11th March 2025

Review: “The Egregious Being” by VokodloK

After a decade long hiatus which began in 2008, Timișoara, Romania based Black Metal outfit VokodloK were brought back to life with “Oracle’s Fury” in 2020, their name derived from the Slavic word “vukodlak” which means “werewolf“. Originally specialising in a raw form of the genre blending Transylvanian legends with themes of death and of course anti-religious rhetoric, the five piece have grown in stature while tectonic plates shift beneath their feet, evolving their sound. Choosing quality over quantity while also having irons in the fire with other projects such as Burning Darkness, Argus Megere and Blutrină, this new album “The Egregious Being” is actually only their second in twenty five years…

Orchestration creates a sombre atmosphere before the dance macabre of “The Human” begins in earnest with a whirlwind of percussive battery courtesy of Swedish drummer Sephiroth “Nemgrá” Echiburu. Scalding vocals from Daniel “Pestarzt” Stănescu make way for a fleeting solo as the dark clouds and oppressive atmosphere momentarily breaks for daylight, the rampage continuing as several small fires turn from ember to inferno. Vibrantly toned almost melancholic lead guitars accompanied by growls make for a foreboding finale to this seven minute opening affair, sending a shiver down the spine as you wonder what over atrocities the album may offer up. The winds of plague howl as “Death Terror” roars into life, the band traversing the space between Black and Death Metal with furious vocals and razor sharp riffage. Trimming the fat, this one clocks in at four and a half minutes, the aggression levels growing with each second that passes and that narrative continues into the blistering “Warzone“. A spellbinding solo feels a little grandiose given its skull crushing surroundings but its clever intricacies win you over quickly as the five piece build the mountain once more.

If there was ever an opening passage designed to get a circle pit going then the one which opens the vicious little ditty that is “Disdain” is the one, the pace and energy raising the hairs on the back of the neck and getting the blood pumping as the riffs fly in all directions. As you would expect from a record in this genre, the drumming is both restless and relentless but the key is variety, Nemgrá demonstrating his prowess with a number of clever fills and nuances throughout the record. Splitting the album in half like a hatchet to the skull, “Bestiarium” gives the impression of two vocalists where there is one with some shriller moments from Pestarzt that add more texture to his usual brutal growls. A melodic extended solo is a nice touch, demonstrating control while retaining the atmosphere and energy of the track before the ground is decimated by an artillery shelling of blast beats that leaves no survivors. Brooding passages between staccato riff breaks are incredibly powerful, threating seismic activity.

Circling the drain of something a little more progressive “Jagh ‘Iw vIpoQ” is a death march in search of the blood of enemies with a surprising pomp and circumstance to it. Pushing genre boundaries it once again floats between Black and Death Metal while remaining in keeping with its surroundings thanks to the bands approach. Flipping the script almost entirely “Denizen” smashes the clock on fear as it races towards the finish line. A two minute cut that has some almost schizophrenic vocal patterns, it punches above its weight like a prize fighter in a bare knuckle boxing match. There can only be one winner and VokodloK are out for blood. Another seven minute surpassing magnum opus, “The Faces Within” threatens to reach epic heights but doesn’t quite do so, the band instead opting to terraform the planet with a lethal dose of venomous lyrics and bludgeoning rhythms. It has to be said that the leads are as captivating as the solo is mesmerising, Pestarzt roaring like an impaled beast from the black depths throughout. Grand finale “The Monster” has a few hints at Thrash and even Traditional Heavy Metal influences as VokodloK prepare to spontaneously combust in an act of self immolate. A slick transition into flamenco inspired acoustic guitars in the mid section a delight you may have heard before elsewhere and of course the mountain is built once more to a powerful crescendo. Too Death Metal for Black Metal purists, too Black Metal for Death Metal hordes this one falls nicely into the middle ground… [7/10]

Track Listing