EP Review: Alastor – Black Magic (Twin Earth Records)

Alastor is steeped in mystery. The quartet is made up of ‘H’ and ‘J’ on guitars, while ‘R’ takes on bass & vocals duties finishing up with ‘S’ on drums. To top it off the selling point of Black Magic is just three words long…Die In Fire.

3 tracks long but coming in at 34 minutes, Black Magic is filled with darkness. An oppressive darkness where you can feel & hear the evil in the air but can’t see it.

The slow doomy sounds of Enemy drips with menace, its filthy sounding style only lightened by the vocals that sit comfortably alongside. The pace doesn’t change for its near 12 minute run-time but it never gets boring thanks to small changes in guitar riffs here & there. It’s an epic listen, one that requires your full attention.

The shorter (7:42) Nothing to Fear continues the bass heavy, dark & slow sound. Focus is given to the vocals a bit more here though & the effect that gives it an echoing quality really helps steep the song in mystery. It’s surprisingly catchy & the the most listenable of the three tracks. Even some short guitar solos fits perfectly alongside the downbeat sound.

The final track, Black Magic is over 14 minutes long. Opening with some subtle bass strumming & feedback it blasts into full swing with the best riff of the record. This is a hell of a journey as songs go & if you’ve been turned off before this, you’re not likely to get much out of this one.

For everyone else though, this is a perfect blend of doom-infused, gothic metal that will live long in the memory. Utterly transfixing at time, it’s lengthy run-time disappears in a hail of candle wax & incense.

One of the most exciting releases this year, even if you’ve not got an ear for doom you’ll find plenty to enjoy here. Filth-encrusted & exuding darkness, it’s a hell of an experience.

Black Magic Overall Track Listing:

1. Enemy
2. Nothing to Fear
3. Black Magic

Black Magic will be released on March 24th 2017 via Twin Earth Records. You can pick up the title track over on Bandcamp here & check out Twin Earth Records here. You can find out more about Alastor over on Facebook.