Band: MARTYRIUM
Country: Malta
Title: Lamia Satanica
Label: Art Gates Records
Year: 2021
Style: Melodic Black Metal
Review:
The fifth full-length album by female-fronted Maltese band Martyrium presents 10 tracks and clocks around 35 minutes of playing time. The music is very early 2000's in my opinion, when there were cohorts of Cradle Of Filth inspired bands, and indeed the first band that comes to mind when listening to Martytium's music for the first time are the British, but not because they are some sort of copycat band, but because of the combination of Melodic Black Metal with Symphonic and Theatrical elements, the building of grandiose sounding passages throughout the album. I'd name Arcturus as a serious influence on Martyrium's music as well, but the overall result on this album has its own path. From composition point of view I'd say the band is extremely gifted, they manage to come up with some unexpected combinations of sounds to a point where it all becomes quite cinematic, very expressive I'd say, but on the execution side I'd say they haven't reached their potential yet, the keyboard and synths effects might seem seriously outdated by now unless you're an aficionado of early '00's Sympho Black Metal, and there is where the guitar riffs are coming from as well, so it all points in that direction, I cannot find anything to push the style forward, but maybe that's not the band's intention. The female vocalist is impressive, at first I didn't know the screams and shrieks are done by a lady, I thought it's a young guy who's trying his best, but knowing I was listening to a girl and I didn't noticed it is impressive, kudos for that. On the one hand I like this album for the nostalgic effects it has on a '90's youngster who grew up with this kind of music, but on the other hand I don't know how relevant such an album is nowadays to the young generation. Try it out to make your own mind.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7/10