Review: “Armageddon Patronage” by Strychnos

“This release will showcase a natural continuation of what A Mother’s Curse began. The band seeks to refine and push further key elements from the debut – in ways of both aggressiveness and the more atmospheric parts. This follow-up also showcases an array of new details like alternative instrumentation, vocal variations, intros, outros, and a couple of noticeable guest appearances.”  ~ Bassist and vocalist Martin Leth Andersen

Recorded and mixed by Lasse Ballade at Copenhagen’s Ballade Studios and mastered by none other than Necromorbus’ infamous Tore Stjerna, the second album from Copenhagen Denmark purveyors of ‘accursed death’ Strychnos has arrived with much promise. The burnt offering is the follow up to the very well received “A Mother’s Curse” an album which paved the way for a string of intense festival appearances as the three piece took no prisoners. While that record may have been labelled Blackened Death Metal, in truth there is no god, no master and no saviour in the sound that Andreas Lynge (guitars and backing vocals), Martin Leth Andersen (bass and lead vocals) and Nis Rode Larsen (drums) choose to call their own. Instead the unholy trinity push on Extreme Metal boundaries as they look to continue their perpetual forward motion…

Rather than a full on blood thirsty instruction at breakneck pace “Winds Warning the Final Storm” gives the listener a false sense of security with an opening 90 seconds of Crowbar leaning Sludge Metal rich in dark swirling atmospheric moods. That pushes out with passages of blasting from Nis Rode Larsen and a couple of intriguing ethnic touches as the track crosses the half way point, lighting the distress flares in Black Metal as the ominous tale unfolds with Andersen’s masterful storytelling. While it doesn’t necessarily sound like an opening track, it does have the necessary weight and gravity to draw the listener in kicking and screaming before the album title track takes hold. Restless and relentless blasting in Black Metal sets the World ablaze with “Armageddon Patronage“, a cut that sounds like it was inked by a Viking warrior hellbent on destruction. Fleeting melodies and even a buried spoken word moment give a little contrast, making the heavier moments hit that much harder, the blooding atmospherics an ominous warning to all those who would be an enemy.

A babies cry conjures a sense of dread as “Choking Salvation” unfurls its majestic wings. A largely mid tempo affair that walks through a tar pit as it begs for certain death, this dance macabre has at its beating black heart a tasteful solo that adds fuel to the intense heat of the fires that Strychnos create. An 80’s science fiction film style introduction brings “Endless Void Dimension” to life, the curiosity of it being a a guest appearance from Michael Poulsen of Volbeat and Dominus fame. He offers a clean vocal passage in a Traditional Heavy Metal style in the final third of a seven minute and seven second long magnum opus which runs for three minutes and nine seconds before any vocals rise from the black depths. Dark and epic in atmosphere despite Andersen’s Max Cavalera stylings, this monolithic, crushing beast is a testament to what this band can do when they stray from the left hand path.

A momentary respite in bird song before melancholic riffs rise is perfectly placed at the introduction of “Pale Black Birds” before the Strychnos build the mountain once more and fly into a Black Metal passage and poison the well. Masters of the dark arts, the band paint a gloomy picture of medieval torcher, the crows circling to pluck out the eyes of the prisoner. The weight of the narrative has a touch of something more personal but there is no emotive quality to the performance in that regard. Nis Rode Larsen impresses from behind the kit throughout the record but with “Stanken Af Dyd” he delivers a performance which stands out with some almost tribal fills as tempos shift like desert sands in the plague wind. Sludge Metal infused riffage rises from the tar pit of Black Metal, Lynge creating riffs fit for worship before the melodic fade to black with almost ethereal vocals brings this one to its timely demise.

A cut with orchestral moments “Sweeping Storm of Suicide” is as powerful as the ominous title suggests, continuing the refinement in the forge of Valhalla while not outstaying its welcome. Perhaps showing a path forward in Extreme Metal in which the band can bring in fresh instrumentation to bolster their sound without losing anything that has made it immense, this one only lacks a pyrotechnic worthy solo to give it more edge. “Nattevandrerinden” (Danish for “The Night Walker“) offers the epic conclusion that the album cries out for, a mid tempo trudge through a nightmarish vision that would have been perfectly at home on the “A Mother’s Curse“. A powerful statement piece of a record soaked in atmosphere, this one sets the tone for a future so bright it will burn your retinas [8/10]

Track Listing

1. Winds Warning the Final Storm
2. Armageddon Patronage
3. Choking Salvation
4. Endless Void Dimension (ft. Michael Poulsen of Volbeat, Dominus)
5. Pale Black Birds
6. Stanken Af Dyd
7. Sweeping Storm of Suicide
8. Nattevandrerinden

“Armageddon Patronage” by Strychnos is out 17th May 2024 via Dark Descent Records and is available over at bandcamp.