Sicarius mark the return of founding member Argyris with third album, Nex.

SICARIUS

Following their debut release Serenade of Slitting Throats, produced by Mick Kenney of Anaal Nathrakh, Sicarius quickly built a reputation for violent black metal fused with elements of thrash and goth. Four years after their founding, in 2018, the band went through major change, with co-founder Argyris departing.

The band did produce the acclaimed God of Broken Roots, with Kenney again on production duties, but slowly the band splintered. The reconnection of Argyris with Carnage saw Sicarius revived and 2024 brought the two together to begin the creative process that would eventually become Nex. Here, new vocalist Akefalos features and brings a different vocal style to the recording, one that fully embraces the fury of Sicarius-circa-mid-2010s, but that takes the band into new an interesting directions on this album.

For those unfamiliar with the band, they boast of paying homage to the pummeling 1st wave of USBM and the atmospheric 2nd wave of black metal from Scandinavia. Influences range from Marduk to Bathory, to Rotting Christ, Mayhem, Dissection, Urghehal, and Absu. With Nex, they offer the listener “a 10-track story about loss, death, retribution, and fury that honours tradition while being unafraid to venture on its own”.

COLD DEATH

Opener Cold Death sets the tone for the album, with furious guitars, drums, and vocals straight from the off. Pummeling is the right word for this one. Third track No Witnesses is similarly violent, thundering and growling as one would expect from a band with this back catalogue. Crashing into the Abyss slows the pace a little, before Banshee and Daggers Down bring in more melodic elements, never losing their grip on their black metal foundations.

A real highlight of the album is An Aptitude for Elimination, straight in with the fury and violence that built the reputation of Sicarius, completely discarding the slower momentum that had developed over the previous tracks.

The album concludes with Ambuscade and Nex, the former a gentler (if the word is ever appropriate in a review of a Sicarius album) interlude into the titular track which features a guest appearance by Mayhem’s former Cradle of Filth guitarist Charles Hedger. Nex is one of the more looming, ominous tracks on the album, but represents a strong finish to a very good comeback album.

As the press release warns: “SICARIUS is hungry, SICARIUS is ready. SICARIUS wants to hunt again”.

Nex is available on Adirondack Black Mass’ Bandcamp page here.

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