Band – Cicada the Burrower
Album – Blight Witch Regalia
Country of Origin – USA
Genre – Blackened Electronica
Release Date – April 7, 2023
Label – Blue Bedroom Records
Author – Hayduke X
Herald of Lions is a journey through rhythm and strange cascading electronica. This particular track from the upcoming sequel to Corpseflower is strictly instrumental. It’s both driving and euphoric and calls to mind dancing fairy lights (which might be ironic given the title of the next track). There are darker undercurrents as well, but overall this is a bright track full of vigor lodged in a reinterpretation of various styles of electronica, though House comes to mind mostly for me on this one. Give it a listen, let me know what you think, and then drop below for my full album review.
Several months ago, I wrote about the genre-pushing masterpiece that is Corpseflower (read it here), so I guess I should have known what I was getting into with this one. Blight Witch Regalia jumps the shark so to speak on black metal. I don’t mean that as a bad thing at all, and there are certainly moments where some black metal influence shines through, but this is primarily an psychedelic electronica album. Creator Cameron Davis gave us all fair warning when she announced the first track, saying that this is not another Corpseflower.
Like that earlier album, Blight Witch Regalia is hard to write about. It’s a masterpiece again, unique unto itself. It could be described as including elements of House, Trip Hop, and other electronic elements, with just-right infusions of black metal, but any description like that fails to capture the essence. The music found in these thirty-one minutes is enthralling, sparkling, emotional, uplifting, aggressive, and many more adjectives. With this release, Davis cements her status as a true musical innovator, regardless of genre.
If you are a ‘trve kvlt warrior,’ this is probably not what you’re looking for. The first track streaming, Aries, You Ripped The Child Out Of Me, is about as close as Davis gets to straight up black metal, and a quick listen will tell you that’s not very close. However, if you love exploration in music, different artistic expressions, strange genre blends, and various other avant garde approaches, then this is a must listen. It has already become my most listened to album of 2023. Time will tell if something will overtake it, but each listen brings some new understanding. I encourage you to dive in.
Biography: Hayduke X has been writing for MoshPitNation since June of 2016. He is also a contributor to The Metal Wanderlust. Prior to joining the MoshPitNation team, Hayduke published reviews on his own blog Rage and Frustration. In addition, he has DJ’ed an online metal radio show of the same name as his blog, written for TOmetal.com, done interviews for Metal Rules, and collaborated with The Art of B Productions to create video interviews with a wide variety of bands.
