Saturday 3 March 2012

Lvcifyre - The Calling Depths


The Calling Depths is the first full length by London based death/black metallers Lvcifyre. Lvcifyre was formed in late 2007 and features members and ex members of Adorior, Corpus Chistii and Necrosadist amongst it's ranks. This record was released in June last year, with the CD version available through Pulverised Records and the vinyl version available through Blood Harvest Records.


As soon as opener Succubi kicks in, you can tell that Lvcifyre lean more towards the black metal end of the spectrum. The low growled vocals, the machine gun drumming and the razor-edge riffs make it sound every bit as evil as intended. The high-pitched screams that punctuate the music here and there; make it seem even scarier, but the addition of some good guitar melodies and even a solo, show that they don't ignore the listener.

The next song is the title track. It starts with a whispered intro and builds with a foreboding atmosphere, before launching into a truly evil passage of fast, black metal.
The pace of the percussion is relentless throughout the record and it would certainly be impressive to see them keep this pace throughout a live show, as drummer Menthor must have bionic arms and legs to play at the pace he does. Just listen to the use of the double bass throughout The Calling Depths. I love the screaming solos, they remind me of Slayer in one way, but they fit in perfectly with Lvcifyre's sound.

The low vocals of T. Kaos are menacing and are made more so by the production of the record. The production has that primitive edge to it, which you get with a lot of black metal records, but at the same time it is clear. This is a loud album, and if blasted at full volume, would shake the foundations of whichever building you happened to be in! The record has an old-school feel to it, especially during the ending of fourth track LCF. The pace seems to get faster, there's a great solo that sound more like a chainsaw and the spoken word vocals sound chaotic.

As the record progresses, Lvcifyre hit their stride, in the case of both Holy Chaos and Death’s Magnetic Sleep; they are starting to weave subtle variations into their sound. Husk Of Impurity sound brutal from the off, with the double bass and riffs overpowering the listener with their sheer pace. The immediacy of Lvcifyre at this point is obvious. They employ some really cool riffs, that seems to groove at points that add to their already, galvanising sound. The pace changes in this song imparticular are well placed and leave just enough room for you to catch your breath, before they hit top gear again for another passage.

It's good to hear a British band that don't take on the sound of their Scandinavian counterparts and instead, weave subtle influences into their own brand of black/death metal. Lvcifyre are pretty special in my opinion, even though their main sound is made up of black and death metal they are much more than that. They seem to be able to perform within genre convention while sounding fresh and appealing to both old and new extreme metal fans. Miss them at your peril!

Lvcifyre has a Facebook page, where they are streaming three tacks from The Calling Depths. Check them out at http://www.facebook.com/Lvcifyre. Also, if you like what you here and want more, you can buy The Calling Depths on CD from Pulverised Records at http://pulverised.bigcartel.com/ or on vinyl from Blood Harvest Records at http://bloodharvest.se/catalog/.

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