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Beginning with an unsettling, slightly out of tune piano and organ opener then roaring into frantic blast beats and unholy rasping vocals, The Eternal Melancholy of the Wampyre is a second-wave black metal beast. Wampyric Rites stick to familiar paths but that makes the album, their debut after a myriad of shorter releases, no less ferocious and yet they manage to imbue their songs with enough melody to give even casual black metal fans a sense that it isn't just chaos. There isn't a standout track but the whole is satisfyingly cold and creepy enough to make you want to leave the lights on long after listening.