You have probably heard the many statements Black metal bands post on their web sites, or promo packages that sound something like this “… the true way black metal should sound like” or “real underground Black metal” or without any evidence they claim “gaining a lot of underground support and recognition”; I mean we have all read them, heard them and say things like that, so much that it comes a point when for me is impossible to believe the hype and the talking points from black metal outfits or independent reviews about their work, I have to listen and then verified the quality within an album, so are those talking points true when it comes to “Rising”? In part, but not entirely; they do sound like an underground, independent BM band, but there are some progressive aspects to their music that keeps them a little out of the ordinary buzz of “true black metal”… and that is a good thing!
Playing more than just raw, under produced metal, this Portuguese band rises to the occasion and displays compelling and interesting musical lines. They do so with a very careful and well crafted idea surrounding “basic BM” you know the type that pretty much started the genre, with bands and sounds from Darkthrone to Mayhem and inject to those sometimes simplistic lines a good dose of “avant-garde” atmospheres, not enough as to risk their entire “truthiness” but enough so to distant themselves enough as to be recognize an appreciate by listeners of different genres within metal. They sometimes sound like Abigor (not their latest album off course), with a more “classic” and soft approach to some songs, that allows their compositions to evolve from basic blast beats into melodic and tender segments that provide a different perspective from the crude and haunting vocal work displayed by Mr. Horrendus.
Rising is one of those few “true” Black metal records, that those display some good, well thought out songs, and challenges you to reconsider the generalization of BM and your by now lack of trust in the commonly used “talking points” printed in promotional sheets.
