Utolsó vágta az Univerzumban

First, a couple of minor non-musical pointers. This Romanian group thoroughly use Hungarian language, although I will operate with the English-translated titles throughout the review. Apparently, the band members are part of Székely ethnic Hungarian minority in Romania, and I guess not at all mindful of nationalism but not exclusively limited to it by far, at least judging by the accompanying press release. Nonetheless, the grainy, mostly völkisch photographs reproduced inside the booklet create an impression of a neo-folk rather than a metal record. The music, luckily, is nothing but metal, and of pretty blackened variety to boot.

I should probably immediately get out of the way the lead crooner Bela Lugosi's (how is that for Hungarian nationalism?) purported channeling of the fellow Magyar metal celebrity, a certain Attila you-know-who. These claims are a bit overstated, although a line can most certainly be drawn. I'll admit it, Attila was the first name-check that came to my mind as well, when I first put the album on, and if it is indeed the case, then Mr. Lugosi fortunately kept his attempts within very rational boundaries and succeeded as a result. Opting for a toned down, slightly croaking, raspy and thorny monotone and doing it well, he pulled off a non-grating vocal performance that comfortably weaves itself into the fabric of the music and dwells non-intrusively just below the upper crust of the band's sound.

I am happy to report that the band mostly adheres to the medium-paced and old-school way of thinking, but, again, in a reasonably measured manner. The already mentioned press release this disc came with throws out a plethora of alleged influences, from BATHORY and TORMENTOR to DARKTHRONE, AURA NOIR, DRUDKH and PRIMORDIAL, all of which put together are hard to concur with, at least when it comes to direct correlation. How many times can you really say BATHORY and DARKTHRONE, eh? But you've got to market it somehow, right? Hell, I am guilty of it too. Besides, I could manage to draw comparisons to some of these bands one at a time on the course of the review. Why not give it a shot?

At the same time, we should give the band props for managing to combine a sturdy, encompassing sound with leveled, healthy doses of slightly more up to date song structures and some introspective pretension. The album is relatively short, with only six tracks to show for, so track by track overview that might usually set people's teeth on edge may not be out of place.

The opening title track did remind me quite a bit of the Columbian expatriates INQUISITION's mid-paced excursions circa, say, "Invoking The Majestic Throne of Satan", due to the saturated, bottom-heavy guitar/bass tone as well as the riff progression. The band lashes the same riffing sequence around for nearly seven minutes, but furnishes it with fully predictable and yet just as fully enjoyable ups and downs. A welcome addition that SICULICIDIUM bring to the table is a tasteful acoustic guitar break on the song's first half. The acoustics reappear at the end of the song to serve as another aptly enjoyable exit tunnel for the last minute and a half.

The following track "Faintly Against Time" takes a decidedly more melodic approach at first, utilizing a straight rock drum beat and a lead guitar line that chaperones to a short, bass-driven pit-stop, crowned with a brief vocal incantation, before introducing a "De Mysteriis..."-era MAYHEM style riff while retaining a straight drum beat. The composition's cyclical structure comes around towards the end with a now-becoming mandatory acoustic break and returning melodic solo. "Uncertain Ideas - Resistance! (Uncertain Ideas pt.2)" is another nearly eight minute long track that starts off with a neat, if a bit too familiar, oscillating riff, which serves as a basic frame and a leitmotif, upon which the band erects an additional melodic storey, acoustic breaks, and variations on the theme.

"Maybe (If I Heard It)" is a relatively short track that strikes a counterbalance between a higher speed and a more emotive atmosphere via periodic injections of vaguely melancholic guitar soloing. It seems somewhat underdeveloped, unfortunately. The atmosphere struggles to imply more than meets the ear, leading me to speculate that the song had potential to unfold in a greater manner. "Last Breath of Regret (Taxidermia)" is where AURA NOIR and TORMENTOR comparisons might make a speck of sense. Think of controlled, slowed down and considerably less frantic and unfettered take on these two, but even that is a bit of a stretch, what with all the slow sections alternating in between. However, the higher-speed segments the track contains are fast and straightforward enough to conjure an almost borderline 80's impression. Overall, depending on your point of view, it comes off either as a bit of a needed shake up or merely a run-through piece before the closer "Decay, Slowing Down" comes along and uncoils its palette. This final eight plus minute piece again consists of another single riff the band spins around. Basically, the band members perform a very simple trick here, done many times before. The riff's derived, melodic upper notes are held back during the first part of the song and unleashed only after a lengthy acoustic break. And this is where the PRIMORDIAL comparison might best be squeezed in, if at all. Either way, after all is said and done, the song returns to square one and the band wrap it all up.

The album's production gets slightly muddy at the bottom end but not enough to throw a big monkey wrench into the overall sound, which is considerably warm and resonant and pleasing to these ears. The atmosphere, arguably of course, does not strike me as particularly evil, which is were I may be able to stick DRUDKH with its "nature-oriented black metal". Drums stick to relatively simple patterns and fills and do what's required of them. Anything fancy would simply be excessive for this type of music. Bass mostly follows the direction guitars take, only occasionally taking a momentous lead notes in order to accentuate breaks and some highs and lows of the riff sequences.

None of the tools SICULICIDIUM employ are original in any way, shape or form, you understand. You are sure to find many a familiar cadence and sonority on many other releases. Difference is, if there is indeed a difference, that an overwhelmingly smaller fraction of this kind of bands are able to present the same old ingredients in a more meaningful way than others. From where I stand, SICULICIDIUM manage to succeed in that regard more often than not, rendering "Last Gallop in the Universe" a very solid, niche BM recording. Apply as needed.

(Originally published in Diabolical Conquest web-zine)