Mages Terror - Damnation’s Sight

Angry Metal Guy 50

Look at this, another metal exploration by the horror-loving guitarist and drum programmer, Horror Illogium. While staying busy between his efforts as founder of Portal and guitarist of Vomitor, this Australian native seems incapable of sitting still for long. With the help of the vocalist and guitarists of Australia’s newest Pustilence, Illogium is out to ravage the annals of black, death, thrash, and speed metal with Mages Terror’s debut record, Damnation’s Sight. While the man is not new to writing thrashy licks for Vomitor, Mages Terror is an old-school tribute to the sounds of olde. Stripped to its basic elements, Damnation’s Sight does little to tinker with them individually, they combine them all to deliver a unique twist in Illogium fashion. Spattering the riffs and song structures with eerie and sinister guitar tricks, this record looks to meld death and speed elements into those early, dark days of Sodom. It’s time to damn them eyes.

Having been a part of the Australian metal scene for a long time, this new project is unique because Illogium has teamed up with young pups that only recently released their first full-length record. And, according to Metal Archives, the drummer has never seen combat. But that doesn’t slow them down as they dive into this weird combination of genres and smash out ten songs in a mere 36 minutes. The result is barebones with a guitar tone that feels like I’m back in the late ’80s/early ’90s. Which, inevitably, does no more than any other band of its kind, but the spooky tone of the record is very much as you would expect from an outfit led by Illogium. Between its short runtime and horror-inspired character, there’s just enough to keep the interest up for a rather old-man inclusion into the metalverse.

Damnation’s Sight by Mages Terror

“Serpent Bat” kicks things off in good form with old-school Sodom vibes as the vocalist alternates between black metal rasps and death metal growls. The fast-moving blackened thrash riff moves along nicely, interrupting itself in the song’s final minute to drop some heavy chugs wrapped in a dark presence. This latter riff, in particular, sets up the mood for the rest of the album. The follow-up track, “Paramount Specter,” keeps the ball rolling with its own black/thrash character and overlapping rasps and growls. The guitar work also increases a bit, delivering an intricate riff that, sometimes, feels like the guitars can’t keep up with the drums. But this is only the beginning. This song is all over the place, transitioning to some heavy riffage before introducing strange guitar leads and a mid-paced groove. For only three-ish minutes in length, this is the most confusing track on the record because it has no idea which riffs it wants to settle on.

Better tracks on the album are “Ruthless Guild,” “Master in the Black Cavern,” and the surprising instrumental, “Demon Bell.” The first is a trve banger with a high-pitched, mid-paced thrash lick that builds throughout. Its first riff change comes with neck-breaking beauty and punching vocals that remind me of the older stompers in 1349’s catalog. It also shows off some solid drum work from the newly-christened drummer. “Master in the Black Cavern” also sees solid drum work as it leads this heavy number chockful of tasty soloing tidbits. The bass also lends its sinisterness to the mix to create something truly cavernous in the final, chugging moments. “Demon Bell” is a surprising piece because, being near the end of the record, I didn’t think something with such killer riffs and structure would come without vocals. But it’s a nifty piece with surprising dueling guitar work—at least in comparison to the album’s other instrumental, “Presage.” This instrumental isn’t bad, but its sad, reverberating guitars do little to introduce its follow-up.

Damnation’s Sight has a lot of old-school character, where simplicity reigned supreme and solos ruled the roost. That alone sets it apart from those modern outfits trying to mash multiple genres and sub-genres together to create something unique. Not once did I feel like I was heading somewhere special with this release, but I still enjoyed it for what it was. Sure, the chorus of “Fane of the Slug Gods” is so forced that it becomes almost funny. And “Vulgar Overlord” is so simplistic that I barely remember it with each new listen. But, for what it is, the old tone matches the style, and the weird, eerie guitar work on songs like “Paramount Specter” provides a unique twist to the album. In the end, Damnation’s Sight is a solid effort even if it doesn’t completely grab me.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Invictus Productions | Bandcamp
Website: facebook.com/magesterrorfront
Releases Worldwide: July 12th, 2024

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