Artist: Wampyric Rites
Country: Ecuador
Label: Self-Released
Formats: Digital EP
Year: 2025
‘Night Winds Of The Tempest’ isn’t a new EP in the true sense of the word. It was already recorded back in 2023, in the same session as the tracks of the split with Mánþiel, but wasn’t released before January of this year. And, judging from the musical content, it would’ve been a shame if the band kept these two tracks for themselves.
In just a bit over ten minutes, this EP shows Wampyric Rites from their rawest side. It is not that we haven’t heard that before, but after the last two EP’s, ‘The Rites Of The Vampire Inscriptions’ (2023) and ‘Summoning The Beasts In The Night Of Lycanthropic Moon’ (2024), both of which were blessed with a raw but relatively good production, this is quite a different cookie.
The essential cornerstones of the Wampyric Rites-DNA is very much in place, but it is poured into a mould that is fundamentally more raw and harsh in nature. That certainly adds to the overall experience and it allows Wampyric Rites to creep up a bit closer to contemporary Raw Black Metal (almost venturing into Lo-Fi territories) compared to the band’s otherwise more 90’s-based Black Metal. The crude production requires a few more spins for the entire EP to unfold its secrets, as the trademark melodies are there but tucked a bit deeper into the mix. If you finally wrapped your head around it and you are used to the more chaotic music and production, the actual riffs and the melodies will become more prominent and show you that ‘Night Wind Of The Tempest’ definitely lives up to its name: this is a rather stormy piece of Raw Black Metal.
