Infernal Decadence
Infernal Decadence shows how much force a familiar approach can retain when the riffs are good enough. Spectral Wound play fast black metal with sharp vocals and little interest in detours. Melodies give the music a recognisable line while the drums keep the pace high.
Woods from Which the Spirits Once so Loudly Howled begins with that direct attack. The guitars maintain the pressure and the voice has enough space to cut fiercely through them. It sounds rough, but the production never makes the parts unclear. The different movements in the guitar work remain easy to follow.
That is an important part of what this record does well. Spectral Wound retain the cold, hard edge of traditional black metal without deliberately hiding the sound. The drums stay tight and the guitars have room for memorable melodies. The voice grows with the intensity of the songs, becoming more than a layer of screaming over the riffs.
Black Satanic Glamour brings the leads further forwards. Later, La Nuit Froide De L'oubli gives the melodies a larger movement and the music a stronger rock character. These are changes within the same sound, but they help the songs develop their own shapes. The record needs no major change of style to hold attention.
Its main limit is that Infernal Decadence deliberately stays within familiar territory. Listeners searching for a radical new direction will not find it here. The compact running time and strong riffs make the approach convincing, however. Spectral Wound keep the attack clear, the melodies memorable and the energy consistently high. The album works as a sequence of carefully written songs rather than simply half an hour of fury.
