There’s something uniquely French about the way Skriptürr approach Black Metal — that sense of calculated chaos, of deliberate imbalance that somehow becomes its own twisted kind of symmetry. Mortem Exploratores is five tracks of razor-sharp French fury, but unlike many who wield speed and volume as blunt instruments, Skriptürr use them like scalpels — precise, cruel, and cutting to the bone.

From the very first moments of Demon’s Torment, you know you’re not in for a lazy blast-fest. There’s thought behind every surge of noise, and structure hiding inside every slab. Sure, when Skriptürr hit hard, they hit fucking hard — the blast-beats are volcanic eruptions, the tremolo riffs are like black serpents gnawing at your spine, and the vocals sound like the void itself coughing up its last rites. But then, just when you think you’ve got them pegged, the band pull back. The fury subsides, the storm momentarily stills, and you’re left in this eerie, crawling tension that feels like the calm before the next infernal detonation.

What makes Mortem Exploratores so compelling is how every assault has a shadow, every wall of distortion a moment of bleak, almost ritualistic reflection. Skriptürr understand that true power in Black Metal doesn’t come from constant speed or noise — it comes from contrast. The slow sections here don’t just give you time to breathe; they make you aware of how hard you’ve been suffocating up to that point.

The production is gritty but clear, capturing that perfect middle ground between underground grime and clarity. You can feel the room shaking, but you can also trace each riff as it slithers out of the fog. And the bass actually exists in the mix, grounding the chaos in something deep and oppressive, like the rumble of a collapsing cathedral.

By the time the final track ends, you’re left staring into the silence, half expecting another eruption of sonic warfare, but Skriptürr know when to stop. They leave you standing in the wreckage, ears ringing, pulse still hammering, grinning like a lunatic because you’ve just been through something that understands the balance between beauty and brutality.

Mortem Exploratores is available from the Skriptürr Bandcamp Page.

CHOICE CUT: Mortem Exploratores

BLACK METAL ARCHIVES VERDICT: Mortem Exploratores is intelligent savagery — an EP that burns with both precision and passion. Skriptürr channel the French Black Metal spirit of control through chaos, creating something that’s equal parts thoughtful and feral. A short, sharp descent into the abyss that leaves scorch marks on your soul.