Provectus - Postero Mundi

Provectus rose from the ashes of the melodeath group Galning from Belgium for a much more sinister take on metal. Going more the black metal route, these three members craft a sound more like 1349 or Sargeist but with a bit more atmospheric flair that makes things sound darker rather than lush. While the typical black metal tropes are there be it the corpsepaint or the icy, buzz saw riffs and tremolo picking, there is still something that grabs listeners with the debut album “Postero Mundi.” Maybe it is the opening funeral keyboards of ‘Gloria Dolorem,’ but that just sucks one right in with wonder and mystery because they aren’t sure what to expect next. The title track pretty much says it all though with the raw howling vocals, kvlt sounding riffs, and overall a very old school black metal style that isn’t quite Judas Iscariot raw, but not fluffed or over produced like a Dimmu Borgir album. Provectus have a nice balance of what is considered raw black metal, and it never wavers through the whole album. 

Other tracks like ‘Aetherflow Dimensions’ take a little bit more of an Immortal route with some slower tones and pace rather than just going full force, but still the track hits hard enough. However, the lack of atmosphere presented by the opening track might leave listeners wondering if they’re going to get more than an average black metal piece of music. With the full on black metal elements the music tends to come off more like a “Hellfire” 1349 song. ‘Lucid Nightmare’ shakes things up a bit with a more melodic route while still maintaining the “Hellfire” pace but even with a few shifts in guitar tones and moments of somewhat quiet makes all the difference. ‘Lucid Nightmare’ serves as another bridge with beautiful piano and more atmosphere to set the tone for the last half of the album which is just as raw as the first, but more epic. While devoid of these dramatics, a track like ‘Torn Fabric of Time’ brings a new take on vocals- more spoken word and grating like from recent Marduk versus the typical shriek and more of a doomy black metal route, but a bit of fresh air from the whole 1349 feel of the earlier tracks. Still, raw, still kvlt, just different. 

‘Fractured Entity’ brings the album to close with another epic and a few more surprise elements such as the muffled choirs which add the heaps of atmosphere the only the interludes have brought so far, and overall a very sinister, raw tone to match all that hast been heard so far. While the drums don’t quite have as much life as a track like ‘Torn Fabric Of Time’ they carry the weight of the music well. As a result, the melodic factor of Provectus can be hit or miss depending on what track is heard, but overall the cold, icy touches of modern black metal should hold up to anyone who likes the genre. 

While the music has its lush moments, “Postero Mundi” doesn’t have the theatrical presence compared to the likes of Cradle of Filth, so those used to symphonic black metal will probably only enjoy it for the interludes, but for those who like more straightforward black metal that takes things a notch above raw, unbridled fury in the vein of groups like Carpathian Forest will find this offering, evil, still grim, but well enough produced to enjoy the musical aspects on most fronts. A solid debut effort for anyone who enjoys the tropes of mid to late 90s black metal.

3.5 / 5 STARS