In Terra Profugus – Carpe Noctem Review

I honestly do not know what is going on in this small and seemingly peaceful country called Iceland. Iceland has given us big names within the black metal scene – we can highlight names like Svartidaudi and Wormlust. There is also a very interesting array of bands there that follow the same path, such as Chao, Azoic, Vansköpun, Dynfari and Kontinuum just to name a few. All of these bands have above average talent and a very characteristic kind of sound, so much “their own” that they could almost certify it with a “Made in Iceland” stamp. From Iceland comes one of the most spectacular albums I have had the privilege to hear this year, brought by the hands of the, until now, unknown band Carpe Noctem.

The band was formed back in 2005, but only a few years later, around 2008, Carpe Noctem began to gain some reputation along with their releases. Known to be quite intense live, they were soon pointed out as one of the most promising bands in the Icelandic black metal scene. From 2008 until this first full-length, the band followed the normal path of a band who begins to take its first steps. In 2008, they released the demo “Myrkraverk” and the following year, the self-titled EP that managed to put some eyes and ears on the band, although it wasn’t memorable enough and the band soon fell into oblivion. Until now. This year, Carpe Noctem surprised everyone with their debut album In Terra Profugus, a highly conceptual and extremely intense album that is still making everyone’s jaws drop to the ground.

Influenced by Norse mythology and sacred and profane themes heavily soaked in the most deep of esoteric and occult wells, Carpe Noctem shows us a record that is dark but at the same time beautiful. It transports us on a journey through mysterious and apocalyptic scenarios hidden in the bowels of this wretched Earth. However, I must first warn you: do not expect to find inverted crosses or severed goat heads scattered everywhere in honor of the great Goat and boatloads of blastbeats filled with the bleakest tremolo picking riffs made in the coldest of the most cold Northern Europe countries. No.

Introducing a new level of black metal, In Terra Profugus is a conceptual album divided into five tracks (five acts) that revolve around the concept of life, death and the nature of evil, culminating in the self-flagellation of the soul. This album is quite a prickly journey, full of unpredictable traps and (un)pleasant surprises. An interesting detail is that the order of the songs follows a descending line (which represents the initial descent on Earth) to the beginning (Life and consequently Death), and then ascending (the Resurrection).

“Odium Somniferum” opens the gate to this new dimension, into which we are pulled by the sound of the guitar that starts by dropping languid notes that unleash a dose of thrill into the stifling air. Until, suddenly, we are sucked into a black hole without warning, falling deeper and deeper at breakneck speed, and suddenly we awake in a strange new world. All tracks presented here are interpreted in their native tongue, that for us, foreigners, could even be a strange and ancient tongue preaching this infernal black mass. The reality is that performed in Icelandic, it sounds even more menacing. Alexander’s voice is quite powerful and mesmerizing as the rest of the instruments balance between the old and the most contemporary influences within black metal. The sound is very polished due to the studio production yet it sounds very of their own. There aren’t a great variety of bands practicing this sound nowadays. If you seek some references, the only names that come to my mind are, beside Svartidaudi, their fellow label companions – and great European promise by the way – Cult of Erinyes.

Another very important aspect in this and other tracks is the way the band leads the fluidity of time and how they built tracks. It is indeed remarkable. So quickly we are being massacred by an impenetrable blastbeat storm, then suddenly the band turns the board and brings in slower and more atmospheric environments, messing with our mind, inducing a kind of psychological terror that few bands can perfectly embody into their music. The influences of their countrymen Svartidaudi and the undeniable influence of Deathspell Omega are evident in Carpe Noctem‘s sound. They grab with determination the dementia of each of these bands and give it a treatment of their own, but without turning into another one of those clone-bands that are trying so hard to reinvent black metal. Carpe Noctem is a beast of a single strain.

“Ars Moriendi comes immediately glued to the previous track, joined by what appears to be a small atmospheric interlude broken only by the powerful voice of Alexander as the great narrator of this journey to the depths of Earth and human. Under the command of his voice, dark clouds gather as this rain of furious blastbeats storms upon us while the guitars unload all their anger in the form of absolutely insane riffs. This whole insanity is shaped by the excellent ability that the band has to change the course and the pace within the tracks. They always end up by catching the listener off guard as they strategically change the direction of the song. Unpredictability is one of the key factors of this album, constantly lurking around every dark corner as we sink deeper and deeper into this album. Specially when we’re talking about tracks that last between 8 to 10 minutes. If done in an very amateur or naive way, the result may take the listener to quickly fall in boredom and making him to press “stop”. The clever use of synthesizers and other digital components, which here appear strategically placed within each song, enhance even more all of this heavy atmosphere and extra dimensional sinister factor incidentally making our heart race every second along the track.

“Vitriol” is perhaps the key track of the album. The Culmination of this narrative. The Core. Personally I find it quite phenomenal and powerful. This track contains every bit of all the elements that I already spoke of here, making In Terra Profugus a phenomenal album. Those languid notes opening the track entice us and involve us, leaving us in a state of nearly dormancy until an explosion of decibels emerges through this rampant chaos and simply paralyze us with fear. It’s impossible to remain indifferent to a track with such caliber. The fusion of the most “post-black” melodic parts with that menacing side of death metal and the pitch black of black metal darkness here is perfect and flawless. Carpe Noctem demonstrate great creativity and phenomenal versatility when it comes to testing their limits as they push them beyond. From the concept, to the artwork and performance, the band shows us a great level of maturity coming from a band so young.

“Metamorphoses Maleficarum” represents the resurrection of evil after thousands of years of being forgotten in the shadows. This is a track that once again, embodies that concept perfectly. A real whirlwind in which we are constantly thrown inside this pitch black vortex during the 10 minutes that the track lasts. The most demented side of Svartidaudi and the malice of Deathspell Omega gathered in one track, can you imagine that? Throughout the mass of menacing riffs the band constantly injects more atmospheric parts within the track giving it an almost celestial, extra dimensional aura. It pierces right through the body, into the soul. Seeks our deepest fears and feeds on them as we are catapulted from this physical world into a ethereal one.

The album closes with “Hostis Humanis Generis”, which means “the enemy of all mankind.” This is the last chapter that closes this fantastic journey. The guitars unleash frightening howls that echo through the air while the hair on our arms bristle and fear settles within us. It pulls us once more to that obscure and cold atmospheres, successfully passing the nihilistic spirit that comes straight from song’s core. The tempos run between the typical rampant rhythms of black metal that seem to roam occasionally over death metal or doom territories culminating this record in a completely haunting atmosphere, where you can hear in the background some sort of tribal drums making in my mind visions of a dark and occult ritual. Almost like in horror movies where we believe that the villain is dead, but it eventually always returns to haunt us.

With only a few years of activity, the level of maturity presented here by Carpe Noctem on all levels (concept album, artwork and performance) is quite remarkable. I must confess that there were two factors that immediately stole my attention in In Terra Profugus: the cover artwork and the fact that they are an Icelandic black metal band. It may seem trivial to you, but those who know me well know that I have a very special taste for everything that comes from this island. And this time I wasn’t wrong. I knew I had struck gold.

With this debut album, Carpe Noctem presents us a superb production filled with amazing layers of sound and little details that end up making a big difference making In Terra Profugus,”one of the best black metal albums I’ve had the pleasure of hearing this year. If this band keeps up at this level…I can’t even imagine it. Absolutely brilliant.

In Terra Profugus is already available at Code666.