Parfaxitas – Weaver of the Black Moon

People, here we go again. We’ve got one of those! You know, those Black Metal albums that take themselves seriously and aim to create art that leaves you howling. Parfaxitas sounds like it’s from Iceland, has members from Iceland, but also from Norwegian and USA, making it hard for me to know which tradition is predominant here (it’s a bit of a super band created by Sinmara, Whoredom Rife and Suffering hour members). I’m sure that the members of this project will be absolutely delighted by any confusion or mystery they can cast over us, so I won’t dig around too much—I love a good mystery! Anyway, what should you expect from Weaver of the Black Moon? Is it another great album from the north or just stale Black Metal? Stay with me!

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Weaver plays a lot with build-ups. It’s true that from the beginning it delivers that mystical vibe that is so present in Icelandic Black Metal. It feels like some sort of deity is about to erase a poor village off the map for laughs, but it’s in no rush to crush the lives of the villagers. If anything, it contemplates their horror as it slowly obliterates everything they hold dear. So you’ll need a bit of patience to appreciate the sheer size of this destruction. It’s 50 minutes of cavernous extreme music; I hope you came prepared, you know, with extra diapers and so on.

Making things strange, Weaver isn’t a loud album. If anything, guitars, bass, and even drums sound so far away, as if a giant wave was slowly approaching you from the distance. However, the melodic work here is still solid or beyond that—I’d say it’s atypical. You’re never sure which dissonant direction those riffs are going to take, which can make it difficult to headbang, but you didn’t come to Weaver for the groove; you came to face the existential horrors of our utter insignificance! However, I have some unresolved issues here and now I’m going to bring them up.

Remember when I said the album is sort of quiet? (If you don’t, go to the doctor, please.) Well, it does take away power and potential from these intricate melodies; it just doesn’t punch me as hard as I deserve, and that’s a shame. In fact, I’d dare to say there are traits of True kvlt production here, except that these decisions had to be intentional, probably to create the “atmosphere.” Either way, the real challenge in Weaver is the track length; they overstay their welcome slightly, similar to other bands from the Icelandic school. By the time you reach “Sea of Blood, Fields of Nightmares,” you’ll be wondering when those filthy villagers are finally going to kick the bucket, only to find out the longest track is still left. It’s a long time before you can return to your own inevitable demise.

I still think Parfaxitas has cooked something interesting here. I mean, how many bands could write a debut like this? Obviously, these people are masters of their craft, and I’ll keep an eye on what they do next. I might return to this debut once I’ve acquired more wisdom and perspective, or perhaps I just need more patience, but that’s so much harder to get (if you don’t believe me, ask your parents!).

Our deity and savior, Black Metal Promotion has the full album here

Label: Terratur Possessions

Release date: 31 May, 2024

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Parfaxitasband

Country: Iceland, Norway, USA

Score: the wrath of a jealous goddess, or 3.5/5.0 for the pagans!

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