Ludicra Ludicra

Further proof that the whole "women can’t rock” thing is a load of shit, Ludicra’s eponymous release is a sordid bout of black/thrash/death metal that brings to mind the efforts of I Hate Sally in fisticuffs with Arch Enemy. Opener "Wooden Wheels” alone is almost seven minutes of ravenous tirade. It winds through virtually every unhappy emotion in the process, wrangling desperation, misery, anger and hatred through a dynamic process of raging mid-tempo black metal and intricate technical passages before finally deteriorating into doom. Maintaining this demonic pace, "Walk The Path Of Ash” would appear to be the mating call for all things Celtic Frost, rumbling about in its sneering aggression. Capped off with "Empty Throne,” we find the acoustic introduction setting the scene for the sonic equivalent of gloriously evil ruins. By the final dirge, Ludicra prove that although the album may only be three songs, the journey that takes place is as infernal as it is operatic. (Life Is Abuse)

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