Trumpeting down decimation in escalating stages of miserable depravity one after another New South Wales, Australia-based black metal quartet PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS return sooner than expected with this latest act of profound spiritual decrepitude per this impressive eighth full-length album. A forlorn atmospheric feature in eight acts ‘Wretch‘ is above all else an expressive yet less-than sentimental black metal album, readied to collapse into the currents of death with appreciably classicist standards delivered via steadied hand. Though they’ve not left the semi-melodic rapture of their last few releases behind here the band’s efforts find a broader range of tempo and temperament, making for more of a sojourn and less of a rallying assail.

Unleashed upon the unknowing populace over two decades ago Pestilential Shadows formed by way of founding vocalist/guitarist Balam (Rift) with the goal of creating classics-minded, intense and atmospheric black metal. Since I’d been thorough enough in detailing the band’s past upon review of their sixth LP (‘Revenant‘, 2020) it’ll suffice to say that following their path through the 2010’s will provide the best provenance for both that album and its equally ambitious 2024 follow up. With that said ‘Wretch‘ is a step into somewhat different tonal territory as a stake in deranged “epic” and oft despairingly atmospheric station. Though I wouldn’t say the whole of the experience is mid-paced this is one of the more meditative, dynamically writhing albums from Balam and crew to date as they hone slower pieces which’re not unlike “Bitter Cross” and “Shards of Dusk” found on the previous LP (‘Devil’s Hammer‘, 2024). So, don’t head in expecting a wall-to-wall feature of the faster and fluidic pulse of the three albums prior but rather a nauseated, unruly gnashing.

The title track/opener (“Wretch”) which introduces the album hangs reeking in the air well enough to reinforce suggested points of despairing, slower-paced anguish off the bat though there is a rousing sense of melodious movement applied to said song which doesn’t yet fully reveal the coughing malaise which defines ‘Wretch‘ overall. It is “Erebus Divination” that best achieves their balance between austerity and tragedian overflow, at least that’d been the piece to most consistently center my attention upon the mood and atmosphere of the full listen as the next several pieces act in similarly attuned motions. All acts build toward the mid-point of the experience as its bleakest interior with the pairing of “Despondent” and clear standout “Death-Knell” acting as my favorite overall portion of the album. Even if we excise only the first thirty seconds of the latter the graven hand of Pestilential Shadows‘ guitar work elicits its most potent response on the album right there, a pouring of wrath from a shattered container that I’d returned to often during the review process.

The leading preview song “Where Sunlight Goes to Die” isn’t as immediately striking, a largely droning and repetitious piece which eventually cracks open near the end via a rock guitar solo and chorale from Dis Pater (Midnight Odyssey) within its final minute. Still it is an unexpected moment which helps mark the start of the flipside as Side B begins just as strong as Side A ends. The suggested melancholia which hangs over ‘Wretch‘ respawns for the next couple of tracks, eventually landing upon the uniquely stated closer “Embraced by the Spirit Realm”, a fading into the hereafter which is surrounded by instrumental cadence and built around a few minutes of streaming-hot melodic black metal whorl. The general structure of this album is reasonably sophisticated in its greater arc and appears well considered as a full listen.

‘Wretch‘ could be more riffcraft-dense for my own taste but what is there suits the intended mood and broader range of tempo on display here. The result is cohesive, coherent but more importantly carries a palpable affect to an impressive degree, not an uncommon knack found with Pestilential Shadows‘ work. This’d given me reason enough to return to its gloom for repeated listening (again) finding the middle portion of the full listen as its strongest, darkest resonance. While it may not be the rawest or most harried statement from the group to date it does gather most all of the traits which’ve made the band a lasting name in their region and makes anguished yet refined music of it. A high recommendation.

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