One of Nine is a mysterious USA based black metal collective that shuns the light and hides in the shadows, their music is imposing black metal that is as ruthless and unrelenting as it at times filled with melody and dynamics. Eternal Sorcery is their debut collection of tales. An offering to the perilous realm and the Great Tyrant of Utumno!
Heavily inspired by Tolkien One of Nine’s music evokes great grandeur and excellent shades and textures of darkness. The majesty of God chain and its rhythms is matched by the grimness of ‘’ “Mother of Shadows “, the second wave inspired black metal offers swirling immersive massive riffs based on waves of dynamics and inspiration drawn from the subject matter. It is at times graceful, the intro of ‘’Moonlit Sacrifice’’ is eminently fragile before the wave of tremolo ridden anger overwhelms it with a cataclysm of fury and raw power that is dense and suffocating. The acoustic moments make the intense black metal more impactful, and at times morose and introspective, it remains organic the respite of ‘’ Wrathful Rebirth’’ is matched by the cold wraith that is ‘’ The Silence of Heaven’’.
The keyboard line that runs under the pure second wave sounds of closer ‘’ A Hunter Rides the Night’’ is elegant and sorrowful and an excellent close to a record of eight tortured hymns that are as memorable as they are uncompromising. A truly melodic, elegant, sorrowful, and truly black metal offering, One of Nine set themselves apart by dealing with both styles equally and excellently, it is one of the finds and surprises of the year with its subtlety. Eternal Sorcery is both a bleak and yet enlightening journey.
One of Nine: N/A
Release Year: 2023
Label: Wolves of Hades
Category: Album
Country: USA
Reviewed by Sparky
