BlackQueen is something like a comet that only appears every few years, foretelling either great triumph or tragedy, portending the death of kings. Formed back in 1998 by Assuck bassist Pete Jay, the band released only a demo before going dark, only appearing in the firmament again in 2012 with March of the Obsidian Triumvirate. Now, we have The Directress, a weird, darkly magical offering that combines a little thrash and a little death with infernal rites and moonlight.
BlackQueen are deeply influenced by horror, but not in the same way as the abject splattercore of some death metal, or the eldritch nightmare of Lovecraftian black metal. Instead, what they have dubbed "witch metal" echoes the darker, unseemly aspects of the occult in the same register that films like The Wicker Man engage with: primal, elemental, deeply sexual and violent, at once repulsive and compelling. Featuring a host of guest vocal talent, including the powerful, haunting performance of former Witch Mountain singer Uta Plotkin, as well as Joy Von Spain of Eye Of Nix and Wrest of Leviathan, The Directress sounds like the record of a dark ritual, and the strange, pulsing ambience will haunt you long after it stops playing.
(Independent)BlackQueen are deeply influenced by horror, but not in the same way as the abject splattercore of some death metal, or the eldritch nightmare of Lovecraftian black metal. Instead, what they have dubbed "witch metal" echoes the darker, unseemly aspects of the occult in the same register that films like The Wicker Man engage with: primal, elemental, deeply sexual and violent, at once repulsive and compelling. Featuring a host of guest vocal talent, including the powerful, haunting performance of former Witch Mountain singer Uta Plotkin, as well as Joy Von Spain of Eye Of Nix and Wrest of Leviathan, The Directress sounds like the record of a dark ritual, and the strange, pulsing ambience will haunt you long after it stops playing.
