Album Review: Stormruler - Sacred Rites & Black Magick

#VIMH #NEWMUSIC #STORMRULER #NAPALMRECORDS #BLACKMETAL

I’m new to Stormruler, but these guys have come storming out of the St. Louis subterranean metal scene after their first full length album, ‘Under A Burning Eclipse’ in 2021.

Conjuring percussive blast beats, and black metal vocal stylings, it’s a great album and easy to see why they broke out of the St. Louis scene. In between each song there are interludes that roll like thunder into the next chaotic storm of metal. Striking like lightning, the scorching riffs and well placed and screaming solos really shine.

I really enjoy the quick, about 1 minute long, interludes between each track. They give a nice little palette cleanser before bombarding you with more black metal than you can shake a stick at. I don’t think it’s going to be long before they are mentioned in the same breath as the heavyweights of the genre like Immortal and Emperor.

For being only 2 people, their sound is huge and very well produced. The effort and care they put into their craft is evident judging by the intricacies of their songs. I would love to see what these guys can do live.

‘Entranced Within the Moon Presence’ is one of my favorite tracks on the album. The chaotic riffs all come together in a perfect storm of sonic delight. ‘Invocation of the Black Sacrament’ is one of the best with how it flows from ‘Entranced’ into the title track ‘Sacred Rights & Black Magick’.

I don’t think there is a bad track on this album. Each song is well thought out, and has great stories about war, sorcery, history, and black magick abound. Clocking in at almost an hour and fifteen minutes it’s a long listen, but so worth it.

Also, can we talk about the artwork? This cover is incredible and definitely evokes the mood of the album. The artwork was done by Giannis Nakos of Remedy Art Design. Check out more of his artwork, it’s fantastic.

Overall, a great black metal album that is definitely worth a listen, and band to keep an eye on. It hopefully won’t be long before they are storming the lands spreading their stories.