An obscene infinity is depicted through death worship, acts of supplication secreted within a cult of unspeakable belief threatening all who wander within the subterraneous glower of New York-based black/death metal trio ORDEALS as they summon this impressive debut full-length album. ‘Third Rail Prayer‘ could feasibly be described as melodious outright yet none of the band’s tirade-prone bellowing nox amounts to perfectly round, typified melodic metal as their anguished bray remains rooted by sophisticated machination. The years between have afforded these fellowes a crystalline sense of self given to resolutely sinister tonality which is atypical, proposing a thrashing yet dramatically thrust series rife with its own unusual tension, its own curious but not unheard of shape.

Ordeals formed back in 2011 between vocalist Zealous Hellspell and guitarist/bassist Illuminated (Throaat, Black Hurst) after apparently meeting on the way to a Sabbat (Japan) show and the wheels of invention took it from there, slowly. The outcome of their earliest songwriting efforts amounted to the ‘Apotheosis‘ EP which released in 2016 and featured X.T. (Gevurah, Oriflamme, et al.) on session drums, it was a different style than what would follow in some respects but revisiting the song “Sovereign” should build some clear precedence. Since I’d commented on the split EP and second EP that followed in 2018 and 2019 respectively it’ll suffice to say that the ‘Choose Death‘ 7″ was a potent showing of the band’s potential in taking on slightly more (early) melodic black/death metal inspiration and increasingly unique, gutturally achieved vocal style. Those are two of the most key traits one’ll note on the ride toward and throughout ‘Third Rail Prayer‘.

Though we find ‘Third Rail Prayer‘ upholding a certain standard of old via escalating sophistication of guitar contoured melodicism their compositional hand is almost always jaggedly struck beyond a number of pieces centered via consonant phrases, usually in the form of introductory movements and their recall. This isn’t an unheard-of application in the realm of ~5-7 minute black metal songs beyond the second wave but theirs offers rare detail/insight set apart from the usual tropes handled by USBM acts old and new, an angle which I believe fans of both classic Swedish and modern Icelandic black/death metal will appreciate for its surges of eccentric movement given tight-as-possible structuring. Still, the actual melodic voice which develops here finds no parrot in the vocalist and this finds Ordeals almost allergic to a saccharine or heroic touch, emitting nihil and their own search through rhythms which generally subvert the rocking swing of melodic black metal.

While opener/title track “Third Rail Prayer” offers its own dramatic arc outright the combination of USBM stoked movements and melodic death’s heavy metal derived punctuative repetition makes for an entertaining enough opener it isn’t fully indicative of how the full listen might develop over the course of its next five songs (interludes excepted). The sauntering unrest of “Throes” is more directly indicative of the level of complexity available to Ordeals‘ compositional tact on this record though at this point it is clear these songs aren’t overwrought or needled through beyond capturing the right sense of harried movement. I’d devised to view this album as separated into three chapters, two songs apiece with interludes segmenting their impact and relation, as an intentional structure which grants equal highlight throughout. The second and third groups of songs here are the good stuff for my own taste with Side A only truly piquing my ear within the epic “Emerge”. The most melodic death heated guitar lines found on the album hit within that song though an argument could be made for “Triumph” later on.

Whereas “Emerge” floats some melodic death muse within its surreal upscaling tide “Scorn Ceremony” offers a more resolutely melodic black metal fusion, conjuring some of my favorite rhythm guitar interplay on the album and especially as the wrangled grooves hit on the way toward the apex around ~3:59 minutes in. The merger of blasts with these intricacies isn’t necessarily the Intestine Baalism traited revel as some’d suggested in the past but the contrast available to all moving parts is similarly unnerving, conveying some manner of sinister majesty. Side B otherwise escalates through to the end in terms of these types of intricately melodious pieces as “Suffer Cursed Ordeals” offers equal feature (alongside “Scorn Ceremony”) as notable standout which feel far removed but not unrelated from the shapes offered by the opener.

While the full listen of ‘Third Rail Prayer‘ is satisfying enough as a mostly complete thought presented in reasonably succinct manner there is a dizzying effect to the full listen in flitting between rounded and clear strikes of intrigue born from the riff and other movements which’re purely physical passage, percussive or swiped-through rhythms which offer kinetic value in transition. I wouldn’t say this leaves a trite feeling threaded within otherwise sophisticated machinery but rather an effect akin to hitting the fast-forward button in order to cinch the time having met a certain quota for each song’s statement. In this way it never quite feels like one idea is done, fleshed to the point of more than a rally as some of these pieces could potentially string on for twice as long. Erring on the side of brevity and a uniformly shaped listening experience is ultimately a better choice and the result of Ordeals‘ efforts doesn’t lack for substance either way. A high recommendation.

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