Pontefractum Melancholicum      

Anti
Depressive Illusions Records 2012

The wall of raw noise emanating from my speakers is an ode to primitive coldness, Pontefractum Melancholicum.  At times I am reminded of Ildjarn or Gorgoroth at their noisiest.  The title track utilizes a repetitive riff pattern that resembles some stripped down Nordic black metal.  The vocals are like vomiting spite.  This impression brought straight into the forefront of Sex Blood Vomit.  I hear hints of Burzum in the initial riff segments but then it becomes more pounding in style.  That tends to disrupt the fluid movement of the main riff.  The track then slides into total demonic vocal repetition and more Gorgoroth-esque riffing.  Wavering rhythmic guitars lay the foundation on Hypoxia while the vocals rasp like a frozen troll.  The riffs on Salvatore are so frigid that they stab your ears with icicles.  Monk Hill begins with a riff that is eerily similar to Beherit's Gate of Nanna but then blasting black metal intensity is unleashed like a blizzard.  Ice Princess begins with a folky black metal riff before veering into hyper-speed black metal melodies, somewhat like a thinner sounding Transilvanian Hunger.  It then drops back into the folk style riff for a hint of epic nostalgia.  I am not a huge fan of some of the drum machine used on some of the tracks but the sound and tempos are varied enough to keep it interesting and from sounding completely artificial.  Also some of the songwriting is not smooth and the songs can sound a little choppy at times.  But I think with time and experience this will get ironed out.  If you like your black metal raw, harsh and primitive then Pontefractum Melancholicum will certainly catch your ear and the promise of an ice cold future will be delivered.