Into the Abyss with Wrath of Logarius

Wander carefully into the mist where the veil between realms grows thin into the abyss with Wrath of Logarius. They emerge from where the fog whispers through ancient branches amid the eldritch canopy of the Pacific Northwest’s southern edge. Bearing their phantasmal debut Crown of Mortis like a baneful artifact. With a sound as merciless as it is unbound by genre, they’ve conjured a throne for what they call Formless Black Metal. A deadly hybrid of atmospheric dread, soul splitting riffs, and cryptic storytelling. Forged in the shadow of Bloodborne and tempered by the spirit of The Black Dahlia Murder. We ventured into the abyss with two of the architects of this madness, vocalist Noctifer and guitarist Urath to uncover the whispers behind the spectral legion, the essence of formlessness, and the arcane intent behind their sonic dominion.

ML: Hi guys! Welcome to Metal Lair. Its an honor to have you as our guests.

WOL: Thank you for reaching out. I’m glad we had a chance to connect.

ML: You’ve called your style “Formless Black Metal.” What’s the most unexpected genre or musical texture you’ve tried to put into a Wrath of Logarius song?

WOL: We’re still thinking about how weird we want to get. There are some more lay back ambient parts but I think we’re still testing what fits for each song.

ML: Was there a specific piece of game lore, sound effect, or boss theme from Bloodborne that directly inspired music on Crown of Mortis?

WOL: Not a specific one but the haunting melodies similar in Ludwig’s battle or the weight of the OST of Cleric Beast played a part in the heavy reverb sections. There’s usually some sort of emotionally driven melody in a lot of those from soft games. They strike something internally.

ML: “Unfathomable” opens the album like a broadcast from another dimension. Was that track always intended to be the entry point? What is it beckoning us into?

WOL: It’s really just a narrative driven thing we wanted to add to the lore of the band. It doesn’t explain a whole lot but its just the thoughts of one of the side characters in the lore. We’ll piece it all together eventually.

ML: “Keeper of the Spectral Legion” hits with immediate fury. Who or what exactly is the legion, and whats being guarded?

WOL: The Legion is the unknowable race, ancient and eternal. Born before time began and destined to reign far beyond its end. They dwell in the shadows of the oldest and forgotten realm, hidden beneath veils that no mortal eye can see. They are intelligent, ravenous, and imposing. Though you will not see them nor touch them. You will only know them by the devastation they leave along their path. Their purpose is to take over every corner of every known and unknown realm. Including this one.

ML: Does the Spectral Legion have ranks, hierarchies, or rituals? Can you describe the initiation of a new spectral warrior?

WOL: Yes, there is a hierarchy. But their true power lies in what remains unseen. Mystery is their weapon. Secrecy and ambiguity is their shield. The less known, the greater the advantage.

ML: “The Ethereal Mist” features Vilhelm of Grima. How did that collaboration come about, and what new dimension does it add to the album’s narrative?

WOL: I knew from the beginning that I wanted to collaborate with Vilhelm. We just needed the right song. When The Ethereal Mist was finished, we knew it was the one. I reached out through a mutual connection, and he agreed to do it. Grima’s theme tends to dwell in the supernatural, the wilderness and its ancient, mystical spirit. Vilhelm’s presence brought an elemental force to the song. Lyrically, this is probably the most aggressive song on the album. And his vocals turned it into an outright assault on the elder gods.

ML: There’s a sense of both decay and ascension throughout Crown of Mortis. How did you strike that balance between heaviness and atmosphere?

WOL: We really wanted to look at the album as a whole. We had to try and make the pacing of it make sense with the songs. We don’t think too much about what sections are going where. We mainly went by feel when it comes to balance. We spent a good about of time determining the order of the tracks, though.

ML: “Long Dead the King” and “Dread” feel like emotional bookends. What’s the significance of that closing journey, and what state are we left in at the album’s end?

WOL: We chose to end the album this way because it made sense musically and lyrically. At the same time, you’re probably left feeling unsure of how to really feel. And that’s the point. It feels like a closing, but is it? You’ll have to make that determination yourself. It’s our job to trigger the listener’s emotions and even derail your expectations. The lyrics nor the music are predictable. They are not aimlessly sporadic either. It’s all controlled chaos, my friend.

ML: Is there a particular moment on Crown of Mortis that you consider the heart of the album either musically or thematically?

WOL: “You bled eternity – I drank.”

ML: If the album was an artifact in a Soulsborne game, what stat boosts or debuffs would it carry and what warning would be etched into its surface?

WOL: I think it would be some sort of red lightning bolts added to your weapon that would drain you a little when you use it. No power should come completely unchecked but still open for abuse at a cost. I would imagine it if it had a message etched onto it, it would be in an ancient language or symbols no one has ever seen before.

ML: If each song on the album were a cursed weapon, what would their abilities be?

WOL: This is a good question. We’ll skip the instrumentals.
Keeper would be some sort of sword or axe that was used as a giants key to another dimension.
Erosion would be a great hammer with a shock wave that causes some form of scarlet rot or something.
Of the Void would be two daggers that open a portal when clashed together. Maybe some tentacles come out of it.
Long Dead would be a kings weapon, likely. Maybe a great sword.
Ethereal Mist, I am envisioning a scythe with some poison mist.
Lurkers Tomb is pretty gnarly so a brutal claw weapon with a rage attack or something.
Dread kind of has to be the Crown of Mortis itself. Corrupting nearby enemies to attack each other.

ML: If Crown of Mortis were a location in a Soulsborne game, what kind of boss would guard its final gate, and what would its lore entry read?

WOL: That would be another character similar to Logarius It would have two phases for sure. The first phase would be a decrepit king surrounded by his army of the dead. His second phase would be something with a bunch of bodies fused together into a giant spider or something. The entry would probably read something about the crown cursing the wearer with immortality at a cost greater than death.

ML: If the accursed king from “Long Dead the King” could speak to his enemies posthumously, what would he say from the throne of bones?

WOL: “I was never crowned by the living. I reigned in silence, beneath the rot, long after the world forgot my name”

ML: What emotion or state of mind are you trying to evoke in a listener who experiences Crown of Mortis front to back in one sitting?

WOL: A surge of emotion leading to one truth, we are without limits. Bold enough to test yours, and cunning enough to leave you craving more.

ML: Do you imagine your music as existing in a realm outside of time or do you see it as a reaction to something specific in this era?

WOL: It exists beyond time itself, yet it also weaves seamlessly into the reality you and I live in.

ML: If the band itself were an eldritch entity, what offering would you demand from those who summon you?

WOL: We cannot be summoned. We are not here, nor there, yet we are in all things. We are the scream beyond hearing, and the silence that drowns it. We are the shape of your deepest fear, and the depth beyond your knowing. We are the Great Nothing, ever watching, ever becoming.

ML: In the Wrath of Logarius mythos, what does “formlessness” reject, and what does it embrace?

WOL: It is really about being able to explore the different areas of black metal freely. There are bands that will blend stuff together but they usually stay with their main subgenera of choice. We are going to push it into different styles with more releases.

ML: What does the word mortis signify to you beyond just death, what hidden crown does it represent?

WOL: It depends on who you ask. To the opposition, it’s a promise. But to us, it means we have not only defied death, we’ve become it.

ML: Is there a piece of gear, pedal, or plugin in your arsenal that feels like an arcane artifact or something that transformed your sound when you discovered it?

WOL: Yea, I was using a regular sounding thick reverb when we first went into the studio, Cody our engineer had shown me a “shimmer” reverb. Its a pretty heavily textured sounding reverb and it added that extra layer I was looking for. Lichtlaerm makes a really sick pedal called the transcendence.

ML: What was the most intense moment of transcendence (or descent) you experienced while creating this album both individually or as a group?

WOL: Lurkers Tomb is kind of the whole album wrapped into one song. It was the first one we started but ended up taking the longest to finish. That one I would say is a product of how far we came.

ML: If Noctifer is the voice of the void, and Urath the blade, what element or role would Vastator and Lord Marcoc laim in this spectral pantheon?

WOL: Vastator would be a Katana version of a Saw Cleaver and Marco would be a dual mace set up.

ML: Pick a weapon class to represent your sound.

WOL: It would have to be something powerful but fast. A great sword that you can swing like a straight sword. Has to be a brutal and fast weapon.

ML: Which track from Crown of Mortis would open a gateway, and where would it go?

WOL: Ethereal Mist would open something weird up. Dark wet and empty if anything.

ML: Do you have any last words for your fans?

WOL: Thank you to everyone for taking the time to check us out. We are opening our email for booking and plan to be playing shows throughout the year.

ML: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us. Everyone at Metal Lair loves Crown of Mortis and we wish you all continued success.

WOL: Thank you for taking the time to talk to us. We appreciate it.

Crown of Mortis isn’t just an album, it’s a descent into a world sculpted from grief, glory, and spectral wrath. With its shape-shifting blend of death, atmosphere, and lore soaked black metal, Wrath of Logarius have summoned something that refuses to sit still or be easily named. And that’s exactly the point. Like haunted kings and cursed warriors they channel, their sound carved through tradition with a blade of bone and shadow, birthing a subgenre all their own. Step through the portal and don’t look back. This realm feeds on your unraveling.

Wrath of Logarius Crown of Mortis album cover art

Tracklist
1. Unfathomable (1:05)
2. Keeper of the Spectral Legion (4:37) [WATCH]
3. Erosion (4:26)
4. Of the Void (5:35) [WATCH]
5. Long Dead the King (4:30) [WATCH]
6. Crypt (1:03)
7. The Ethereal Mist (Feat. Vilhelm of Grima) (4:45)
8. Lurker’s Tomb (6:22)
9. Dread (4:49)
Full runtime: 37:12