Band: The Royal Arch Blaspheme
Title: The Royal Arch Blaspheme
Label: Hells Headbangers Records
Distribution: Hells Headbangers Records
Release date: 23/05/2010
Review: CD

The American project The Royal Arch Blaspheme is a band with John Gelso, known from cult band Profanatica, as well as acts like Toten, Contrivisti or Aiwaz, and Lord N. Imperial, who’s involved with e.g. Krieg, Nachtmystium, Hidden, March Into The See or Twilight amongst others.

This self-called album lasts for more than forty minutes and brings a very raw, grim, filthy and freezing form of old school-oriented Black Metal / Noise. Of course the members’ other bands’ influences are of undeniable importance, yet also old Bathory (think Bathory and The Return …), Blasphemy and legendary act Von are names that come to mind. This pseudo-occult material sounds sulphuric, unpolished, barbaric and uncompromising in all its sweetened emotionality, with an extreme demonic, Luciferian atmosphere and a splendid primitive approach. The Royal Arch Blaspheme create the most perverted definition of profound misanthropy, sonic terror and Christ-torturing, Mary-raping and priest-humiliating blasphemy in one, this IS BLACK METAL in its purest sense.

And in spite of … no, f*ck it, I’m falling in love with this album.

93/100

Ivan Tibos.