Wrath of Logarius was first named Martyr Logarius.  It’s some video game character from a game called Bloodborne.  The band started in 2021, released the Necrotic Assimilation ep in 2023, and then changed the name to Wrath of Logarius.  The band logo is still the same style, however.

This California based band plays a pretty damn brutal form of black metal, with death metal influences.  There are times I want to listen to something more ethereal and or atmospheric melodic when it comes to black metal, such as label mates Saor.  Then there are times when I want my black metal to be utterly face ripping with brutality to tombstone-piledrive me through the Earth’s magma.  This band falls into the latter.  Just look at this creepy ass album cover.  The music matches this cover.  Once I saw the cover, I was like ‘This is not gonna be atmospheric’.  I buckled myself in for this 9 song punishing debut album.

“Unfathomable” is a brief yet effective intro.  A slow, creepy, very well-formatted intro before “Keeper of the Spectral Legion” bursts forward and with the guttural powerful vox and the riffing, there are death metal influences throughout but not enough to categorize this as blackened death metal.  Right before the minute marker, the raspier black metal vox comes in with a scorching blast beat over the black metal guitar melodies.  This part is fast, and when I mean fast, I am glad I buckled myself in, that is how ferocious this blast is.  Mid-paced riffing comes on in with the vocals reminding me of Goatwhore, those higher black metal rasps, yet not super high where it’s grating.  The galloping moment after the drum roll at the 2.50 mark is excellent.

“Erosion” has some awesome galloping at the start then at the 47-second mark, the drummer, Lord Marco (Sleep Terror, Six Feet Under, Waking the Cadaver, Anomalous, ex-The Faceless, Ex-Brain Drill, etc), delivers a gravity blast that is cosmic gravity-defying.  It’s so damn fast. Now is some of his set triggered etc…yes….But I gotta see this cat drum like this live.  Regardless, this is one of the fastest black metal blasting albums I have heard in many, many years.  Face-ripping brutality.

“Crypt” is a brief one-minute interlude.  Honestly, it does not detract or add anything.  Just being honest, kinda find it pointless, but it comes right before “The Ethereal Mist” (Feat. Vilhelm of Grima).  So I am thinking that interlude is there for a reason the more I think about it.  Turn your headsets DOWN, NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This song erupts out of the starting gates with one of those gravity black metal cosmic terror space orbital blasts.  It’s so fast it will rip people’s limbs off from 1000 miles away.  Some deeper vocals come in, then the black metal vocals take more center stage.  This song has some excellent guitar riffs and those black metal riffs are mixed in nicely; however on some of this relentless blasting the riffing gets a tad drowned out.  I would have dropped the level of the blast ever so slightly during the mix process.  It’s not like this throughout.  It’s when that high-velocity gravity blasting takes over it can overtake the instruments.

“Dread” is a great album closer.  Brutal, however some excellent guitar harmonies, with some melody as well.  The riffs over the blasts are very creative and I notice and feel a fair amount of emoting with how the riffs are constructed.  The song ends so abruptly and then that’s it, end of the album.

Wrath of Logarius are ferocious and yes…. A scary black metal band.  Crown of Mortis has a lot going for it as an excellent debut album.  I like bands that push the envelope and can be dangerous.  Other than some mix issues, with the gravity blasts drowning some parts out, this album will punish you and choke slam you again and again and again.  I love this debut, made me do my highest max weight on flat bench at the gym recently!!

[Visit the band's website]

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