Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Onirik - The Fire Cult Beyond Eternity (2020)

Sounding like Mütiilation had a baby with Ved Buens Ende and produced an offspring that somehow captures the best of both parents, Onirik occupies quite a unique space in black metal.  The Portuguese one man bm project sticks with largely familiar themes on album number five treating us to seven tracks of constantly shifting evil.  However common the topics of evil, darkness and the occult maybe in black metal, I don't believe there are many artists out there expressing their devotion to such subjects as well as Mr. Gonius Rex is.

The Fire Cult Beyond Eternity is a chaotic, urgent, busy, progressive and melodic affair that offers more than enough kvlt content to appease the most trve of bm fans yet at the same time is able to branch out effortlessly into territories that would have most die-hards hiding behind their corpse-paint and brass candlestick holders as they try to process just where the fuck each track actually ends up.

An obviously experienced artist, Gonius excels himself here, building complex and arcane structures that morph before your very ears.  There's a constant sense of Onirik running with the very boundaries of black metal cradled in arms not caring where he ends up with it just going gung-ho to push it far and hard.  Better yet, there's no wankery here, no gazey influence to try and turn the heads of the less orthodox crowd.  Only a deaf person (or a complete fucking buffoon) could miss the inherent and intrinsic traits of black metal literally coursing through the veins of this record, yet equally as obvious are the expansive and spacious heights that the melodies of the album soar to and the dizzying spirals of the guitars as they loop like incantated notes through the air.

Come bathe in the glorious darkness (bring your own towels).