Review by Fran on December 20, 2020.

As much as I praise this initiative, Sempiternal Opprobrium has a well coined sound and concept after all and this demo exposes that clearly although I can’t help but feel the songs featured in this record are pretty boring. Vore is not an academic musician so you can’t expect virtuosity or progression here but his natural drumming skills make him a precise musician regarding timing. The bass and the guitars are completely unidimensional in terms of composition though: they never drift apart from each other and even if the themes are correctly executed, the melodic intervals lack taste, don’t feel thought out at all and overall are kind of rookie… art is about communication and if the melodies don’t transmit any feeling, there’s something wrong.

The options of sound modeling were wisely used though, the exaggeratedly low range from the gutturals combines perfectly with the B tuning and the fastest parts sound tight on every instrument. There are some double bass drum parts scarcely used but this band is more cavernous and slow than fast and aggressive. The same goes with the fast tremolo picking on the strings, not 100% legible but giving some sustain and mixed with that cathedral reverberation every instrument sounds huge and thick on the final tracks. The record is monotonous because the songs aren’t particularly good but you can clearly see where this band is going so it accomplishes its mission. There’s some Gregorian chant aura added to the band’s sound that isn’t limited to the vocals but feeds from their harmonization and the strings on the low end, nice touch.

I liked Sempiternal Opprobium’s second release better because the riffs were better thought out and had that ‘evil’ feeling and some groove. This album is way more plain instead but the trademark broad and roomy sounds Vore seems to like a lot are undoubtedly present.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on November 21, 2019.

Evil hail from Japan, but don't think of friendly tourists who smile permanently while taking nonstop pictures. These guys are in a bad mood. Their kind of blackened speed/thrash metal rumbles down the road without being interested in any extraordinary features. Evil have the guts to concentrate on pure metal, although this is not the most vehement record of the genre. The fourth track, "Yatsuzaki" for example, offers an almost melodic solo. Generally speaking, the guitars are cutting rather than harmonious. This is not the soundtrack for the birthday party of a seven-year-old girl. Okay, if Godzilla has a daughter of this age, she might be an exception, but I don't want to digress.

The simple compositions shape a very homogeneous work. Nobody needs to fear any kind of bad surprises. The Japanese horde has found its niche without taking care that many bands have already exploited this niche beforehand. The roots of this Rites of Evil can be traced back to Bathory's famous debut. But for those who are less interested in historical milestones, one can say that Evil's work can be compared with outputs of groups that prefer a simplistic, rather minimalist approach that tries to pick the best of different worlds. While the guitar work builds a bridge to the old days of speed metal, for example during "Sword of Stupa", the raw barking of the lead vocalist has nothing in common with the high-pitched screaming of the early vocal artists. His pretty monotonous, sometimes nearly punk-like voice does not push the music on a higher level, but it also does no harm.

Evil do not lack energy and power, but it is also true that they have not been able to pen one or two earworms that keep sticking in the listener's mind immediately. Some riffs shake up the audience while evoking associations to (early) Venom or lesser known bands such as Quintessenz from Germany. The opening riff of "Eternal Hell", the ninth track, points into this direction, but at the end of the day, this mid-tempo stomper does not exceed standard requirements. It seems as if these dudes are not excessively talented in terms of song-writing. On the other hand, they avoid asinine, inappropriate sections and I am sure that they have the heart at the right place. As much as I hate to say it, this alone is not enough for the creation of a genre classic. I miss songs that develop their own personality.

The production scores with a certain sharpness. The guitars dominate a slightly sinister sound that finds the right mix between transparency and a certain amount of filth. Thus, the guys have no serious technical problems. They just need to put more effort into their compositions. Easier said than done (my first song is still not finished, since 1985 I am working on it...) Therefore, I am happy that at least this review is complete now.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10