Words by Jon Garcia
Wrath of Logarius may be a newer name in the extreme metal circuit, but they aren’t wasting any time making their presence known.
Describing their brand of black metal as “formless,” the band cherish and honor the sounds of the genre while freeing themselves of rules or expectations. Instead, they let the music guide them to realms unknown.
“We’re not imitating,” vocalist Noctifer said. “We’re channeling something unfiltered and unshaped. Calling [our music] ‘blackened death’ almost felt dishonest.”
Their debut album Crown of Mortis unleashes 37 minutes of extremity that morphs and expands with elements of atmospheric black metal, post-black metal, thrash and death metal. The mix ofstyles blend into one cohesive sound — held together by the pinpoint perfect drumming of LordMarco — that lurches the listener through a nebulous horror story where danger lurks everywhere.
“What matters more than what black metal means to us is what we choose to do with it,” Noctifer said.
Knotfest’s Jon Garcia posed several questions to Noctifer and guitarist Urath to pick their brainabout the ethos of the Wrath of Logarius, how Crown of Mortis saw the light of day, the cosmic horror themes that pervade the music, and what they hope people will take away from their first offering.
Of all the adjectives to describe your music, why “Formless”?
NOCTIFER: Well, first off, the foundation of our music is black metal. From there we
branch off into different genres and subgenres. Ultimately, when the writing process
began, we noticed our songs were sort of shape-shifting in their own way. We add elements of atmospheric black metal, post-black metal, blackened death, thrash metal etc. Calling it 'blackened death' almost felt dishonest. I respect its legacy and I understand what it means to those of us who live and breathe it. I think people resonate with it because it’s real. We’re not imitating, we're channeling something unfiltered and unshaped.
On a similar note: These days black metal can be (and is) a lot of different things, and many people have very strong opinions on it. What does black metal mean to Wrath of Logarius?
N: I have a lot of respect for those who hold strong opinions about black metal. Hell, I’m one of them. Each of us in the band brings our own meaning to it.
For me, black metal is a medium for expressing opposition, even outright hatred towards certain ideas, whether that’s religion, societal norms, or belief systems. Even though our songs don’t necessarily focus on those themes, there’s still venom behind the words. In that sense, black metal represents freedom to express yourself boldly and unapologetically.
But in the end, what matters more than what black metal means to us is what we choose to do with it.
Take us through the creation of Crown of Mortis. How did you approach writing the songs and what was your process of taking them from your minds to the finished product?
URATH: Crown of Mortis is the product of sitting in front of the computer for hours every night just writing as much as I could. Writing music feels a lot like solving a puzzle to me, most of the time. Then there's some songs you write in a few hours. That’s always nice but I find myself developing more of an attachment to the tracks that I had trouble fleshing out.
Did having your EP Necrotic Assimilation quickly find ears add to any pressure or expectations for the debut? Do you think it was a motivator, a hindrance, or neither?
U: There was a little bit of pressure, but mostly because we wanted to write something that sounded like it fit within the same space as the EP while also expanding and tightening up the sound. We tried some new stuff out that helped add some extra dynamics that we were unable to do in the runtime of the EP.
Was there much of a difference in how you tracked Crown of Mortis versus the
EP? If so, what would you say was the biggest?
U: We tracked Crown of Mortis about the same as we did when we tracked the instruments for Necrotic Assimilation on our own then we take the session to Rapture Recordings for Cody Fuentes to re-amp, track vocals, and mix in his studio. It’s always a great experience going to that studio. Cody does amazing work.
Drummer Lord Marco has an impressive ability to wild out on the kit without
overpowering the songs. How does maintain that balance of showcasing his talents while still serving the music?
U: Marco has a huge arsenal of drum chops at his disposal. I’m unsure of how his brain works but it seems like he can hear a song a few times and have the structure of it down. Marco has a great ear for working on music and what helps songs work. We are always happy with Marco being able to perform drums on the recordings.
The album length is just about perfect. How important was it to provide a tight listening experience, and was it a challenge to cut down and sequence?
U: I think the best approach to try and get something that is tight from a listener's perspective is to write more songs than you need. Then you can start analyzing what works and what doesn’t. There will likely be ideas that can be combined into one better idea. You always have to be willing to delete stuff. Everyone is different though. We're all just “skinning a cat” and everyone
has different methods.
Lyrically, what influences the songs and what stories are you trying to tell?
Should people expect more Bloodborne?
N: The pervading theme is cosmic horror. My writing leans heavily into the poetic with the lyrics being both literal and metaphorical. Each song carries multiple layers of meaning, woven together beneath the surface of the album's underlying story. Like cosmic horror itself, neither the origins, intentions, nor the true form of the antagonist are ever fully revealed. What’s left unseen is more terrifying than what’s explained.
What I can say is this: the album tells the story of an unknowable force, descending upon ancient realms, razing them to ash and reshaping them in its own image. It overthrows gods that once stood eternal, once worshipped, now shattered, and builds its dominion upon their bones.
It is destruction as creation. Chaos as rebirth.
What do you hope listeners take away from Crown of Mortis?
N: No two will hear the same story. Let the sounds guide you. Keep your mind open, and surrender to the madness that waits.
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Crown of Mortis by Wrath of Logarius is available everywhere now via Season of Mist. Order the album - HERE
