Casus Luciferi

By 2004 when this album was recorded, Abruptum had become the side project for Morgan Hakansson of Marduk to express his more experimental / dark ambient yearnings and "Casus Luciferi" must be considered in that context. It might not compare with earlier Abruptum recordings in sheer derangement but in its limited way points to a different direction for the project had Hakansson decided to continue with it.

The title track kicks off with a forceful martial beat against which an angrily insistent guitar drone rails with help from industrial sound effects. For a brief while in the middle of the piece, the storm pauses for a short series of guitar washes before it resumes the unrelenting pace, this time with added guitar feedback. This is easily the best and most experimentally oriented track on the album, very hypnotic and evil in spirit and intent.

Other tracks are shorter and more atmospheric, and they might all be considered as footnotes to the main piece. "In Ictu Oculi" combines traditional Christian elements with a continuous grinding, buzzing rhythm. This track brings to mind that Poppy Z Brite novel I read over ten years ago that was based on Jeffrey Dahmer's crimes and in which two repulsive serial killers eviscerate a young male prostitute: yes, the book was pretty gruesome and the track is no less so in mood! The remaining two tracks are darkly moody and feature strong heavy guitar drones, very stark rhythms, deep spaces within the music and disorienting violin-like effects.

There are very few obvious black metal elements and the emphasis on a dark ambient / industrial style with the use of guitar-generated drones points to a new musical path for the project. The album is of interest to established Abruptum fans in this respect. Industrial influences might have given future Abruptum releases more rhythm and structure which wouldn't necessarily please the diehard fans but would have attracted new fans. There's something to be said for Hakansson ending the Abruptum project.