Deep, dark and densely occult is the fourth collection of ancient magicks by Italian outfit Deathless Legacy, originally a Death SS tribute band. It comes following The Gathering and Dance With Devils, released in 2016 and 2017 respectively. The debut was released in 2013, and oh my, have these guys evolved, releasing their fourth full length, Rituals Of Black Magic, less than a year after Dance With Devils. Whereas the predecessor was like a ritual dance around a forest bonfire, this new outing is rather a dark celebration of all things macabre and arcane; black magic ritual. It feels less an act, and more a natural flow, as if they finally found their thing, performing it with a laid back sense of mastery of their art. This becomes evident right from the get-go, with a mean and high octane delivery of the title track where heaviness and atmosphere care of Alessio Lucatti’s (Vision Divine, Etherna) dense orchestral keys are laid atop the massive riffs like a demonic church organ.

With Rituals Of Black Magic, Deathless Legacy have invested in some amount of heaviness while retaining the great, cathedral like melodics. The result is a more stable, less experimental album than the last one. This pays off, as Rituals Of Black Magic is easily Deathless Legacy’s strongest effort to date. From the gritty riffage care of Gianni Capecchi that sets Bloodbath off on the right path to the devil church like choirs that fill out most every chorus behind Eleonora Steva Vaiana’s majestic lead shouts. Vaiana’s accent may be as thick as the mystique the album is drenched in, but her delivery is potent and the incantations belted out with great passion. The choruses are beautifully graced with the superb work of Vaiana, shouting and enchanting secret magicks, sometimes backed up to great effect by clean layered vocals, other times - such as in the heavy set Vigor Mortis or doom like I Summon The Spirits - she’s on her own, and nailing it every time.

Sometimes slow and brooding, the album shows clear hints of the epic doom metal that was the bands original inspiration, giving the entirety an old school vibe to it. The production however is crisp and clear, everything in its place, making said vibe sound very modern; akin to a non pop oriented, straight up metal Ghost. At 61 minutes you’re bound to run into a track or two of filler. Here, those are mostly the not so inspired Homunculus and Ars Goetia that break the flow after some twenty seven minutes of sweet demon worship. Luckily, the last few songs pick up with some of the best on the album, with the majestic Haruspex and epic closer Dominus Inferi, both delivering that potent blend of orchestral keys and gritty riff work that showcased on the first few tracks. Deathless Legacy have been nothing if not active the last few years, releasing three full length albums in just under three years, each one bigger, better and more comfortable than the last. Rituals Of Black Magic truly hits most of the spots, with a only minor hiccups, and nails the coffin with remarkable musicianship and an arcane, eerie setting; summon the spirits.

Standout tracks: Rituals Of Black Magic, Haruspex, Dominus Inferi