Curse Upon A Prayer : “The Worship: Orthoprax Satanism”

Some of the  most  impactful black metal sounds emanate from the magical Finland, making generations of fans that shiver in anticipation of the next dark magic from the land of the Midnight Sun.
Curse Upon A Prayer are one of those representatives of the Suomian scene who embody the primacy of long-forgotten ancient forces, and every time their music is played, you are immediately transported to the epicenter of an occult scene, with the scent of ritual blood and herbs. Their live performances are a real delirium, no doubt.

The band has released three full-length albums to date, with their fourth, “The Worship: Orthoprax Satanism”, due to be out soon via The Cursed Order, exactly a decade after their debut. And I can say quite frankly – this is definitely one of the contenders for album of the year in 2024. Why? Because we can’t talk about “just an album” here – the title provides the listener with an overall eerie experience, steeped in the mystical smoke of the occult. From start to finish you are caught in the snares of darkness and  each song is luring you into increasingly atmospheric and beautiful sonic hallucinations, and you don’t want to leave the depths of this bliss.

With its ten hymns and remarkable duration of nearly an hour, “The Worship: Orthoprax Satanism” gives you a chance to immerse yourself in a sea of ​​bloody poetry and fiery melodies, overflowing with authentic and haunting sounds and incantations.
Starting with soaring orchestral elements and a sublime cinematic occult atmosphere in the first track “Ortopraxia”, the dynamics quickly change to fast blasts and powerful guitars, transitioning into a majestic black metal sound with distorted riffs and beautiful melodies, in which the deep ,  seductive whispers and vocals of A. P. sink into consciousness and lift the spirit into another dimension.
This sound – pure, sinister,  painting mysterious pictures in the mind – is present throughout the rest of the album, as also some elements from other genres are coming into play and are present in certain places. In the song “Blood Poetry”, for example, there are impressive gothic rock elements, consisting of brighter guitars and melodies, more specific  vocals and very beautiful maneuvers, which, combined with the black metal atmosphere, sound exactly like a dark anthem of the underground creatures.
Most of the tracks on the album come with a  sensual and dynamic black metal melodies, with a captivating rhythm and haunting atmosphere, combining gothic, neoclassical and black metal elements, with some of them carrying a more cinematic experience, filled with whispers, cryptic and deep multi-layered appeals, smooth lines and total immersion in a vague and majestic scene of horror and overwhelming beauty (“He That Eateth My Flesh”).
And the end result of listening to the whole album is that you don’t notice when that one hour passes, your whole being celebrates the newfound dark territories and inspiration hits you like a tight, blood-thirsty bite.

The Cursed Order returns with a new dose of their signature authentic satanic black metal experience, straight out of the darkest and most enchanting debris. “The Worship: Orthoprax Satanism” is a haunting and vicious black metal work that will definitely bring a strong dopamine rush to those who  are fond of the  dark side, like to be surrounded in poetry, philosophy and they treasure  music that is not just music, but a whole ritual.

“The Spirit is null & void without the Act & the Will – Flesh & Spirit must be one!Ya Shaitan!”

Album: “The Worship: Orthoprax Satanism”
Band: Curse Upon A Prayer
Release Date: July 26th, 2024
Label: The Cursed Order
Pre-order:  https://thecursedorder.bigcartel.com