In the humid depths of Georgia’s black metal scene, Saturnian Current weaves dissonant hymns of Hermetic lore. This is not mere occult theater, but a sonic invocation, an alchemical rite where riffs grind like millstones and every note drips with hidden meaning. Their debut album, Illuminatio Doctrinae Mysterii, burns with an alchemical fire at its core, delivering a hard‑hitting, prog‑tinged performance that transforms black metal into a Hermetic rite.
This release has a very classic feel to it, something that could be very fitting for the scene in the early 2000s when Deathspell Omega was forming their familiar proggy sound, but Saturnian Current approaches the style with a raw edge, where the vocals have a hissing rasp and the guitars have a much more aggressive sharpness to it. Though there is a lot of diversity within the sound of this album with softer passages building the atmosphere that feels somber and meditative, they use these passages as more of a bridge to build the atmosphere, which of course is extremely occult and dripping with alchemical mystery.
The lyrics match this hermetic mystery, where those hissing vocals can turn into an epic operatic voice. Though it can be a bit jarring and kind of funny at first, it actually can be a nice little addition to keep the sound fresh and unique. The backing instrumentation also helps keep things fresh with organ synths layered into the guitars and even operatic choirs to help build this massive atmosphere and sound only fitting for such esoteric topics.
Illuminatio Doctrinae Mysterii tops out at a little over 53 minutes, quite lengthy for a debut album, but it’s a good way to gauge the feel and the sound of the band for the future if they do decide to continue on. While the band’s lineup isn’t publicly detailed, Illuminatio Doctrinae Mysterii carries the unmistakable cohesion of a single creative mind. Every instrument seems to move with the same deliberate precision, as if woven by one hand guided by Hermetic discipline.
Overall, this album feels like a modern day classic taking influence from many bands from the past as previously mentioned, like Deathspell Omega, Abigor, and even a tinge of Grand Belial’s Key. It’s melodic and progressive nature makes it an easy listen for those who are used to the more extreme and noisy, but can be a very forward thinking album for the more casual metal listener. I certainly would recommend this for all fans of the occult and metal.