Band:	Ensorcelor
Album:	Urarctica Begins
Style:	Blackened doom metal, Sludge metal
Release date:	April 02, 2010
A review by:	Daniell

01. A Crown Of Smoke On The Brow Of The Earth
02. Sleep Forever In The Brine
03. This Even Doom

Welcome to the darkest of the dark, to the dirtiest of the dirty, to the gloomiest of the gloomy. Do not let the serene beginning of the first song, "A Crown Of Smoke On The Brow Of The Earth", fool you. Once Ensorcelor gets really started, you will be subject to one of the most extreme musical experiences in the last years. Fans of blackened doom/sludge/drone rejoice - this EP is a real treat for you. Three songs, 36 minutes of filthy fumes from hell.

The most prominent thing that will immediately capture your attention and knock you out with its extremity are the vocals. The vocalist of Ensorcelor combines tortured screams of Varg Vikernes from early Burzum releases, haunted shrieks of Wormphlegm and agonizing wails of Funeralium, all that distorted in a similar way to Anaal Nathrakh. The amount of dirt, blood, hate and suffering that the vocals convey can be hard to bear even for the most diehard fans of the extreme. In "Sleep Forever In The Brine" there is another layer of vocals, this time it's some kind of haunted, fairly clean wail, that can be heard parallel to the extreme vocal line. The effect of this peculiar juxtaposition is quite impressive. In the last song (sadly, there are only three), "This Even Doom" (arguably the best track), you will hear some more eerie vocals. This time they resemble an old man, who's dying of a painful disease and asks someone to kill him to end his suffering.

The music to go with this outstanding, although extremely hard to digest vocal performance is sludgy doom with a production that reeks of old black metal with all its advantages (or drawbacks, it's up to you). There are some uptempo parts here and there, sparsely distributed, but cunningly hidden melodic riffs, some semi-acoustic interludes and introductions to keep things interesting, punctuated by downright apocalyptic, extremely noisy ending of the EP. But that's basically it. You don't listen to such music to be amazed by musicianship, clear production, shredding solos or varied arrangements. Such music is supposed to flagellate your ears, taint your thoughts and harrow your very soul. It takes you to the deepest oubliette of your withdrawn phobias, fears and manias. It douses the lights in your room and overcasts the sky outside.

30 plus minutes of simple music doesn't really yield to a scientific dissertation, nor does it need to. Don't dissect Urarctica Begins. Let it grab you and draw you deep below, where no light enters, and the only colour is black. You've been there before, you know how the rapture of torture feels.