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Devilish Impressions - Plurima Mortis Imago
Conquer Records
By Soup

   It is one of the cornerstones of the Christian faith, the Final War, Armageddon. We see the soldiers of Christ every day, gathering their strength, giving their very existence over to the time when they will have to fight, even taking the fight to the streets and preaching hellfire and damnation to anyone within earshot. Less is known about the soldiers for the other side. The Polish band Devilish Impressions uses their talents to change that. With the release of Plurima Mortis Imago, which loosely translates to "At the highest price Deadly Image", they too want the world to know that war is coming. Consisting of Quazarre who provides guitars as well as vocals and lyrics, Turqouissa who lends her classically trained abilities to the keyboards and synthesizers, and Starash with furious fingers dancing across lead guitar's fretboards, Devilish Impressions have teamed up with Luna Ad Noctem members and allies, Dragor lending his brutal double kick blast beats, and Adrian Nefarious taking a break from his own "Lunar Black Metal" band to provide the murky basslines.

   I listened to the release many times to understand all of the layers provided because great care was taken to create an intricate sound and a casual listen wouldn't do the disc justice. From the symphonic opening to the closing assault, Plurima Mortis Imago is a complex letter to the heavens written with bloody yet masterful strokes. Quazarre's vocal abilities range the entire extreme gamut from familiar low cookie monster growls to high pitched banshee wails to distorted wailing to surprisingly clean melodies sometimes all in the same song. Turquouissa's keyboards are haunting and absolutely necessary to the sound Devilish Impressions wants to give to the world. Starash and Quazarre use their guitars to the fullest of their ability, sometimes following the rhythm of Dragor and Nefarious and then back out again into a deathly test of speed to encompass the song.

   These are the preachers of the ultimate Power of self. Real Satanism doesn't worship some clove hoofed caricature of Satan but the power of the individual over the power of God. This theme is present such as on the track "Rebellion of Will Manifesto" where Quazarre screams "There is no king but You/ There is no god but You/ Damned and forgotten, hateful and ruined/ Intended for serving the will of Yourself.". In fact everywhere in the liner notes any pronoun that refers to "You" is capitalized while the word "god" never is. "Every king is a reflection of his own clown" from "Crowned to be Crucified" is a gauntlet thrown down in the face of the enemy.

   Complex without being convoluted, dark without treading on worn ground, and extreme without being trapped by expectations, Plurima Mortis Imago is worth a listen for anyone who is impressed defiance, whether defying genre standards or defying an entire religious paradigm. To some, war is coming. Devilish Impressions knows what side they are on- Yours.