Spite Brings Back Old Ways on "Antimoshiach"

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It is shamefully easy to forget the importance of first wave black metal in the wake of this decade’s deference to atmosphere-dense, blackened wash. Riffs, at least in new black metal’s forefront, are sadly relegated to novelty, something someone can excitedly point out and celebrate with a raised fist. Even five years ago, this wasn’t the case. Maybe the easy access to consumer-level streaming audio hosting services have helped fuel the atmosphere wars, or maybe it’s simply what people actually want, but… Bathory and Venom’s influence has become the veritable “needle in the haystack.”

Bringing back the pure, Satanic sleaze is New York’s Spite. The solo venture of multi-instrumentalist Salpsan, the project’s debut full-length Antimoshiach takes black metal back to that special era when active riff-craft was the whole of the law. An album of bouncing, putrid filth, Spite’s debut feels less like a “first wave worship” anachronism and more of an observer’s master class in hate-filled black metal’s roots. Given the energetic and blasphemous nature of Antimoshiach, its structure comes off as utilitarian — there is no other way for Salpsan to express such hatred and devotion without paying homage to the Old Gods… and it is executed so brilliantly. This is “old school” done right, fully avoiding the poison of rote worship in favor of offering one’s own vision of the style, and Spite certainly exists in a class all its own.

Antimoashiach will be released Friday, February 2nd, on Invictus Productions. Listen to the album in full below.

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Follow Spite on Facebook and Bandcamp.

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