But it's not a Scandinavian band. This malignant quintet was born in Costa Rica, in the year 1995. True, they didn't release a lot of albums yet but I think that's mostly because they are perfectionists. Judging from the sound of this album, they spent countless of hours meticulously writing and rehearsing the songs in order to come up with something that would stun people both live and on CD. In that, they certainly succeed. This really is an excellent black metal album, reminding me mostly of the early days of Cradle Of Filth.
There's a lot of keyboards on this album, adding plenty of symphonic elements to the whole. Furthermore, there seem to be some influences from other dark music genres, so perhaps it's safe to say that there's a hint of 'gothic' metal to the whole. 'Summoning The Beast Of Stigmata' and 'War, Pestilence, Famine And Death' for instance, are brilliant pieces of atmospheric black metal and probably my favorites on this already impressive album.
Alastor Sanguinary Embryo consists of a number of talented and experienced musicians who show a great flair for songwriting. Indulging in absolute darkness, this quintet spews some of the best blackened dark metal songs I've heard in a while, especially in the keyboard-loaded genre. So there's abolutely no reason to ignore this album if you're a fan of epic black metal. These guys should be on the stages of any big metal festival, preferably of course in a dark tent. There is no doubt in my mind that they will guarantee a massive concert, attracting thousands of new fans wherever they go.
Serge