26 Dec 2016

Cvinger: "Monastery of Fallen"


Corpsepainted, thunderous black metal - Melodies not allowed
Traditionally schooled, Slovenia's Cvinger weighs in with a heavy reliance upon the old customs of second wave black metal. Monastery of Fallen confidently builds on a foundation of cascading torrents of furious blast beats set to the cold moods created by the dogma of ruthless tremolo riffing, lead singer Lucerus' vocals chiming in with the raw doctrines of every black metal curse in the book.

Incessant pyres of hatred and death aside, the 20-minute EP doesn't so much feel like the apex predator of Satanism that Cvinger try to put forth, as it does an aging beast nearing extinction, lazily dangling around at the bottom of the food chain whilst leisurely grazing at the once-green pastures of tirelessly re-used ideas. This aging beast is still capable of lashing out with ruthless force and intent to kill, but it does so in a manner that is predictable and easily dodged.

"...a welcome reprieve from the ever-beating blast beat storms."

In this way Cvinger's devotion to the old school of black metal means there's little enjoyment to be had from compositional surprises. The faintest gusts of originality comes at the behest of the rich monk-like chants that serve as interludes and closers. This element is less obvious than the rest of the Monastery of Fallen EP, and though a small thing in the grander scheme of the release, it is a welcome reprieve from the ever-beating blast beat storms.

For all their fervor and all their might, Cvinger's eight tracks of unholy black metal fail to impress. The Slovenian group relies too heavily on the deeper notes on the fretboard, never daring audacity through melodies or other adventurous modes. Blast beats and tremolo riffing will only take you so far when there is no contrasting element to hold it against.

5/10


Released in 2013 independently

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