Artist: Dryas
Country: Portugal
Label: Primitive Blood
Formats: Demo Tape
Year: 2025
Demo #2 for Dryas from a series of three rapidly successive demo releases – not in the “right” sequence, though. The Portuguese Black Metal band, which sometimes operates as a duo and sometimes is just the work of Insalûbris Infernâlis (Eremites, ex-Infernüs), may have written and recorded these three demos in a short period of time, however, musically there is some difference to be observed.
Compared to the other two, ‘Gates To The Realm Of Silence And Rot’ is by far the rawest. While the other demos have their fair share of rawness, pretty much in the Portuguese tradition, feeling mostly close to Black Cilice and Candelabrum, this one is more of a classic Raw Black Metal affair. The eerie and downright spooky Portuguese way of Raw Black Metal is more based on Lo-Fi characteristics, coming with a true oppressing atmosphere. ‘Gates To The Realm Of Silence And Rot’, on the other hand, is offering much more or a melodic approach, still raw as a fresh abrasion, yet it feels closer to Finnish Black Metal than to anything particularly Portuguese. A palpable 90’s spirit, as also heard in the majority of the Satanic Warmaster-based Black Metal of today, makes this second demo maybe the most “accessible”. The semi Lo-Fi production is allowing this almost 25-minutes demo to offer you basically the “best of both worlds”.
With its display of strong song writing, also present on the other two demos, and the more profound riff-based nature of ‘Gates To The Realm Of Silence And Rot’, it to me feels like the most compelling offering of the three. But, fairness dictates, I am genuinely impressed by all three of these tapes, that together make a more than convincing entrance into the (Portuguese) Black Metal scene.
