Runstedler’s Special Christmas Review: Devs Iratvs by Arthemesia

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As much as I love Jesus, I couldn’t resist putting this record on during Christmas morning, and I wasn’t disappointed. Arthemesia are above and beyond many of Finland’s other black metal acts because of their sheer professionalism. The members of Arthemesia are most likely classically trained, creating majestic sonatas and resonating nocturnal melodies. The production is akin to the legendary Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk. However, Arthemesia embraces more of a folk approach, juxtaposing Scandinavian tradtionalism with searing black metal sound. Overall, the songs are pretty consistent. There are no dull tracks to be heard here, although some of the shorter songs do not have the scope of the more drawn out songs, such as “Ancestor of Magick” (my personal favourite), but I guess that that’s just to be expected. The songs contain scattered passages of instrumental bliss, which generally work quite effectively (reminiscent of Immortal’s melodic passages at times). I haven’t heard their second album, which is apparently more “black n’ roll” (whatever that means?), but Arthemesia certainly establish a sinister presence worthy of Dissection in their scope and magnificence with their debu, without sounding cheesy, boring, or generic. As well, they seem truly capable of competent musicianship, with their aforementioned presumed classical training and knack for melody. Without delving into shit like Cradle of Filth, for instance, they create a powerful record with Devs Iratvs. The album cover is an artful indication of the musical and philosophical approach that Arthemesia takes with their music. The pagan wolf roaming the midnight terrain conveys such sublime beauty, and literally holds rich structural integrity in its construction. Their lyrical approach is quite progressive, discussing much more than the usual Satanism and anti-Christian sentiments. It’s very introspective, opening a void into the very mindset and attitudes of the musicians as individuals, which is absolutely compelling. I would say undoubtedly that with this album, Arthemesia can be cited as one of Finland’s greatest bands. 9.4/10.

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