The massive reverb of the rumbling riffs and rolling drums is combined with gloomy guitar effects, weaving a cavernous sound that will surely impress fans of Proscription. Sepulchral Curse masters its pace with the crushing drum beats; the riffs bludgeon the listener throughout the opening track, “Wildfires”. Often, the atmospheric perspective of the guitars takes a death/doom approach, thus invoking the grim sepulchral style of death metal.

Musically, the songs move into crushing mid-tempo and often recall the style of Bolt Thrower, with deep guttural growls and grunts the guitars capturing the melancholy. The melodies and leads seem to wander in endless spheres of darkness and providing an atmosphere of dread in “House of the Black Moon”, is one of the highlights in which Sepulchral Curse crafts its niche. The superb guitar work takes elements from classic death/doom metal that will infect you with the exquisite touch of the guitar melodies; these attributes showcase the arrangements.

However, “Crimson Moon Evocations” sounds very similar to the sound of death/doom metal and these seminal influences of Incantation remain consistent, the quintet has brought their signature sound from the musty catacombs. Sepulchral Curse merges majestically into fast tempos, through the heavy dose of dynamics where the blasting sections are achieved throughout the whole song.

The riffs on “The Locust Scar” oscillate between death metal and doom. The distinctive guitar hooks are apparent when the tempo shifts to slower paces, while there are moments where the band reminds me of Solothus and Demigod. The melodies explode and flow well through dark moments that engulf you like the shadowy clouds eclipsing the moon and leaving you obscured by the mode of the riffing.

“Beneath The Dismal Tides” emphasizes the atmospheric elements and the drums furiously blast with rapidness, the song marches into a mid-tempo section with the music being layered with scathing tremolos. The composition of the seven tracks is unpredictable and there are moments when the song shifts into the territory of black metal.

The guitars create a massive wall of sound and beneath its layers allow the melancholic atmosphere to manifest, the rhythm guitars are often energetic. The melodies sometimes get stifled by the sudden shifts of tempo, drums speed up like potent tide, another epic song on this album is “Empress of the Dead”, which begins with slow, marching riffs and tremolo pickings is well-placed in the mid-paced and even when the drums furiously explode.

The Turku-based quintet’s sonic identity results from merging many qualities, even on the technical level. Sometimes the doom and blackened death metal elements create the band’s songwriting alchemy, which rarely sounds black metal. The unearthly elements of blackened death metal are applied to create a grandiose and epic majesty, this somehow gives the music the ability to contrast its dark sweeping atmosphere with brutality in equal measure.

Such an example is demonstrated on the track “The Currents of Chaos”, which is bolstered by grooves and upbeat bludgeoning of the drums, however, the riffs and melodies are deeply steeped in the aesthetics of Finnish blackened death metal bands like Maveth and Proscription. This shows the scale of craftsmanship and the unique composition of the songs, which enhances the mood when rhythm is applied.

The pursuit of majesty shines in the closing track, “Crimson Passage”. The individual and the technical skills make it melodic and define the craftsmanship, as if the Finns highlight the crux of the guitar arrangement. The growls erupt with the lead guitars and obscure beauty is conveyed across six minutes of epic death metal, and the sound of the rumbling guitars and melodies remains catchy.

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