Rating: 10.0

Country: Malaysia

Release Date: 1999

Record Label: Nebuila Productions

Track list:
1. My Oath For Thee
2. B.R.S./Pontianak
3. The Seven-Headed Dragon Of Pelangi
4. Tangisan Embun Pagi
5. The Seventh One
6. In The Name Of Sil-Khannaz
7. Occultus Mysticism
8. My Oath For Thee (Bonus Track)

Langsuyr - Riusgnal

Azmaniarkht- Guitars, Backing Vocals
Batara Guru- Guitars, Keyboards, Lyrics, Backing Vocals
Adjheez- Drums
Azlan- Voices

I really, really, really wish I could properly cohere my love for this record. Before I go off into a verbose, garrulous and bloated blurb about 'Riusgnal', however, perhaps I should place this record in historical/personal context.

When I was a mere 14 years old, my father uprooted my family and relocated us to the exotic tropical climate of Singapore, a locale entirely removed from the frostbitten tundra of my native Toronto. At that point, my metal education was limited mostly to Black Sabbath, Megadeth, Metallica and spurts of Slayer, but by some miraculous stroke of luck (or, indeed, destiny), a friend who had moved with me (and consequently schooled me on the strains of Discharge and Heresy) had come into contact with various luminaries in the local metal scene, which to my mind remains THE most fiercely dedicated, unwaveringly PURE scene I've encountered. Staunchly proud of their own history and the metallic legacy they had sculpted since the NWOBHM boom, the Singaporeans were similarly supportive of musical exploits across the border in Malaysia, a country which essentially shares cultures and languages with its bubblegum-loathing neighbors. Of all the monolithic musical landmarks that littered the Singa-Malaysian metal legacy, none seemed to get Singaporean panties wetter than 'Riusgnal', which was described to me as one of the finest black/death metal recordings ever. Skeptical as always about the Singaporeans' oft-exaggerated rhetoric, 'Riusgnal' first graced my stereo in 1998. To this day, I can confidently report that I was wrong to ever doubt them.

Aesthetically, this is very much aligned with the mythical Hellenic scene of yore. Forging Rotting Christ's understanding of repetition/restraint with Necromantia's ethereal majesty and Varathron's deceptive complexity/meticulously layered melodicism, Langsuyr's approach is one that is breathtakingly sophisticated, effortlessly fluid, an eloquent example of how to use employ melody in a liberal fashion while remaining steadfastly METUHLLL. Right from the get go, “My Oath For Thee” opens with throbbing, surging, necksnapping guitar, Azmaniarkht's insistent rhythmic approach juxtaposing with a squealing, amelodic Batara Guru lead that wrestles with Azlan's many-tracked, manic outbursts. The song evolves into a rampaging, galloping beast not entirely dislocated from Cloven Hoof, before seguing into an elaborate, GORGEOUS mid-paced section which allows Langsuyr to flaunt their innate panache for melody. As malevolent as Adjheez's blastbeats get, the guitar tone throughout is warm, almost velvet in smoothness, providing the two guitarists with the ideal canvas to color the work with ornate subtleties.

Such is the brilliance of Langsuyr, a band that is coarse yet supple, abrasive yet meditative, visceral and cerebral. “B.R.S./Pontianak” traverses through a host of ideas and passages, each boasting a hauntingly eerie melodic line and cavernous, macabre atmosphere, Azlan's unspeakably tortured, echo-soaked vocalizations sounding like bloodcurdling howls of agony emanating from a distant cave. The closing, slightly AOR-ish movement of the song might unnerve some, but for 5/6 th of the song, the number is fucking GOLDEN. Fast forward to album highlight “The Seven Headed Dragon Of Pelangi” and you are greeted with more muscular, merciless thrash riffing in line with “My Oath For Thee”, the two guitarists contrasting malevolent, urgently reckless speed with more morose, elegantly expressed melodicism. 05:18 of pure molten bliss, this motherfucker is absolutely PREGNANT with great ideas, a consummate composition which balances watertight musicianship with bewitching songcraft, impeccable SOUND and otherworldly atmosphere. Bass is somewhat lacking in the trebly mix, but it makes little difference, considering a rhythmic counterpoint is constantly provided by the second guitarist.

The highlights are fucking innumerable here- check out the cascading, swirling, then escalating guitar lines in “Tangisan Embun Pagi”, Langsuyr chucking out epic folk-thrash on par with the best Sabbat (UK) and Bifrost material. How about the churning, despotic-slow-burn-evolving-into-Celtic-Frost-barnstormer that is “The Seventh One”, Langsuyr exhibiting a more simplistic side to their dizzying stylishness. “In The Name Of Sil-Khannas” displays a more Teutonic edge before shifting into trademark Langsuyr tremolo riffing, seamlessly pitting a pulsating early Destruction riff/rhythm against tumbling Varathron speediness, only to collapse into a despondent, doomy, serpentine crawl broken up by a charmingly simple, effective lead. “Occultus Mysticism” is perhaps the most unabashedly headbanger-friendly number of the lot, a pummeling, tensely-riffed mid-period Sodom flavored (read: Christ Passion) winner that again sees Langsuyr mining different territory to brilliant effect (FUCKKKKKKKKK the riff that surfaces at 01:27 is FUCKING AMAZING, BANG YOUR HEAD!…fast forward to 03:20…ARGHHHH where's mr Angelripper?), once again managing to craft a number which features both violent, voracious thrash metal and more ponderously melodic sensibilities.

Everything about this record is perfect. The production is raw, gritty, spontaneous, ALIVE, the performances bursting with vivacious energy and irrepressible excitement. The guitar tone is fucking perfect, the vocals are impassioned and laced with just enough effects to not render it into an overly digitized affair. Songs are absolutely IMMACULATE, melodies are spectral, unforgettable, the atmosphere is absolutely soaking with occultic unearthliness, the lyrics themselves unerringly referential of Malaysia's native folklore, invoking female wood demonesses (Pontianak) and other nefarious entities. In truth, the best ‘'Greek black metal'' record didn't come from Greece. As laudable as the likes of 'His Majesty At The Swamp', 'Scarlet Evil Witching Black' and 'Thy Mighty Contract' are, 'Riusgnal' outdoes them all with astonishing ease. The most overlooked black metal recording ever.

September 30th, 2005