Ptahil - Ortus (2010)

We are usually very weary of releases that feature two songs and 30 minutes of music. Unless they are Funeral Doom Metal releases or Ambient releases it usually means two things: 1) They suck so bad that our ears will bleed from listening to them at least 3 times, or 2) They are very good and get you completely involved in the atmosphere created by the band. Ptahil’s “Ortus” falls under number 2, from start to finish you are hooked and taken aback by a ritualistic Black Metal experience.

The atmosphere created by the Satanists behind Ptahil is unparalleled to any other Black Metal release we have heard in years. While the music is simple and somewhat repetitive, it creates a hypnotic trance that will transport you to a different place in moments. We don’t even notice these repetitive elements until we only listen to parts of songs, as a whole they are part of the experience behind “Ortus”.

The music like we say is very simple and the riffs are repetitive, but the Black Metal vocals as well as the assortment of different vocals used in this release are very fitting for the ritualistic feeling of the album. The Doom Metal influences are very evident in the songs and sound very good, unlike other bands doing this (e.g. Brown Jenkins). Like we mentioned the album does not feature ‘ground breaking’ music, but as a whole it creates a very unique experience.

Overall “Ortus” has provided us with one of the most interesting listening experiences by any album in quite a long time. The music is primitive and ritualistic in nature, so if you are into these kind of releases, you should not wait and buy this album since it’s limited to only 300 copies!.

Release: 2010

Country: USA