EP Review: Sepulchre by the Sea – Ratiocinations (Self Released)

Started in early 2019 by a multi-instrumentalist with equal passion for all things post black metal and Edgar Allen Poe, Sepulchre by the Sea has quickly grown from a single idea into a fully-fledged studio project. The band incorporates many different sounds from atmospheric soundscapes and traditional black metal riffing to more eclectic areas such as shoegaze and folk based pieces.

After releasing the scathing epic ‘…And so it Crumbles’ demo at the tail end of 2019, the band set to work honing its craft and creating something larger and more ambitious in scale. Throughout the first half of 2020, more music was being forged and assembled as new fans discovered the band. In November of 2020, the band unleashed its epic debut album ‘Conqueror Worm’, a 6 track record spanning nearly an hour and crossing multiple sub genres along the way. The record is inspired by several of Poe’s best known poems and tales, including ‘The Raven’ and ‘The Black Cat’.

Not content to rest on its laurels, the project pushed on during the 2020/2021 winter lockdown and, as critics continued to champion “Conqueror Worm” new material was being written and recorded. This material is now set to be released on October 1st, 2021 in the form of ‘Ratiocinations’, a blistering 3 track EP. The release is inspired by Poe’s famous detective stories, the first of their kind, and continues to blur the lines between black metal, shoegaze, melodic death metal, hardcore and atmospheric black metal.

Following on from November 2020’s excellent Conqueror Worm, an album we described as unforgettable, Sepulchre by the Sea has 3 new tracks to offer the world. 3 more genre-bending tracks that ooze atmosphere and showcase a continuation of Sepulchre by the Sea’s concentrated depth.

A hefty amount of atmospheric black metal mixed with a slathering of shoegaze; the first track is one seriously powerful effort. Ghost of the Departed is a fervent and penetrating affair that blasts the mind in one moment then causes rippling emotions with gorgeous melody in the next.

The sounds of panic introduces a Sepulchre by the Sea metal heavyweight in the form of Beast Made Flesh. The sustained genre-defying aspect of this band sees black metal combined with death and hints of hardcore for something much more hard-hitting. It’s absolutely awesome.

Then it’s the title track to close out the EP. A 12-minute epic as only Sepulchre by the Sea is capable of. One that runs the entire gambit and a sharp reminder of just how talented this solo artist is. While filled to the brim with viciousness, where this track truly excels is with its deeply moving melodies and atmosphere. This might well be the greatest track Sepulchre by the Sea has ever written. Where 12-minutes just flies by in a beautiful, heartfelt blur of raging black metal intensity.

Sepulchre by the Sea – Ratiocinations Full Track Listing:

1. Ghost of the Departed
2. Beast Made Flesh
3. Ratiocinations

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