the year of release of the previous “The Fire Cult Beyond Eternity” and of the wonderful parallel project NOITE, Gonius Rex has been working hard on “Curling Serpents Under Stone,” the new album by ONIRIK.
Imbued with magical lunar atmospheres and the occult, the work is a tribute to the original satanic black metal and shows off a less experimental songwriting than usual, although G.Rex certainly does not give up sophisticated, majestic arrangements and an unpredictable melodic style, a true trademark of the Portuguese artist clearly inspired – among others – by VED BUENS ENDE and ABIGOR.
Mixed and mastered by Gabriele Gramaglia (COSMIC PUTREFACTION, VERTEBRA ATLANTIS), “Curling Serpents Under Stone” is a melting pot of raven vocals, haunting black metal riffs, and guitar solos that wrap around the pulsating bass notes like the coils of a snake.
ONIRIK’s candlelit liturgical invocations smell of incense and sin, melancholy and rage; a bewitched, elegant contrast of sensations that seduces and hypnotizes, and that makes “Curling Serpents Under Stone” a modern black metal classic, as well as the most melodic and captivating work released by the band so far.
For fans of ABIGOR, VED BUENS ENDE, THY DARKENED SHADE, ONDSKAPT