THE BEAST

Siculicidium are an enigmatic black metal entity from deep within Transylvania. Hailing from Romania's obscure Szeklerland region, this cult's music is not less obscure than their geographical subterfuge. Using first- and second-wave black metal as a foundation for their ancient & beastly creation, there is nevertheless so much more here than just throwing in the good old melodies of old heroes. Rather, it's a boiling cauldron where the meat is black metal, thrash, and doom which melts with the spices of punk, some discrete horror folk, and a hearty helping of Eastern European feeling.

 

Originally released in 2009 by Sun & Moon on CD format, Utolsó vágta az Univerzumban was Siculicidium's storming debut album, after a few demos and an EP. Now, ten years later, the album has finally been reissued and on vinyl format, for the first time ever. Weird and unconventional, the collective of Siculicidium is a trio on this debut album: Pestifer handling guitars, bass, and music; Béla Lugosi handling vocals, lyrics, and concept; and Khrul on drums.

 

Although a debut album, here does Siculicidium present a fully developed sound and enviably strong songwriting skills. With but a concise six songs in 39 minutes, you'll surely find a lot of biting moments here. Epic, horse-riding black metal in the opening title track (in English, "Last Gallop in the Universe"), the band is epic and feral at the same time, like they wanted to jump out into the cosmos. The saga continues with the incredible "Halványan az idő ellen," a total killer and catchy black 'n' roll piece with discrete folk influence. "Bizonytalan Ideák" is where black 'n' roll meets gloomy 'n' slow tragic black metal. "Talán (ha hallanám...)" is melancholic and somber with a dissonant ending. And despite bands usually putting the best songs during the first half of the album, this is definitely not Siculicidium's method. The five-minute "Taxidermia" is an intensive mid-tempo beast of a song, with great tempo changes and riffs. The closing eight-minute "Lebomlás" is a demanding piece for sure, and we have it all here: killer fast riffs, slower passages, and acoustic moments, with the crooning vocals of Béla Lugosi.

 

Even if Siculicidium had their share of influences, nothing sounds like them, even this early on: too contemporary to be old school, and too archaic to be modern! As such, Utolsó vágta az Univerzumban is an important album for Eastern Europe, and the passing of time has worked in its favor. No better time, then, to get to know this band when this pivotal record finally gets the vinyl treatment! Preorder info can be found HERE .

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/siculicidium