Praeter Caelestis - Ex Obscuritatem
March 2005
By Michael Koger
Praeter Caelestis is a black metal band hailing from the not-so-grim state of California. However, on their four track demo,
Ex Obscuritatem,
Praeter Caelestis displays that they can compete with black metal bands from the farthest and coldest regions of Europe.
Praeter Caelestis plays an uncompromising form of melodic black metal. Harsh, hypnotic, and worthy of headbanging are just a few words that could be used to describe the four track demo.
As soon as track one,
'The Bloodletting of Heaven', kicks in, I was immediately floored by the production value. It's crisp, clear and rivals the production quality of most signed releases. Every instrument can be heard. Subtle keyboards let the guitars carry the melodies. The dueling guitar melodies weave an intriguing black metal tapestry. The vocals are not high pitched shrieks, but rather they remind me of the lower raspy growls similar to
Drudkh. The music has a definite
Emperor feel that can be witnessed throughout all four tracks. The drums especially remind me of
Emperor. The fills and double bassing are impressive, with the only downside being the occasional off time blastbeat. Track 2,
'Le Sacre Noir', starts off with an acoustic guitar intro reminiscent of early
Ulver or
Woods of Ypres. This, of course, doesn't last too long before the black metal fury blasts in like a wintry blizzard. During the second track, female vocals are added to the mix which makes things even better. Too often in black metal, bands use synthesized choirs rather than the human alternative. More
Emperor moments abound throughout the last two tracks which are as enjoyable as the first two.
Ex Obscuritatem is a demo full of yins and yangs. It has equal moments of variety and minimalistic hypnotism; equal parts melodic and harsh.
Praeter Caelestis proved to be a very pleasant surprise. They are currently working on their first full length album, and it will be interesting to see where they go with their sound. One important thing for them to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack is to uncover new ground in black metal territory and to do it exceptionally well. The American black metal scene is often saturated with suicidal black metal projects, but every now and then, bands like
Averse Sefira and
Wolves In The Throne Room show that America is capable of putting out very stunning and worthwhile black metal.
Praeter Caelestis is definitely no exception.
The entire four track demo can be downloaded off
the Official Praeter Caelestis myspace.
