Cursebinder – Drifting [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]

Perhaps some of you will recall that heady moment in 2021 when we reviewed the third record, The Grand Scheme of Things, by Kraków, Poland death metal outfit Dormant Ordeal, not once, but twice. In a week. For reasons. Still, it scored an indulgent 4.0 and a deserved 3.5, so at least it was worth it. Well, DO vocalist Maciej Proficz has another band, Cursebinder. And back in April, to little acclaim (at least that I saw), Cursebinder dropped its debut LP, Drifting. And I am here to tell you that it’s, ahem, spellbinding. Drenched in bright synth work, ethereal melodies and haunting guitar work, all topped off with Proficz’ sulphuric roars, Drifting is 42 minutes of near-perfect black metal-come-doom death.

From the haunting synth line that kicks off opener “Affected by Panic,” before the first thunderous doom riff and percussive drums land, it’s clear that Drifting promises something both different, and a little bit special. The seam of melody that opens the record bleeds through its whole run, anchoring Cursebinder’s sound, as they drift in and out of doom-death, black and post-metal. While I have mostly seen the band categorized as black metal—something I can understand (“Becoming”)—it’s a tag that both sells them short and fails to capture the full scale of their sound, or the nuances woven into it. Sure, there’s plenty of Frozen Dawn or Krigsgrav in there, but there’s just as much Temple of Void and Soliloquium. Galloping bass lines (Łukasz Sojka) and furious riffs bordering on death metal dominate the likes of “Shred by Shred,” while “Becoming” borders on post-metal in the patience Cursebinder show while layering up the intensity that builds towards that track’s epic end.

Drifting by Cursebinder

Cursebinder then draws breath with the stuttering and eerily beautiful percussion-free interlude, “Can they Hear Me?,” out of which they weave an urgent synth line that births one of Drifting’s heaviest cuts, the battering “No Dreams.” Its fury is actually enhanced by the distorted synths that resurface, whenever the guitars drop off for a moment. Drummer Marek Koszycki rarely falls back on out-and-out blasts, the double bass drum always punctuated by little triplets and fills, which lend even the most seething parts of Drifting a faintly progressive air. This is borne out, particularly on the two standout songs, the title track—the record’s longest cut—and the stunning closer, “Permeating the Undergrowth,” which opens in a fugue of static-laced electronica and delicate keys (both handled by Proficz), which fall off allowing guitarist Hubert Fudała1 to drop a gorgeous lead, redolent of loss and the most melodic doom. “Permeating the Undergrowth” also sees Proficz deploy some sparing, horse cleans, a departure from his excellent throat-shredding antics across the rest of Drifting.

Packed with yearning melody and restless experimentation, Drifting shows Cursebinder doing things few others are right now. As suggested by that molten cover art, the band blends together numerous influences, drawing in threads of black, death, doom and post-metal, even venturing into shoegaze in a few places, with the extensive use of synths perfectly complementing the stellar work on guitar, bass and behind the kit. As with Dormant Ordeal, Proficz is a beast behind the mic and the production here balances his demonic presence perfectly with his bandmates’ work. While none of Cursebinder’s members are exactly debutants, Drifting is still a debut full-length for the band and one that deserves a lot of recognition and plaudits.

Tracks to Check Out: “Affected by Panic,” “Drifting,” “Becoming” and “Permeating the Undergrowth.”



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