Heretical Sect – Rapturous Flesh Consumed (Review)

Shortly before the end of this epidemic year, an album has been released that has the quality to make it into the AOTY list of one or the other. Especially for fans of gloomy Black/Death stuff, Rapturous Flesh Consumed, the new long-player from Heretical Sect should be high on the charts. The ominous band from Santa Fe, USA, whose members play in various local bands, but want to remain unrecognized with using evil looking masks, has puked out an almost maddening chunk of inconceivable malice, which you should not leave unnoticed as a constant follower of this genre.

The Californians start without hesitation and beat the hell out of each other as well as you right from the start. With fulminant drumming that sounds like the war drumming of a hellish brood feeding on armored chocolate, to cymbal playing that sounds like chain rattles, the drummer puts on an unbelievably good performance that enlivens the sound throughout and gives the right foundation along the way. The guitar playing is in no way inferior to the aggressiveness and drills, saws and latches itself into the auditory canals, while it remains versatile consistently and spreads a darkness that is unparalleled including some disgusting catchy melodies. In combination with the blast beats, this alone acts like a hurricane full of nails that you don’t want to get too close to. The sound on Rapturous Flesh Consumed is completed with bestial vocals, which besides virtuosic roars also drift into otherworldly directions and have a mechanical undertone that sounds like you’re getting an angry message from aliens, fervently proclaiming that you should go to hell and stay the fuck away.

The entire record is packaged in clever song structures that mostly remain in fast-paced Black/Death, but also do not shy away from an outbreak in slower Doom passages. Especially the tempo changes between the different parts hold various surprises and solidify the devilish atmosphere and the already strong basic structure. Mainly here it becomes clear that Heretical Sect is probably an association of well experienced artists, who all know themselves already tested in different genres.

I can’t or don’t really want to say which elements I actually like the most and left the biggest impression on me, because they stand out individually, but also fit seamlessly into each other without losing quality. Which leads to the fact that you can enjoy the album in one go, but just as well in the several songs itself. Thanks to the bombastic production, the instruments as well as the rotten vocals can completely unfold and show off their malevolence to the fullest.

Rapturous Flesh Consumed was published on December 11 and has been released in digital form as well as all the physical variants to be needed. Gilead Media has been responsible for the vinyl record, while the CD version was realized by Redefining Darkness. Tape lovers have the chance to get the album directly from the band, but due to strict limitation they better get hold of it. If you’ve been blown away by the albums of Black Curse, Dearth or Of Feather And Bone in 2020, you must also get into Heretical Sect, who can only stand out a bit because of their doom influence, but otherwise deliver exactly the same monstrous kind of metal and definitely leave a lasting impression!

9/10

Favourite Tracks:
“Baptismal Rot and Ash”
“Ritual Inversion”

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