CARPE NOCTEM — In Terra Profugus (review)

CARPE NOCTEM — In Terra Profugus album cover

Album · 2013 · Black Metal

4.5/5 · 2013-11-01
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In Terra Profugus (2013) is the debut full-length album by Icelandic black metal act Carpe Noctem. They previously released a few smaller releases off their own back including a self-titled EP (2009) before joining Code666 Records and releasing In Terra Profugus. I’ve come to have a high regard for this label, which belongs the Aural Music family, for releasing some of my favourite black metal records of recent years including Saille’s Irreversible Decay (2011), Fen’s Dustwalker (2013) and Nachtvorst’s Silence (2012), as well as a few gems in other areas, so any new release from them especially in the black metal field is always worth a listen.

The music of Carpe Noctem is a bleak brand of black metal which every so often has some nods towards the doom metal genre. They remind me a bit of their label mates Nachtvorst in these instances. Carpe Noctem favour the long running time format so In Terra Profugus actually only contains just five songs, which are curiously named with Roman numerals starting with III (3), going down to I (1) and then back up to III again. This numbering ties in with the concept, which has a much deeper complexity than the average album. If I tried to make sense of the concept for this review I’d probably still be here next week, but fortunately an explanation has been provided with my promo copy of the album which I’ll quote from so I can concentrate on the music: “The order of the songs count down at first, and then upwards, signifying the initial descent into the earth, into the dream or afterlife, and the subsequent transformation and resurrection.” The concept itself is “about an ethereal journey within and without the self, exploring concepts of life, death and the nature of evil”.

Fortunately the band didn’t pour all their energies into the concept of the album, and have produced a pretty interesting black metal release. It’s a semi-raw take on the genre, being neither the crystal clear sounds of most melodic black metal but not having so much fuzz that the fine details can’t be made out at all. It rides an often fine line in-between though and every so often does sway over the edge one way or the other. The end result is effective though so if drawn out black metal floats your boat, then you can find a pretty fine album from Carpe Noctem in In Terra Profugus. Arguably though they capture the atmosphere and feelings described in their concept for the album even more when playing with clean tone guitars, such as during the early part of I. VITRIOL, which is also one of the album’s best tracks. Carpe Noctem associates their music with the apocalyptic and that’s exactly the sort of emotions these decidedly non-metal elements in their music provoke. It’s definitely a nice touch alongside that rawness of the black metal riffs and screams. Elsewhere they show off their chaotic side, with II. Ars Moriendi hinting at possible progressive or even avant-garde leanings buried somewhere deep in the melancholy. II. Metamorphoses Maleficarum also displays some small hints of an old school death metal influence.

In Terra Profugus is quite the captivating release of black metal. Incredible well realised in terms of keeping the atmosphere of the music in line with the concept they’re trying to put across with their lyrics, making this one of 2013’s must own releases from the genre. Another score for the Code666 Records label.

90/100

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/carpe-noctem-in-terra-profugus-t3229.html)