Ave Maria – Chapter I (2011)

With a very interesting (and disturbing) cover, today we have Ave Maria and their debut full-length release “Chapter I”. This Black Metal duo from Germany delivers around 49 minutes of very psychotic Black Metal that while not extremely original, it is creepy enough to send chills through our spine.

Taking from older Norwegian bands and their very raw-yet-clear sound, the Black Metal presented in “Chapter I” is top notch and very effective. The band creates a very eerie atmosphere only with crafty guitar work and hellish vocals. The production is very clean giving this release a very organic Black Metal sound that we can totally picture the band perfectly playing these nine songs live.

The opener “The Trembling Eye” delivers a very mysterious vibe without falling in the cliché ‘keyboard intro’ that most bands favor. With a similar vibe to pre-punkish Darkthrone and Watain, “Coitus Behind Moral Walls” delivers chilling riffs and very deranged vocals. The drumming is very well balanced and nicely accompanies the music without being overdone. “Shining Toxic” continues in a similar fashion, while “The Cloven Psalmody” has a more straightforward and Swedish sounding Black Metal approach.

The catchiness of “Among Them” makes this song our favorite one of this release, but it goes without saying that most tracks feature melodic sections that keep the music very fresh and engaging. The deranged “Impulses From The Sphere Of Broken Larynx” delivers some of the most chilling vocals we have heard in a while, and we are sure that fans of Shining and similar acts will greatly enjoy them.
For an headbanging section, turn to the melodic section of “With Words Like Ecstasy”, a truly excellent part.

Closing the release with the atmospheric “Tongues” and the devilish “Meandering Through The Tunnel Of Trance”, the band signs off with a very strong statement. The album as a whole is very well balanced and diverse enough to keep any BM fan engaged. While there are not many full-on blast-beats sections or exercise tremolo-picking, “Chapter I” is still an excellent forward-thinking Black Metal release.

Release: July 19th, 2011

Country: Germany