Нахристихрящях

This is perhaps Lucifugum's most known album, and it's rather deserving of the attention it gets. It's not as well known as albums like 'Goat Horns', but it's certainly up there in the pantheon of Slavic symphonic black metal albums. I know that sounds like a rather narrow award to give, but in the particular style this band finds themselves part of, there aren't a whole lot of albums better than 'On The Sortilage Of Christianity'; it embodies all the elements of the tried and true Slavic style but takes it further, both archetypal and unique enough to propel the style forward, and as such is definitely worth a listen from just about any symphonic black metal fan.

A rough and in some ways condescending approximation of this album is 'the SAT version of 'Goat Horns''. It bears some enormous similarities to that album in sound and structure, but it's a more complex and difficult listen. Nokturnal Mortum's melodies were neoclassical but also rather inherently poppy and easy on the ears; there's so such acquiescence on the part of Lucifugum. The melodies are longer, the riffs more independent and important to the function of the music, and the entire package is more dissonant and less obsessively major key than the debut of their fellow Ukrainians. Rather unlike the previous (immediately available) entry in their discography, 'Gates Of Nocticula', this album is of a very singular vision and has none of the songwriting inconsistencies and overly large number of influences which harmed that demo. 'On The Sortilage Of Christianity' is a very mature and contained work, and just might be Lucifugum's best.

While this is a more difficult album that 'Goat Horns', it might be that much more rewarding for the intent listener. 'On The Sortilage Of Christianity' is about as involved and intelligent as symphonic black metal gets. The extended and more genuinely neoclassical keyboard melodies really add an erudite layer to this music, standing on their own as full-fledged compositions even without the intrusion of the metallic elements. The usage of black metal underpinnings, though, makes it that much better. Unlike 'Goat Horns', where guitars are used in a power metal function of mainly harmonizing with the root notes of keyboard lines, Lucifugum's guitars are more interested in actually cranking out some ripping yet articulate black metal riffs. The snarling vocal performance and subtle but still savage drumming add yet more layers to the music, making for a listening experience that really does give you more with each spin of the CD.

I kind of consider this the album that 'To The Gates Of Blasphemous Fire' should have been. While on that release Nokturnal Mortum beefed up their typical formula with an added dose of pure black metal, they didn't know how to properly incorporate the extra rawness and as such they were a weaker band for it. Lucifugum has an inherent grasp of how to make neoclassical compositions and genuinely ferocious black metal go together without clashing. The coherence and construction of the songs on this album is actually pretty stunning; where other bands can barely handle making a thrash song, Lucifugum do two composition's worth of music in one and manage to succeed almost completely in the attempt. Symphonic black metal fans should certainly pick this album up, and followers of the Slavic scene in particular. Lucifugum's is a long-lived band who still hasn't gotten a tenth of the support they deserve from the underground scene: do what you can to change that.