Sprawling first track proper Bodies is instantly enchanting, full of mesmeric, otherworldly melody and visceral sensuality. Wolfsbane increases the urgency and high drama with razorblade riffs and ageless angst – ‘Sisters, I’ve waited a hundred years for this.’ Reliks is a sombre song of praise as fitting at a black mass as on a swaying goth club dancefloor, while Embers underlines their epic intent across seven gloriously wrenching minutes.
Arriving at the height of summer, barely 18 months since they first emerged, Sorrows is an unapologetically audacious first statement from musicians who’ve so obviously spent years toiling in shadow. But as last track Rite unspools its weave of corruptive sweetness and sacrificial savagery it’s clear that they wield enough iniquitous sorcery to blacken the cursed sun.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: Chelsea Wolfe, Type O Negative, King Woman
Sorrows is released on May 30 via New Heavy Sounds