From deep within the black jungles of Indonesia emerges Falsus Evangelium. An experimental black metal entity invoking Enochian rites, fevered dissonance, and a suffocating occult atmosphere that carves its own altar within the underground.
The album starts hard, whipping you into dissonant distorted riffs and well timed drums hitting a solid groove that isn’t so common in the black metal world. The four tracks are all of standard length, none of them going over the five minute mark, but they have so much packed into it, making each track feel much longer than they actually are. The drumming is the stand out part for me on this album, it’s truly all over the place. Going from intense blast beats to more subtle groovy passages that compliments the guitars so well. Just like the drums, the guitars can swirl from dissonant tremolo picked rifts to more subtle and atmospheric passages that feel lifted from a dream. The vocals, are breathy and distant, simply adding onto the layer of atmosphere but feel a bit like an afterthought. Not necessarily a problem with this style as the instrumentation does all the heavy lifting, but it does make me wonder what the lyrics are and given the occult and enochian themes around the album.
Overall the instrumentation is flawless, hearkening back to more experimental black metal bands like Serpent Column, Ved Buens Ende, and other bands who have been given the label of “avant-garde” black metal. Personally I find the label a bit odd, given the somewhat experimental nature of black metal as it is but, Falsus Evangelium to me is a true exception as they do break the mold of black metal while still holding on to the essence of the genre.
While the release is short, it is very impactful, and display is a type of skill that not many have in their debut release. The opening riff to this album stuck with me for a good couple days after making me go back and listen to it over and over again. There’s no denying the skill and passion behind this release and coming from such a unique place like Indonesia makes it all that much more memorable. I’d highly recommend this album for those who are a bit tired of your typical black metal and want something different and more.