CORPUS CHRISTII
The Torment Continues
(Undercover Records)
42:30min

In these days, where the average Metaller has a desire for a huge, massive production, we who love the underground sound are left in peace. Nobody bothers us with bad comments concerning those releases we like (neither on Blabbermouth or any other news-sites), and we know that those who like underground Black Metal really like it for the music, lyrics and the atmosphere. We don’t talk about trends, because bands like WATAIN, FUNERAL MIST, MARDUK, LEVIATHAN and now CORPUS CHRISTII are not trendy in any sense. I simply can’t find one single evidence to prove that these bands are writing their music to make (much) money. While I didn’t like CORPUS CHRISTII’s “The Fire God”, due to the rapid monotony, this new album “The Torment Continues” shows a band that still maintain the underground Black Metal feeling and at the same time has developed as songwriters. Each track has fast and mid-paced parts, which make the album more varied and interesting as a whole. It’s not enough to write some mid-paced riffs only to try to vary the actual song, you have to write riffs that vary from track to track as well. The fast riffs are fast, and that’s basically all there is to them, rushing ahead at light’s speed. But already in the opener ‘Crimson Hour’ CORPUS CHRISTII manages to make the song mid-paced with a touch that give promises of what is to come. In the second track ‘The Ascendance’ the band lifts the track with simple means. The church bells that chimes after three minutes add tremendously to the already great riffing, making the part even more impressive. As much as I like the melodies, the keyboard that occurs here and there as a minimalist effect and the unhellish Black Metal sound of the early 90s, it has to be the vocals that crave for most attention. Not since FUNERAL MIST’s “Salvation” have I heard such impressive Black Metal vocals. There’s not much variation (luckily), but the basis is strong and rather brutal. And in ‘My Eyes, Empty’ there’s even a touch of the amazing MONUMENTUM vocal from the super album “In Absentia Christi”, clocking in at three minutes. So, desperate and haunting… “The Torment Continues” is the second part of a trilogy that begun with “Tormented Belief”. Sadly I haven’t heard that album, but I must since “The Torment Continues” is a Black Metal album placed in the same league as “Casus Luciferi”, “The Plague Angel” and “Salvation”, and if they write an even better album for the last part (of the trilogy), Portuguese CORPUS CHRISTII is definitely a band to watch. They have included a bonus, but I’m not really sure what track it is. Could be it’s a rewritten track named ‘All Hail’, but it doesn’t change the score despite its difference compared to the actual album. “The Torment Continues” is a Black Metal album that makes me raise an eyebrow or two. www.undercover-records.de

Roy Kristensen

Roy Kristensen

Related reviews / interviews:
CORPUS CHRISTII - Tormented Belief (Stefan Franke)

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