Morte Incandescente: ...Somos o fogo do teu Inferno (2018)

Portugal has an interesting, if somewhat less-defined black metal scene.  I have been picking up albums from a number of Portuguese black metal bands over the last couple of years and have found there to be a wide variety of styles present.  From the punk-driven sound of Hellcharge to the occult evil of Decayed, there really is no signature Portuguese black metal sound.  But that is not really a problem, the country has been a bit behind the times in the genre.  That certainly does not mean there are not some intriguing groups. 

Here we have Morte Incandescente and this is just a quick and easy demo.  The band has been around for quite some time and has released four full-length albums since 2003.  So it seems somewhat odd that the band is releasing a demo now, though perhaps they are on the search for a new label.  There are just four songs on this release and the whole run time is less than 20 minutes, so it is a very short release, but it serves as a nice introduction to the band for me, someone who has never heard them before.

The sound of Morte Incandescente is steeped in the darkness and mystery of old school black metal.  Specifically, the closest comparison I can think of is Germany's Bethlehem.  The music is eerie and strange, with a couple of the songs beginning with chiming guitar chords and transitioning into more traditional black metal.  The vocals are raspy and gruff, with some impressive tortured screams included at times.  The best song on the album is "Abandonado", which captures the gamut of the band's unusual melodies and more old-school black metal riffing.

This is a good introduction to an obscure band.  I am interested in hearing more from the band, and will have to see how it holds up over a full-length album.