Zaratus - In the Day of Wh*re Review

Here’s a band that was able to accomplish the harsh task that is to combine Symphonic Metal elements with a dark and gloomy atmosphere that maintains all the punch and aggression Metal music demands. Zaratus even added some opera buffa elements in their music creating an aura of devilish mockery that makes “In the Day of Wh*re” an album that the fan of groundbreaking efforts can’t miss. I suggest to go straight ahead to “Chaos and Blood” and check out everything I’m saying here.

From the beginning with “Ceremonies before Light’s Existence” the fan will notice that we’re dealing with a band that delivers something really different. Labeling is never an easy task and when it comes from a band as Zaratus and “In the Day of Wh*re” things get even more difficult. The hybridism the band experiments here is such that it makes the task real hard. Musicwise, “In the Day of Wh*re” has many elements of all Metal styles, but mostly Old School Heavy Metal. “Heritage of Fire” shows it pretty well in its more than seven minutes long course. There are lots of instrumental plot twists that remind a little what Venom did in “War with Satan” more of the twists than the actual song. Toning here is also standard to reassure this impression. By the way, Zaratus use some complex performing that goes near the Prog and Technical, however changing the tone isn1t one of them. The band prefers to use some strange and uncanny effects as in “Zoroastrian Priests” to devilish mock religious establishments. Zaratus use this resource of mockery a lot in the album. Before the exquisite intro with some orienytal sonancies, “Zoroastrian Priests” acquires a marching cadence delivering a ready-for-war impression. However, this track isn’t the best example in the album of the prowness of the band. In fact, it tells more about the spirit of the band by its finale with a feature that is getting common amon Black Metal bands that is the childish piano and other elements that turn the song up into a kind of vaudeville.

Here we got an album the surpasses all expectation. “Ceremonies before Light’s Existence” delivers more than expected. The combination of many Metal styles elements make Zaratus a can’t miss band.My opinion is that the addition of mockery elements gave the album the perfect atmosphere besides the uncanny and unexpected instrumentals. It’s no irony that bands as Zaratus make me strongly believe that Venom were the pioneers of Black Metal. It was never the speed, but the intent.

Zaratus “Ceremonies before Light’s Existence” will be released on March 05th via Ván Records.

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