The 3rd album from this British black metal project. While black metal when it is done well is one of my favorite sub-genres of metal thanks to its celebration of darkness, few new bands these days are excelling at it . I can typically tell when reading the press release for a band if it is going to be just another senseless blast fest, that would be time better spent reviewing something more original. I am glad I took a chance on these guys and gave this album a shot as it rings out with an eerie dissonance. They bring the storm down as needed, but keep things to more of a dissonant throb.
You can hear traces of Immortal in the coldness of the chords, and the mood sometimes leans in the direction of Inquisition, but they are generally doing their own things here. On sure that the second song needs to be 11 minutes long, but that is where we are at. Each song has a one and two, rather than giving them their separate titles. An impressive guitar solo opens up the first part of "Martyr". The vocals are at an almost croaked, dry mid-range rasp. They are the only obligatory element in play here but offset some of the guitar's more melodic backdrops. The lyrics cut through the buzz of guitar most of the time, but are also more of a texture.
Another plus to this album is you can actually hear the bass all too often bass playing gets lost on black metal albums. The second part of "Martyr" feels like an extension of the first. The first part of "Redeemer' has a beautifully haunting melody sweeping through it and moves at a more melancholy pace. The more melodic approach also applies to the last song. I will give this album a 9, it's a deliberate take on black metal that once again proves it does not have to live and die by the blast beat. Being released on Caligari Records.
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