Fides Inversa locate a very sweet spot between purist black metal aesthetics and a more adventurous approach to songwriting. Mysterium Tremendun et Fascinans is immediately ear-catching because of its none-more-authentic sound; a brittle, crackling guitar tone that directly channels albums like Filosofem or A Blaze in the Northern Sky, but even more austere. I have been in two minds about how to describe it. From the opening instrumental (an extremely alluring melodic atmosphere-builder), the likes of Deathspell Omega are channelled (particularly in the ‘religious’ aesthetics which are expertly cultivated in the album’s interludes). Certainly, many of the tracks here have complex, extended structures, featuring lots of sudden switches in the riffing. Moreover, the semi-clean (almost Primordial-like?) vocals give it an unusual feel at times. But I think if you listen to it hoping for something that will wander in black metal’s outer darkness you may be disappointed. The sound is too thin and too brittle to carry off that kind of thing.

But if you listen to it expecting some expert, if relatively complex, black metal orthodox, it appears a lot more impressive. The riffing is vicious. It can be super fast, reaching the searing climaxes which might be wonderfully melodic (e.g. IV) or scintillatingly violent (e.g. VI, which brings to mind Funeral Mist and the like). It is also inventive, picking out winding shapes that are ear-catching without being so easy to pin down. Delivered in that buzzing, undernourished tone, the effect is quite addictive. As counterpoint, there are some extremely effective elements thrown in from leftfield: the a capella interlude in IV which apes religious plainsong, and the unusually well-handled orchestral moments in V. Black metal atmostpherics at their finest. The only thing I don’t like is that the song titles are numbers. Anyway, a very solid album.