Blood Countess – Occulta Tenebris

Blood Countess, a UK-based black metal band, released their first full album on the 1st of April (yes really). The band name itself is pretty explanatory about the subject of the band, but in case you are still wondering, it’s about Elizabeth Báthory.

A small lesson in history

Elizabeth Báthory was born 1560 in the Kingdom of Hungary (which is now Hungary, Slovakia) and is known for the killing of ten to hundreds of girls and women between 1590 and 1610. How many she killed is still a subject of debate. There are some theories that it was a witch hunt against Elizabeth because of her status, properties, and influence. But most historians will agree that there were many victims overall. Her servants (4 in total) were convicted for the murders. Elizabeth herself was imprisoned within her castle, named Castle of Csejte.

She died on the 21st of August 1614.

Occulta Tenebris

The first album of the band is called Occulta Tenebris, which means Hidden in Darkness in Latin. It consists out of 8 tracks.

Storms Over Carpathia
Ad Altare Sanguinem
In Virgins Blood
Ululation of the Grief Stricken Peasants
Screams Over Carpathia
Orgasm Leading to Death
Ferenc Nádasdy
21-08-1614

The song titles read like a storybook about Elizabeth’s life.

Storms Over Carpathia

It starts with the storm that is brewing and growing in strength. The song sets a nice atmosphere with a thunderstorm in the distant, and makes it a great start for a lesson in Hungarian history. The drums are vast and pummeling (which I prefer in black metal) and I like the vocals, it’s raw and suits the subject of the album.

Ad Altare Sanguinem

The altar of blood (Ad Altare Sanguinem), describes her lust for blood and the murders she committed. She was obsessed with it, and she and her servants murdered many girls/women for their blood. The lyrics are very dark.

Ad altare sanguinem
Share thy blood
Cast my spell
You will suffer
Your blood is mine

In Virgins Blood & Ululation of the Grief Stricken Peasants

The tracks In Virgins Blood and Ululation of the Grief Stricken Peasants talk about the pleasures Elizabeth got from killing the Virgins and that she bathed in the blood of those that were killed. It makes for a good horror story, but in real life it is a legend and never confirmed. Ululation (a high-pitched howl) of the Grief Stricken Peasants tells about the torment and grip she had over the peasants in the area. Musically speaking, I really like the drums of this album. They are very fast and properly mixed. The screams and howls of The Cuntess (yes, that is what she calls herself) makes it a complete package.

Screams Over Carpathia

The only instrumental track on the album and one of the highlights of the album. The screams of torture really makes clear to the listener what happened in her castle, and you can just hear the agony of the victims.

Orgasm Leading to Death & Ferenc Nádasdy

Orgasm leading to Death is the 6th track of the album, and the lyrics (you can check them on metal-archives) talk about Báthory’s perversions and her need to torture for sexual gratification.

Once, twice, begging me to stop
Reaching climax, I will carry on
My torture methods used for sexual urge
Just this last time, you will cum for me

It might have something to do with her husband Ferenc Nádasdy. Her marriage was an arranged one for political purpose and after a few years Ferenc was often away from home. But as the lyrics say, she had urges and perversions, and she acted those out on the lower classes and the girls and women she killed.

21-08-1614 (the day the Countess died)

21-08-1614 is the last track of the album and the date that Báthory died. As mentioned before, Elizabeth Báthory was confined to her Castle and couldn’t leave it.

Stripped bare of power
Violence and desire
Torture and violation
Torment
That was my fuel
For that, I lived
And now I shall die

She knew she would die there, but like further lyrics suggest, she vowed to return (“I will rise again”) and in a way she did. Elizabeth Báthory is still very popular in fiction (books, movies and more) and I have a feeling that will stay that way until the end of time.

The End

This is the end of our small history lesson. Overall, I love this album. I love the lyrics, the music itself (the drums and vocals as the biggest highlights of the album) it’s all skillfully put together, and I really hope Blood Countess will release a second record in due time.

Social Media and Where to Buy

Bandcamp: https://bloodcountess.bandcamp.com/album/occulta-tenebris
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BloodCountessOfficial