777 — With each successive release the skin is shed off the snake’s back, the weight of learned experience taken in and the past-self sloughed off in a complete capture. The same essential beast is renewed within the revelation offered by the inherent singularity of Manchester, England-based blackened heavy metal trio INCONCESSUS LUX LUCIS who return with greater lustre and fearsome striking power on this third full-length album. The ancient knowledge revived within ‘Temples Colliding in Fire‘ comes via a different level of devotion, an obsession and wrath which leaves poison dripping from fang enough to nail these seven targets and secure their kill. That is to say that the allure of their ancient wisdom is also part of their attack and the ever-intensifying potency of their work which finds its next-level step here nearly seven years beyond the last.

As far as I’ve gathered thus far Inconcessus Lux Lucis formed circa 2006 by way of a fourteen year old duo of Malphas aka William Jackson and Baal aka Alexander James under their original name Whorethorn. While I can find some of that original material, most of it raw black metal judging by their sole full-length (‘Under the Veil of Darkness‘, 2009), most search engines today unsurprisingly censor/obscure further indirect inquiry. What I will suggest is that a burst of activity in 2009 including two splits, two demos, one full-length, and another demo under their new name pointed to admirable obsession, self-directed focus on heavy music as purpose. That persistence in vision arguably reached its point of original intent when they’d released their first breakthrough, an EP (‘Severed From Sephiroth‘, 2012) and from that point they’d press on with amplified intensity, choosing a clear spiritual directive, moving away from the typified forms of black metal and into their own voice which naturally reaches across several generations of heavy metal for its intended conviction and malevolence.

As was the case with Absu, Aura Noir, Destroyer 666 and many others before them in this tradition the basis, the chassis, or the ultimate effect of Inconcessus Lux Lucis‘ work is heavy/speed metal and this’d been more evident with each release beyond that first EP, starting with their first truly notable release and debut LP (‘Disintegration: Psalms of Veneration for the Nefarious Elite‘, 2014). At the time their approach was closely compared to the style of Funereal Presence that’d released that same year though naturally their songcraft was not long-form and always more interested in something like NWOBHM and the swinging groove of certain second wave black metal in its general conglomeration. Today there are exponentially more bands in this style, even still few are even reasonably distinct as these folks, but at the time the standard was not yet set for tuneful songcraft. By the time we could begin to point to their neighbors (see: Craven Idol, Deitus) for similar quality work and reinforcement their second full-length album (‘The Crowning Quietus‘, 2017) raised the bar a bit in terms of simultaneously writing their most dense yet hardest rocking heavy metal songs.

The general expectation set by Inconcessus Lux Lucis is difficult to reduce to a cold generalization, something like black-speed metal with its roots picking and choosing soil with no certain origin split between the 80’s and 90’s. The new precedent set by ‘Temples Colliding in Fire‘ has the potential to be equal parts clarifying and obscurant depending how you’ll receive its wares. From my perspective the first two songs on this album, the introductory salvo of “From the Forge Primordial and Timeless” and the striding “I Am the Crooked Blade”, make it clear enough that this is a heavy metal album created with the intent of memorable songcraft. This of course comes with its own layers of mystic charm and diabolic multi-generational black metal output applied but much like the more recent work of Destroyer 666 no single element or obsessive moment overtakes the full-bodied, ripping step of thrashing heavy metal and in this sense there is no obstruction that might weigh this record down or choke it of its spirited pulse.

For the lack of a better reference there is something strangely late 90’s Old Man’s Child-esque about the verse riffing on centerpiece and eight plus minute standout “Temples Colliding in Fire”, initially an irksome quality per its its neoclassical upward stabbed leads as they’d hit, though upon closer inspection you’ll find direct precedence throughout ‘The Crowning Quietus‘. Otherwise find some potential appreciation for Dissection‘s similarly heavy metal ingrained approach in the actual construction of the song which is all-too clearly rooted in the marching and flailing pulse of Iron Maiden, moreso than anything else. I point to these well-known artists to give a clearer sense of what to expect in terms of vibrancy, a level of tuneful and swinging-hard work which is not obscured or buried and should perk the ears of old heads just as much as folks subscribing to the strange notion of the unkillable NWOTHM today. Of course the lyrics match this point of view with mayhem, cataclysm, and declarations of empowerment by way of saturnine devotion infused into their brilliantly writ cadence which does well to carry their spiritual heft and enthusiasm by action and word at once; Side A is essentially focused on those first two key pieces (“I Am the Crooked Blade”, “Temples Colliding in Fire”) to start and that first impression is the strength and the momentum which carries through ’til the end of this ~44 minute album.

The second half of ‘Temples Colliding in Fire‘ is more prone to take a breath and lean into the performative spectrum of Inconcessus Lux Lucis‘ intent, starting with the myriad dramatic indulgences of the otherwise Motör-blackened speed metal dash of “Revenge of the Other God”. For my own taste the slow-burning rise into “Eternal Descent (At the Speed of Death)” is one of the better moments on Side B for the sake of its stabs up into tri-tone gloom and its ultimate escalation. Since the lyrics were graciously provided I have to say that there is a surreal layer of imagery attached to these songs which amplifies them beyond the simply enjoyable kicking and rasping craft they’re cracking out otherwise. At times the lyrics are just fittingly “evil” heavy metal and elsewhere there seems to be some clear study and/or elaborate application of idiosyncratic occult devotion here befitting of the devil’s music. I appreciated both of these modes as on one hand you get the sense that heavy metal, the real stuff, guides their blade but that what they are doing is aiming for its own tradition of meaning and intensity.

Somewhere in between those layers of personalized meaning, the epic 11+ minute closer (“And His Wounds Shall Devour the Heavens”,) and another exceptional gatefold artwork from the indomitable David Glomba these folks’ve managed to surprise me with the level of curation and general care taken in presenting a release which is both viably a classics-minded heavy metal release at face value and a personal spiritual exploration at once. This builds their work up there with a limited list of suggested peers while also setting up many face value listeners up for a surprise when ‘Temples Colliding in Fire‘ ultimately serves a memorable headbanger, a rocking-ass record and a depth-riddled experience upon closer inspection. The results should prove rousing to most and easily enjoyed by a broad range of listeners. A very high recommendation.

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