Review: Aegrus – In Manus Satanas

Review by Dagon M.

Aegrus – In Manus Satanas

Record Label: Saturnal Records

Year: 2019

Rating: 9/10

Coming from Finland, Aegrus is one of the bands that continue to keep the torch burning of such a great scene. They have been present for over a decade, offering a classic style of Black metal mixed with their compositional skills in a satanic approach.

With their latest album, “In Manus Satanas”, they managed to create a powerful sounding result, full of cold atmospheres that carve an endless grey landscape full of frost. Aggressive and hammering parts meet freezing melodies, while the antichristian element is present from the cover art to the songs themselves. Tremolo picking and blast beats enhance the album’s rawness while the vocals amplify the insanity throughout. The many years of experience enable them to create tracks where ferocity takes overs and others where the melodic aspect takes a step forward.

Aegrus

The album opener, “Hymn to the Firewinged One”, starts off with some spoken words and freezes the temperature from the very beginning with the initiative riff.  A classic Black Metal outburst takes its place afterwards with captivating vocals and ominous guitar chords. “Nightspirit Theosis” paves a more melodic way with continuous drums, bass lines and some guitar bridges. Coming up next, “Gestalt of Perdition”, combines melodies with anger in great harmony without the one compromising the other. “At the Altar of Twilight” is a brief instrumental intermission that blends in the freezing atmosphere and serves as an introduction for the next one.

“Ascending Shadows” is a mid-tempo track with a hypnotic atmosphere and instrumental parts that offer a feeling of isolation to create a bone-chilling result. “Nemesis” contains catchy riffs and is indicative of the band’s maturity, as the melodies are the main point with the ferocity lurking in the background. Nearing the end, “The Black Wings upon Me”, has a slow start that builds up to a mid-tempo. Epic guitars and lengthy riffs turn into a chaotic Black Metal solo to spice up the track. The album title track, “In Manus Satanas“, is the longest one as well as the standout. The intro consists of acoustic guitar before becoming very fast and aggressive. The song gets deeper and deeper with harsh vocals, blast beats and some solos adding layers to its sinister atmosphere.

This album is an uncompromising and aggressive piece of Black Metal art, but with the melody always being present in the foundation.  The songs are cohesive with a nice flow and a deepening song progression that’s characteristic of the Finnish Black Metal. The band shows its maturity with their third release, creating a polished result while maintaining their occult roots. The production is smooth with no blurry points, enabling the listener to hear every instrument and appreciate the band’s creativity.

Aegrus don’t seek to break into new waters but instead, take advantage of the renowned traditional Black Metal techniques and shape them in their own creation. They definitely deserve more attention and any future releases are ones to look out for.

Aegrus – In Manus Satanas (Full Album)