Moodwise the sophomore release from this Los Angeles-based band picks up where they left off last time. They now have Ben Pitts from In the Company of Serpents taking over vocals. This band features former members of Ashen Horde, so you know you are getting top-tier American Black Metal. He croaks with articulate depression on "the Inexorable Earth". The song sounds like it is a length extension of the previous song. To their credit, the riffs wind around creating more of a throb than the type of blast fest black metal can default to in less capable hands.
There is a more nuanced creepiness to "The Well", which is a song that will surely garner more focus in other reviews, so I am just going to cover it in broad strokes. Pitt's delivery is fitting for it as the lyrics stand out more. These guys are known for having a dystopian theme, which makes it even more relevant in today's world. "Within Our Dominin" gets off to a more deliberate start, but once they gather speed the riffs coagulate into more of a black metal sound than a black metal song. The riffs they collect here are all cool enough they just tell less of a story in this arrangement.
"They Hunt at Night" blasts by in a furious blur. The vocals shift from a lower growl to a higher more anguished black metal one, but aside from the solo section it goes by too fast to really catch on. It sounds great in terms of execution and production, but there are moments when speed plays against them. 'Devour" feels creepier at the onset, they allow the chords to breathe in a way that invokes the most darkness. The vocals feel a little obligatory and less like there is a story to be told. When things accelerate past the point of creepy it tends to feel like everything else. "the Foundling' works better on some of the more death metal-like stomping moments. There are times when it reminds me of Inquisition, which is cool except for the fact Inquisition has an album coming out so I will likely get more mileage from that one.
"Ghost in Smoke" feels like it has more purpose. Perhaps some of this lies in the manner the vocals are snarled which allows you to decipher the lyrics. The tremolo-picked guitar is no less rapid-fire but touches on marginally more melody. "Winter's Embrace" carries a more triumphant with which to end the album. I will give this album an 8. It occupies a space for me that is already will with bands like Inquisition for when I want this sort of thing, but they are good at what they do, however, it occupies a very particular sonic space and rarely ventures from it. They do get credit for making black metal that sounds great and does not try to be too cvlt for it's own good or just blast beaten cloud of white noise.
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