“Hence even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man’s cruelty, that they were being destroyed.” Tacitus, Annals XV

The steadfast corruption of history via the able-penned and book burning lineage of Christian authorship has ensured that conjured fables of martyrdom will outlive the names of politicians, tyrants, and their inevitably crumbled empires. From the brutal death of Dirce in Antiope to the impossible to slay virginity of Thecla in Acts of Paul and Thecla we are given a glimpse into a long-dead culture’s suggested treatment of insubordinate, irreligious women without the clarified context of Rome under Nero, a reality deluded for ages. History would remember Christus’ followers as a rising force, a long persecuted minority and infamous scapegoat; Though this is a myth, it’d seem novels such as Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero (1895) were more influential upon present day knowledge of Roman religion and justice, presenting them as barbaric paganism delighted by innocent blood and suffering despite the volumes of history (which are admittedly dry) available yet unexamined. The point here isn’t to suggest the irony that centuries later Christian-ruled countries would repeat their own early persecution upon minorities ad infinitum throughout Europe via their own inquisitions, witch hunts and murderous moral crusades but rather to encourage more than contextual exploration of historical artefacts. The unbiased documentarian might ideologically outlast an empire but it is a steadfast culture of fellowes maintaining the original context of history that has the last word on the reality of our times. Just as we see the history of heavy music mutate into homogenous mixture, conglomerate exercises scouring auld barbarism for borrowed traits to add to an oeuvre sporting beast without any spiritual impetus we must celebrate those who’d done the hard work of innovation in the establishment of foundation and pillar. One cannot obscure the history of Hellas’ black metal idiosyncrasy because these structures are still standing and well maintained through old names, great tomes, and the reinforcement of legacy through freshened recruitment of generations. Today we are gifted the keystone of a new house of Zaratus, a duo of old legendry from Ioannina and Athens, who’d present their debut ‘In the Days of Whore‘ in marvel of nostalgia and with the keen ear to build upon it unto thrilling new forms. The result is an experience that yanks upon the heroism of auld yet remains fixated on the possibility of visions beyond the magick of ancient culture and artefact.

Writ into ordo circa 2018, the established ethos of Zaratus was to take the decades long experience of two veterans of the Greek black metal scene and posit a freshened way forward for black metal in view of the old ways. Not a “bigger and better” form of imitative nostalgia but something newly conjured from those still affected by the auld magick of this sinister yet majestic form of black metal, which has long been palpably defined in spiritus yet occasionally wrongfully summarized in imitation. The two fellowes are well known of course, Stefan Necroabyssious (Varathron, Katavasia, Funeral Storm) has been a fixture of the craft since the late 80’s and is perhaps the artist (along with the ‘Walurgisnacht’ line-up) to convince me that black metal should be an obsession. Bill Zobolas (Soulskinner, Thou Art Lord, ex-Nergal) whom handles all instruments and production/rendering on this project has likewise been involved since the early days, making his take on the approach of the early 90’s quite authentic on their first EP (‘The Descent‘, 2019) wherein we find a strong foothold to build upon. Though their legacies are long we find each artist spiritually engaged in the craft of extreme metal without “comfortable” egotism, instead the focus is upon envisioning worlds and creating them, holding fast to the work ethic of the olden days and serving quite inspired results. What I think most black metal fans will see as a potential scab to pick in this sense is whether or not Zaratus is a diversion among friends as a ‘side project’ or if it might be a serious force; This isn’t the methodology of either artist’s past and ‘In the Days of Whore’ itself is such a feature in and of itself that it should not be swept past.

Recorded not that long after their EP in 2019, ‘In the Days of Whore’ represents some manner of unleashing, a freedom afforded by the comfortable parameters of style being shattered just enough to disturb and delight the indoctrinated with every step forward. That is to say that its attack is familiar when certain songs/passages wheel back to the core defiance and ingenuity of Hellenic black metal’s idiosyncratic heritage with reverence for the early second wave black metal ingredients of the pre-1996 era. Melody and magick collide in an effort to fuse the atmosphere of the music with prose that’d fixate on ancient supernatural mysteries, naturalistic and occult muse alike to illustrate quite grand visions to immerse within. To say that this is a uniquely connected form today is true but not by virtue of a long lost past, rather I’d suggest Zaratus make quite a few bold choices beyond melody and bombast. ‘In the Days of Whore’ notably features varied and distinct use of keyboards/synth throughout, instilling exotic and otherwordly tonality that characterizes each piece with its own atmospheric biome and (as a result,) voice. Whereas classic deep-cut albums such as Nergal‘s ‘The Wizard of Nerath‘ and nearby debuts from Agatus and Kawir in the mid-90’s used keyboards in similar ways their actual tone rarely changed in the span of an album and varied less on subsequent follow-ups. That is to suggest that keyboard/synth work is immediately a core feature of Zaratus‘ sound, they lead with this boldly as the first single and opener “Ceremonies Before Light’s Existence” sports an electric, distorted scorch of densely packed synth. It immediately reads as a sort of blood-boiling avant-garde statement, a horror one might expect from ‘Ancient Pride‘-era Necromantia or even a twisted early 90’s Norwegian group such as Gehenna which intensifies as the saxophone becomes a central feature. Leading with such a bold estrangement immediately gives ‘In the Days of Whore’ an unexpected character and provides some wonder of what they will do next. It is so rare to feel anticipation for a sound you’ve never heard before or at the very least a step into avant-garde territory that feels fearlessly right on the edge of ‘too much’ in the same way that Katavasia‘s latest album had. Before we even know the core identity of this fellowship we witness them tossing aside chains of expectation as an introduction.

Well, that isn’t to say that the inarguably classic Greek black metal song that follows, “Darkness and Decay”, isn’t exactly what one would want from a project that features this duo of artists. The door is opened to the eerie and the unexpected but they’ve not left behind the inherent classic heavy metal appeal of this unique brand of black metal and the majority of the pieces here contain heavily repeatable hooks, gloriously formed melodic black metal movements, and bewildering atmospheric keyboard accompaniment. The suggestion on my part is that Zobolas‘ knack for detail seems in particularly sharp harmony with Necroabyssious wild conjure of narrative, which viably creates both atmosphere and character within each song. The best example of this all coming together in gloriously strange form is the title track “In the Days of Whore” where we’ve the stomping and shuddering blasts of ’95 Hellas black metal in elevated form to begin with, complete with melodic leads and mystic keys, before a refrain around the ~2:30 minute mark finds the vocalist growling as if a caged beast musing over his revenge, a psychedelic refrain of percussion, synth and looming guitar progression awaiting the burst from captivity. A demented and over the top moment that reads as a glorious fusion of what ambitious artistry were present in the mid-90’s black metal spheres and the capability to create an expanse big enough to realize it into a grand and impactful form. This title track is a self-contained statement yet it indicates the quality of pieces across the span of this debut. Zaratus have at the very least erased this notion that it is a project in passing at this point, the amount of detail here is quite serious and orchestrated beautifully.

“Orchestrated”, eh? Well, could we stop just short of describing ‘In the Days of Whore’ as a symphonic black metal record? It’d be perhaps a disservice to the actual niche that the album bases its core development upon, and probably lends a sort of marketing disadvantage to folks who might run from the ‘symphonic’ term without a second thought. Nonetheless the prevalent use of keyboards for color, melody, flourish, and atmosphere is masterful in the hands of Zobolas. This might fit within the 90’s keyboard heavy tradition that has returned to the black metal zeitgeist in this last decade but context is valuable here, Greek black metal has always incorporated bold use of keyboards and melody. “The Haunted Palace” speaks to this specificity most clearly, a song that could be supplemented by exploring recent records from Medieval Demon as well. The whole of the record flows beautifully from Side A to Side B without any reason for pause, the thread is spectacular as those first four songs unveil detailed and majestic feats I’ll scour for personal inspiration for years yet it was “Chaos and Blood” that struck as the next chance to subvert expectations. Without the context of late 90’s Rotting Christ (alternately Fiendish Nymph, Kawir) in mind this choral ballad comes as the longest period of respite on the full listen, plodding along towards a halting guitar/bass interlude with spoken word to presage a lead guitar driven reprise. I’m not sure how well my words might sell this moment but it does have a strong impact upon a final verdict of a dynamic experience with plenty of variety, not only in tone and pacing but in representation of a fully considered presence that doesn’t just fixate upon one type of song or style. All of it is holistically Greek black metal with some traditions upheld but there is an expertise on display here that is bigger than mere nostalgic celebration.

From there we are given two equally strong pieces. Another melodic black metal pusher with some of the most memorable lead guitars on the record in “Heritage of Fire” and turn-on-a-dime rhythmic changes that keep the piece engaging as a classic voicing of loftier forms. And finally another piece that speaks to the timeless avant-garde notions of ‘In the Days of Whore’ with the arabesque oddity “Zoroastrian Priests”, here we find the most spectacular rhythmic play of the album alongside some virtuosic piano work which scrawls and shreds its way unto a bizarre endpoint. Chaotic and fantastic far beyond anything intimated by “Ceremonies Before Light’s Existence”, this is the sort of payoff moment for the sense of oddity potentially looming around every corner throughout the album. They’ve played with the naivete of the early 90’s with the use of nostalgic synth choices but the work is undeniably sophisticated and the songcraft is no fluke of imitation as ‘In the Days of Whore’ progresses through its greater feats. I have some great appreciation for this first Zaratus album today though it did take some time to fully grasp the distance between nostalgia and their vision unto a timeless statement both within the realm of Greek black metal and their larger appreciation of the sub-genre from that perspective. In the same way that I did not understand the curious appeal of records like ‘The Wizard of Nerath’ or ‘Apollyon’ back in the mid-90’s it took a similar amount of consideration to embrace this Zaratus album, which holds much of the same appeal despite its own unique personification and oeuvre. Nonetheless, I am a biased lover of Greek extreme metal and though I don’t factor in nepotism I am predispositioned to love this style of black metal. I’ve found this album contains a certain magick that must be returned to, examined, and steeped in. That is to say that it grew on me gradually unto a considerable radiance that now becomes an addiction. A very high recommendation.

Info:
ARTIST:	ZARATUS
TITLE:	In the Days of Whore
TYPE:	LP
LABEL(S):	Ván Records
RELEASE DATE:	March 5th, 2021
BUY:	Ván Records Store
GENRE(S):	Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Avant-Garde Black Metal

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