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Exhumed from sanguine sulfur necropolis by charnel smoke spell, Ecuador’s Wampyric Rites have been evoked once again for another masterclass in raw black metal orthodoxy, with their latest incantation, Summoning the Beasts in the Night of Lycanthropic Moon, being a four chapter grimoire slaked with the lunar thirst of the unquenchable bestial bloodlust. Woven with the prodigal power of wolven tapestry terror, Summoning the Beasts in the Night of Lycanthropic Moon, is awash with epic spell compositions, dungeon synth soliloquy, raging melancholic tremolo, rasping vocal lamentation, infectious percussive patterns, feral grimdark thematics, sorrow storm atmospherics and a full-bodied equilibrium of production putridity—one that mixes these alchemical elements together into true necromantic work of gilded sonic cruelty. Yet another stellar offering from one of South America’s most potent raw black metal cabals, Wampyric Rites have led another salacious audial assault upon the mortal realms, one that any acolyte of tomb cult reverie would be remiss to experience for themselves.

Exhumed from sanguine sulfur necropolis by charnel smoke spell, Ecuador’s Wampyric Rites have been evoked once again for another masterclass in raw black metal orthodoxy, with their latest incantation, Summoning the Beasts in the Night of Lycanthropic Moon, being a four chapter grimoire slaked with the lunar thirst of the unquenchable bestial bloodlust. Woven with the prodigal power of wolven tapestry terror, Summoning the Beasts in the Night of Lycanthropic Moon, is awash with epic spell compositions, dungeon synth soliloquy, raging melancholic tremolo, rasping vocal lamentation, infectious percussive patterns, feral grimdark thematics, sorrow storm atmospherics and a full-bodied equilibrium of production putridity—one that mixes these alchemical elements together into true necromantic work of gilded sonic cruelty. Yet another stellar offering from one of South America’s most potent raw black metal cabals, Wampyric Rites have led another salacious audial assault upon the mortal realms, one that any acolyte of tomb cult reverie would be remiss to experience for themselves.

After “Anthropophagy” (1987) and “Who Are the True” (1988),Vulcano entered the 1990s heeding the signs of the times without compromising their initial brutality. As a result, the band’s fifth album “Ratrace” perfectly balances thrashing madness with a more contemporary, midtempo approach. “I was really incredulous about how he managed to save that album,” band leader Zhema comments on Patrick W. Engel’s restored and remastered version on the original tapes. “The vocals, guitars and bass – everything is finally more defined!” And after frequent bad luck with both recording studios and labels, the Brazilian extreme metal forerunners found a capable partner in High Roller Records to reissue “Ratrace”. The album, which saw a glorious return of guitarist Soto Jr. († 2001) from the line-up of the group’s seminal debut “Bloody Vengeance” (1986), would be their last release for 14 years but an impressive temporary farewell no less. With tracks like the two-minute barrage ‘Welcome to the Army’ or the similarly frantic ‘White Violence’ set against more chunky stuff such as ‘Just a Matter of Time’, “Ratrace” is a forgotten thrash gem to be (re-)discovered!