Band: Panchrysia

Title: Deathcult Armageddon

Label: Dark Essence Records / Karisma Records

Distribution:

Release date: 24/03/2008

Review: CD

The horde Panchrysia is one of my favourite bands from Belgium, due to their debut, the 2002-album In Obscure Depths (LSP Records), which was probably my favourite album that very same year too. In 2004, this band did release a second album, Malicious Parasite (Soulreaper Records), which did mainly go on in the vein of the debut, and in 2006 Panchrysia released a split-album with another superior Belgian formation, Iconoclasm (through Shiver Records). In mean time, the band did also play live along bands as Carpathian Forest, Enthroned, Malevolent Creation, Marduk, Cannibal Corpse, Impaled Nazarene, Vader and many, many other huge names. Now, about ten years after the birth of this band, Dol (d), Zahrim (v, g), Web (g) and Joris (b) release the third full length studio album, which was produced, mixed and mastered by Magnus Andersson from Marduk (Endarker Studios, besides recordings in Belgian Dungeon Studios). Deathcult Armageddon, lasting for forty seven minutes, continues the well-known path, meaning: obscure, orchestral, eerie and oppressing Post-Black Metal with intelligent lyrics, a grim, somewhat industrialised and cold sound and excellent artwork. The whole (sound and compositions) is slightly comparable to Nordic / Norwegian bands as Satyricon, Khold and Thorns (and in a way also early Gehenna), but Panchrysia certainly have developed an own definition of ‘Post’-Black Metal. Both song-structure and tempo are very varying, and every single hymn is glorious, victorious, merciless. Like the two former albums, Deathcult Armageddon stands for majestic, magisterial, superior material!!! Oh yes, the album features guest vocals by Bint’s Leen De Haes and Funeral Mist / (former) Triumphator / Marduk’s Mortuus.

95/100

Ivan Tibos.