Did you hear it?: Vircolac

Vircolac

The Cursed Travails of the Demeter

Dark Descent Records

Release: 31 October 2016

OFFICIAL: VIRCOLAC came into being in Dublin, Ireland during the dying embers of 2013 with the intention of creating a timeless take on Death Metal replete with actual songs, riffs and atmosphere, removed in its own right from some of the contemporaneous styles within Death Metal that almost sought to unwrite what the essence of a song is.

Steeped firmly in the 80s and subsequent early 90s Death Metal scenes, influences are wide and varied but never used as a barometer for reference but rather as parts of the whole that have obsessed the band's collective minds from a young age and now present in the newest endeavour, The Cursed Travails of the Demeter EP. So, for now, we bid you welcome on board this cursed ship and join our voyage into damnation.

The 26-minute EP is a journey through different horrors adrift the cursed vessel, The Demeter. The ship, for those of you with a literary interest, is that in which Dracula sails from the east to England, whereupon he spreads plague and death. The symbolism and concept is allegorical, as are many of the lyrical concepts throughout the EP. As Bram Stoker and indeed Sheridan le Fanu before him were both from Dublin and whose works are literary masterpieces have both found new life in The Cursed Travails of the Demeter. This has also been the case with the ancient tradition of shamanic ritual and rites that were practiced on the ancient plains of Ireland an represented by the magnificent stone carvings and rock art on display at Loughcrew, Knowth, Dowth and Newgrange. Furthermore, the viciousness of Caesar Caligula’s reign and the allure of the witches beyond the woods all form part of the lyrical emphasis on the EP.

So, for now, we bid you welcome on board this cursed ship and join our voyage into damnation.

The Cursed Travails of the Demeter was released by Dark Descent Records in North America and on Sepulchral Voice in Europe (with LP to follow).

vircolac.bandcamp.com/album/the-cursed-travails-of-the-demeter

darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-cursed-travails-of-the-demeter-cd

facebook.com/vircolacdeathmetal

JG - guitars/keys

NH - drums BMC - guitars

K - bass Laoghaire/vocals