CONTAGIOUS PSYCHIC MISERY

"Contagious Psychic Misery" is an EP release by UK, London based black metal act Skaldic Curse. The EP was released through Forgotten Wisdom Productions in 2004. The original release was limited to 500 cassette tape copies. Skaldic Curse formed in 2001 and were active until 2011, releasing a couple of demos, this EP, and two full-length studio albums in that period, and also released the posthumous third album ("Devourer") in 2013.

while the 2001 "Funereal Eclipse" demo wasn´t anything out of the ordinary, Skaldic Curse began showing more progressive ideas on the 2002 "Hated by Matter Itself" demo, although their core sound was still black metal. That approach is continued on the 4 tracks on the 25:40 minutes long "Contagious Psychic Misery" EP. It´s reverb laden, razor sharp, trebly, harsh, and fast-paced blasting black metal, but Skaldic Curse also add atmospheric features and progressive ideas to their music, making "Contagious Psychic Misery" an intriguing release throughout. The vocals are predominantly raw snarling and hateful black metal vocals, but the EP also features spoken sections, and a couple of clean vocal moments.

The production values are harsh, but not murky, and suits the rawness of the material well. So while it is certainly a bit lo-fi and unpolished, "Contagious Psychic Misery" is a relatively interesting release by Skaldic Curse and a 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)