Invoking the malevolent dark spiritual energy from 90’s symphonic black metal, Cardinal has emerged from the shadows of the Bay Area as an undeniably sinister force. The band’s debut album, “Nocturne,” demonstrates their profane creativity which draws heavily from sinister old school black metal acts that incorporated haunting symphonic elements to give the music a vividly nightmarish aurora.
I have seen Cardinal live two times over the last couple of years, and from their live shows I could tell that these guys were not just another occult themed old school black metal act. There was definitely certain elements in their sound which stood out and I think having a keyboardist who was able to give the music that ghastly symphonic black metal atmosphere caught my attention right away. Also, unlike the bands who have incorporated keyboards and churned out more of a romantic post-black metal sound in an attempt to chase an obnoxious trend, Cardinal really conjures up some merciless compositions which completely decimates and defiles those clownish romantic black metal acts. In Cardinal's sound there are definitely elements of raw Finnish black metal mixed with more of the symphonic black metal influences, which fuses together harsh aggression with mesmerizing keyboard layers.
“Nocturne,” contains eight tracks of grim and hellish symphonic black metal, and features some extremely solid arrangements. The opening song, “As Silence Dies,” is a very intense sounding piece of music where the keyboard provides a spectral background whereas the drum parts and guitar riffs add a more abrasive quality to the composition. During the middle of the song the band transitions to a slower tempo featuring some really vivid chord progressions to match the sinister keyboard noises. After the first song ends, I would say that Cardinal keeps the peddle down and comes up with more captivating tracks. “Eternal Flames of Hate,” starts out with a more savage riff attack, but also has a moment during the song where the keyboard takes over before the guitarist throws on a ravenous sounding riff to return to the raw savagery heard at the beginning of the song. On the third track, “Infernal Worship,” I could definitely hear the influence of 90’s Norwegian black metal as the arrangements convey that very hateful and authentically unapologetic quality.
One song that took me by surprise was, “Beyond the Iron Gate,” because the song is an ambient instrumental that features some dissonant and sanity shredding noises as if they are coming from a demonic realm sealed off from the human world. Actually, the song turned out to be a decent break before the band launched into the next track, “Duskfang.” One area of this release that I believe deserves some recognition is the bass playing, which you don't hear often on black metal releases. I like how the bass parts add to the band’s overall sound by giving the a deafening boost when needed and on "Duskfang" I thought the bass riffs were very noticeable.
I think the keyboard plays an extremely important role in terms of Cardinal’s sonic footprint, and you can really hear it’s presence on song’s like, “Cardinal Sin” and “Northern Winds Blow.” Also, I really like the guitar riffs on “Northern Winds Blow,” and how the singer’s voice matches the brutal distorted chord arrangements. Now, I will say that the final song on the album, “The Deceiver's Mark,” was an interesting way to end to the album with more ambient noises as like an evil cinematic finale. However, I thought the track would have been more optimal as an intro track to a song, but I can understand the band wanting to finish on this note instead of ending with maybe "Northern Winds Blow," as the ambient noise do standout and present a unique atmosphere.
Right now, if you were to ask me what are some of the best up and coming extreme metal bands in the Bay Area, I think Cardinal is without question going to be one of my recommendations. Before even hearing, “Nocturne,” I was extremely interested in what this group of musicians was working on, and the debut album really showcases a band full of raw and sinister talent that should not go unnoticed if you are a fan of hellish symphonic black metal. These aren’t some schmucks wearing Party City vampire capes and taking photos rolling around in roses. Also, if this is what Cardinal is capable of delivering on their debut album, just wait until the next diabolical offering comes around!
Checkout the full release below:
Cardinal Bandcamp:
https://c666.bandcamp.com/music
No comments:
Post a Comment