WAMPYRINACHT (Gr) – ‘Night of the Desecration’ LP

Patient but still present, WAMPYRINACHT arrive when the time is right with their second album, Night of the Desecration. Immediately, an uptick in energy and clarity is felt; the oft-otherworldly rawness of its predecessor is replaced by a stout ‘n’ surging sound brimming with a newfound professionalism that pays off in spades. For Night of the Desecration burns with a fire that flickers in myriad directions – rising, falling, cresting, flowing, all-consuming at every turn across the album’s deceptively epic 43-minute runtime – but always focused, always finessed. Leading the charge is Necrolord’s guitar work here, ably balancing stout ‘n’ strident riffing with emotive ‘n’ bone-chilling leads; the heavy metal spirit at the core of classic Greek black metal pulses proudly, but WAMPYRINACHT doubtlessly put their own shadowy twist on it. Night of the Desecration is thus a work steeped in the ancients whilst retaining a freshness of approach that should span generations of black metallers: actual songwriting is king, now more than ever.