Macabre Luxuria. A Masterclass in Progressive Blackened Metal
Courtesy of The Metallist PR
Latvia’s Pits has emerged from the Eastern European underground with a debut full-length that achieves a rare balance: the marriage of calculated technicality with visceral emotional resonance. Originally a solitary compositional project started by Alex Prokofyev in 2022, Pits has evolved into a formidable four-piece ensemble . Their debut, Macabre Luxuria, channels the raw power of black metal through the structural sophistication of progressive metal.
The Sonic Architecture
There is a calculated intentionality to how Pits constructs their sound. Rather than relying on simple aggression, the band uses the architecture of acoustic space to create a sense of immersion.
Production: Handled by Gints Lundbergs, the production captures crucial upper harmonics and "spiritual overtones". This gives the blackened tremolo picking a shimmering, spectral quality that elevates standard power chords into something far more complex.
Compositional Depth: The overtones are treated as active elements in the mix, creating a prismatic depth that rewards listeners using high-fidelity setups.
Technical Highlights: Fretless Bass & Percussive Nuance
What separates Pits from the standard "blackened" pack is their refusal to treat aggression and contemplation as opposing forces.
The Fretless Factor: Alex Potapov’s fretless bass is the band's secret weapon. It adds a fluid, almost vocal quality to the low end, acting as the connective tissue between the guitars and drums.
Rhythmic Complexity: Drummer Rodion Belshevits navigates blast beats and progressive polyrhythms with equal facility. The rhythm section focuses on using space as effectively as density, notably in the "dragging," depressive middle section of "Dead Man’s Letter" at the 1:00 mark.
Lyrical Themes & The "Luxury" of Demise
Cover Art: Andrey Nyarl
Lyrically, Macabre Luxuria explores the "luxury" of demise, navigating internal decay and apocalyptic imagery with uncommon eloquence.
"If these hands cannot sow grain / If these hands can't hold the plow / These hands will sharpen the knives."
From the class struggle and systemic violence addressed in "No God Can Stop A Hungry Man" to the historical weight of "Non Licet Bovi" (Latin for "What is permitted to Jupiter is not permitted to the ox"), the album functions as a ritualistic invocation of contemporary disquiet.
Verdict
At a concise 37 minutes, Macabre Luxuria covers more ground than releases twice its length. Released on January 30th, 2026, this album announces Pits as a band with immense vision and technical facility. It is "thinking person’s" extreme metal that never loses the visceral impact required to keep the genre vital.
Recommended for fans of: Enslaved, Altar of Plagues, Deathspell Omega, and Blut Aus Nord.
