Extreme Underground Metal

Label: UKEM Records
Origin: Scarborough, United Kingdom

Advancements in technology combined with increasingly listless album cover artwork have largely overwhelmed the shelves of record stores, rendering any correlation between interesting artwork and fantastic music impossible to prove. Fane, the debut full-length from the UK’s Ante-Inferno, is an exception to the empirical rule. With a darkly mysterious forest shrine pining for adulation, Fane follows through with an impassioned collection of tracks that blends old schools of black metal with innovative injections of doom and melodic death, and doesn’t relinquish control until it has vengefully answered every misguided prayer.

Oath (1:05-10:47)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FV2HsFgeNI

Fane‘s titular track introduces the album with instrumental brevity: disturbing dungeon synths echo through the wicked woods, blending the throaty growl of an unknown beast with orchestral strings that betray the evil air. The pace of this track is extraordinarily tamed, slowly meandering as a raft would lazily yet inevitably drift towards a bottomless waterfall. Reaching the crest of the unavoidable cascade, standout track “Oath” delivers an instantly familiar feeling of black metal nostalgia with a torrential opening passage of slow-grooving licks and classic double-kicks. Desperate, angry shrieks from lead vocalist, K. Beanland, cast a depressive shadow on the previously comforting black metal melody and the track skids to a sudden halt. A doom-laden sludgy riff blunders through the static, and Beanland’s aggressive growls fill the atmosphere with sulfur, slowly suffocating anything left alive. Melodic guitars unleash piercing blackened lightning, nodding to Sweden’s famous Gothenburg scene, before easing back into tremelo-picked minor keys woven perfectly into the crushing shroud of death. Ante-Inferno absolutely slays in these slower sections.

Pace is a constant variable throughout Fane. Most tracks lead with impossibly fast blast-beating and brisk, tight riffs that slingshot songs into overdrive. The third track, “Passing,” retains this scorching speed almost throughout, whereas others, such as “Return” and “Worship,” force-feed chunky thunder into deliberately starved passages. Ante-Inferno is not on cruise control: they swerve around obstacles, slam the brakes for potholes, and race for pinks all along the trip. Effortlessly jumping between energetic blankets of sound and standard black metal pacing (still almost breakneck,) every subtly slowed section is calculated and delicious. By making the many-faceted cards of pace appear and disappear with the agile touch of a magician, Ante-Inferno performs their tricks in every act, ultimately pulling thickened blasphemy straight from the dead rabbit’s hat.

These deft variations mid-song extend beyond pace; vocal styles seamlessly transition from a piercing, raw shriek to sickened, cavernous growls. This vocal diversity, in combination with the aforementioned unpredictable speeds, creates an aural platinum mine of unique passages that keep the headbanger returning for more. Closing track, “Fragments,” broods with guitar work submissive to minor chords, showcasing the dominatrix-like layering of sound consistent with the rest of Fane. Masterful shrieks are back, with hypoxiated drum tracks prolonging their breath and intensity. As with the previous tracks, “Fragments” crashes to a halt, reintroducing the sound of inter-planetary collisions as harbingers of impending doom. These sections rival the most agonizing funeral doom in their bleakness, before returning to intergalactic lightspeed.

Ante-Inferno‘s Fane extrudes a depressive, desolate atmosphere through innovative structuring of pace and vocal variance. By combing the northern wilderness for riffs and loading them with shrieked, billowing rage, Fane is a bold behemoth on the hunt in an barren landscape of terrified burrowing creatures.

FFO: Darkthrone, Dissection (early and late), Emperor, Mournful Congregation

Label: Death Kvlt Productions
Origin: Ecuador

There are two schools of thought concerning the proper evolution and rightful state of black metal in 2020. One of these encourages progressive movement: abandoning demonic themes and the occult to embrace modern production values and new musical elements. For many of the artists who choose this path, their latest works sound nothing like their previous releases; indeed, some of them have evolved beyond the classical confines of the genre, like Enslaved. The other school of thought is simpler: black metal is nothing without low fidelity, blast beats, piercing shrieks, and Satan, ala Dark Funeral. The world of Wampyric Rites is rife with the second school of thought, but Satan takes a backseat to Dracula. These Ecuadorians have plunged the stake of evil raw black metal straight through the heart of the progressive movement.

Demo III is the latest entry in a lengthy list of demos and EPs released over two short years by Wampyric Rites. Clocking in at just over 20 minutes, this four track release maintains a certain mystique while blazing through some of the rawest and most chaotic material imaginable. The shorter tracks are instrumental pieces designed to mesmerize the desolate kingdom of the vampires with haunting melodies and falsely calming synthesizers before the lengthier tracks unleash the beasts for a feast of black metal death.

Track one, “The Desolate Crypt of Carmilla” is a three minute soundscape of continuous pipe organ, the enchanting spell broken only with a brief lapse into terrifying minor keys that forebode impending doom, as Carmilla, the enigmatic female vampire, betrays the trust of those around her in a secretive vengeful quest. As depicted in Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla in 1872, Carmilla is subsequently exhumed and killed in a particularly gruesome finale. Her blood-soaked body releases a chalkboard-scratching shriek upon impalement, mirroring Strigoi’s blistering growl which opens the second track, “Dark Kingdom of the Vampires.”

“Dark Kingdom of the Vampires” exemplifies Wampyric Rites’ musicality, which remains true to the legendary origins of black metal. Drum tones nod in respect to early Mayhem EP, Deathcrush, in which every decisive fill leads to another crushing passage of evil. Layered riffs pummel the track with impossibly fast picking, slithering up and down the musical scales with precision and ease. Even in moments of respite, delicately placed acoustic notes resonate with Somberlain-era Dissection, but are elevated further with a subtle background of synth. These brief passages stand out in contrast the chaotic carnage spewed across much of the album, making every bloody riff even eviler. Throughout all of this, otherworldly vocals possess each track, as if a demonic syringe is pumping venom into the vein of the dark kingdom. “Dark Kingdom of Vampires” comes full circle at the final minute: riffs resurrect, this time layered with a woodwind, as blood trickles into the foundational cracks of the overrun ancient villages of yore.

Full Moon of the Wolf (16:06-23:07)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0aPMnBgGWQ

Set up by woodwinds and acoustic melodies fit for Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – standout track four “Full Moon of the Wolf” oozes, then explodes, into existence with attitude. Slow, churning riffage is uprooted by a violent shriek of desperation, coupled with blast-beating faster than the pulsating heart of a petrified victim. Eventually, the guitarwork betrays the blast-beats in an epic turn of events: creepy bloody power chords of evil drip from the speakers as if from the fangs of the wolf. The organ from the first track rises again and carries the melody into the dark clutches of the vampire’s empire.

Wampyric Rites has forged fascinating, unique black metal whilst retaining as many of the traditional styles as possible. Demo III withstands the test of legitimacy: it could easily be confused with a move from early-Ulver‘s or early-Burzum‘s playbook. This demo, however, elevates itself by employing the master strategy of replacing the archetypical Satan with the penumbral Vampire. As demons and despair perpetually spar for space within the extreme metal world, Wampyric Rites are gnawing their way through the walls of convention and staking a claim in the catacombs of nihilistic legend.

FFO: Early-Ulver, Early-Burzum, Gorgoroth, Mayhem

Label: Satanath Records
Origin: Trondheim, Norway (via Tehran, Iran)

With a bloodthirsty Persian army in tow, Sina Winter has stepped onto the windswept battlegrounds of Norway. Originally from Tehran, Iran, From the Vastland commander Sina left his homeland on a pilgrimage to Norway, the birthplace of modern black metal. Sina’s consummation with Norwegian extreme metal spawned an incubus: From the Vastland was born. Their sinister creation blends ancient Persian mythology and modern black metal blasphemy into a destructive force of unnatural chaos.

I had the tremendous fortune to meet Sina when living in Trondheim: we attended a film screening of the black metal documentary Blackhearts (starring him) in the mountains of western Norway in August 2016. He, and co-writer and co-director of Blackhearts Christian Falch, related an essential piece of knowledge to me: black metal is about the mindset first and the music merely supports it. I have carried this concept with me since that day. Sina, and the rest of From the Vastland, embody this meaning more than many of the contemporary acts with whom they compete, and they have delivered an inspired and meaningful force in The Haft Khan.

Haft Khān-e Rostam (Persian: هفت خوان رستم ) translates to The Seven Labors of Rostam, and tells the story of epic Persian hero, Rostam, who engages the evil Mazandarani daevas of the north after they have captured the Shah and imprisoned his army. Through these seven labors (for which the songs on The Haft Khan are named), Rostam and his mighty horse, Rakhsh, succeed in bringing the Mazandaranis and their leader, the White Demon, to justice. From the Vastland blast through the gates with vengeance: the first tracks rip at the eardrums just as Rostam slashes mythical lions and dragons at the start of his journey. His gore-covered hilt is quickly cleansed with ominous melodies, as they duel with Sina’s dripping growls in a down-tuned slow passage of thoughtfulness. Deep, throaty sermons channel an inner manifest destiny, as Rostam receives divine guidance to continue his quest. The fourth track, “Khan e Chaharom,” showcases Sina’s growls as slower and less frenetic than before, contrasting with searing riffs layered on top of each other to form an inverted escalator to hell. This track highlights the varied expertise of Spektre (also of Gaahlswyrd) on drums: transitioning from pummeling blast-beats to soulful interludes, this kit-basher nails his wicked resume to the White Demon’s forehead with every vicious strike.

Rostam’s quest pivots for its most rewarding stages with the fourth labor. He trades lengthy travel and mythical creatures for the undeniable pleasure of setting his people free and destroying their captors. In parallel, The Haft Khan‘s most insatiable moments come in these final three tracks. Sina seethes with enraged, belabored snarls behind searing distorted riffs, combing the black heavens and unleashing unrivaled rath. “Khan e Panjom” comes to a crushing halt when a static-laden deluge flash floods the scene, infused with early Watain-inspired guitar-work of despair and Tjalve’s (ex-1349) crushing bass lines. A disembodied voice urges Rostam on the path of calculated murder: he kills the Mazandarani champion Olad and the demon chief Arzhang Div as narrated by Sina’s piercing calls from beyond.

Khan e Sheshom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FccWBPLPq5Q

Standout track, “Khan e Sheshom,” blisters onto the scene with a melody from the far-east on speed. Blinded by the curses of the demons he has slain, Rostam has entered the mythical city of Mazanderan to free the Shah and his army, marching to the confident beat of From the Vastland‘s chorus of carnage. A galloping staccato of clean notes carries some of Sina’s deepest menace on the entire album, while blast-beats take a back seat for a moment to allow it to shine. The listener is straitjacketed by the entanglement of pace and production, until the divine words are spoken: “the seventh labor is about to begin.” At this moment, volcanic fire is extinguished in a beautiful acoustic outro, reminiscent of Dissection‘s “Crimson Towers.” The seventh labor is structured with chugging, churning, crushing chords that belie the impending slaughter: Rostam begins his final approach towards the White Demon, scarlet-stained sword in hand. This track brings a decisive conclusion to The Haft Khan, as Sina’s final growls dissipate into the wind as a discomforting quiet disseminates across the valley of the vanquished White Demon.

From the Vastland boldly conquers Norway’s steely landscape with resolute armies of Persian myth. Intertwining elements of aggressive, raw black metal with progressive, melodic passages, The Haft Khan confidently racks an emblazoned weapon into From the Vastland‘s growing repertoire of sharpened blades. Sina does not go softly into the night: he has an entire catalog of Persian mythology for inspiration, and some of Norway’s most bloodied brothers-in-arms backing him up. Await with trepidation From the Vastland‘s future spawn.

FFO: Watain, Gorgoroth, Dissection, 1349

Label: Northern Silence Productions
Origin: Moscow, Russia

From the emboldened opening acoustic strum to the final heartbreaking orchestrate collection of strings, To Mantle the Rising Sun wanders through a bleak realm of the outcast who ultimately accepts his own miserable fate. Classical elements of atmospheric black metal majesty lure the helpless roamer in, before witching melodies with crushing drums decisively lock him away into a dungeon chamber enclosed by miles of molten rock.

To Mantle the Rising Sun is the sophomore effort from Malist, the one-man project conjured by Russian sorcerer Ovfrost. Following Malist’s 2019 debut, Into the Catacombs of Time, this new record expands on Ovfrost’s dedication to symphonic soundscapes, sheer decibel cliffs, and groovy — yes, groovy — collections of riffs. In blending the spoken word and hell-scraping minor chords with meandering percussions, Into the Catacombs of Time proved Ovfrost’s elevated technical abilities in both composing and performing with prowess. To Mantle the Rising Sun rapidly cools the magmatic solution into formation, creating a sinister world where elegance and evil dance before the shrouded sun.

A malist is one who acknowledges and accepts the dominance of evil in the world. To Mantle the Rising Sun embodies this sentiment, and forcibly shoves even the most naive optimist into a blackened chasm of despair. Awakening on the cold, steely floor of a wretched dungeon cell, opening track “Land of the Bewitched” betrays the listener’s sense of calm with soft, beautiful acoustics until reminding him of his dark fate with a tornado of black metal mysticism. The grinding growls of Ovfrost interchange seamlessly with his whispered internal voice as he rips the listener to shreds in a moment of despair. The song transitions with ease following a declaration of the album’s title: now that the sun has been shrouded, the world is flipped. “Shackled Minds” and “Blood of the Untouchable” translate this unfamiliarity by delving into the murky seas of black ‘n’ roll and progressive metal waters, in the style of later-era Darkthrone or Satyricon. Funky basslines and chunky power chords mate with searing extremes, giving birth to the sense of isolation felt while stumbling through the frostbitten plains of the dead. Closing track, “Karsted Hearts,” catalogs the final metamorphosis of the malist’s being: a betrayed heart turned to stone and devoured by acid. A grueling introduction lends itself to volcanic chaos as Ovfrost jackhammers with polished minor chords carving away geologic time in a matter of seconds.

To Stifle the Fire in the Eyes (26:52-33:31)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lENWQCMOBw

Standout track, “To Stifle the Fire in the Eyes,” captures the soul at its most vulnerable. Perverse pandemonium and chaotic confusion hack away at the senses before Gojira-inspired double-kicks whet the blade. Not long into the blood-soaked madness, a soaring solo slices through the atmosphere in a desperate plea to open the heavens and ask for mercy. A momentary respite and orchestral notes are swiftly snuffed; the heavens have refused to answer the call.

To Mantle the Rising Sun is a relentless, punishing journey through a rocky world shrouded by evil. Every track serves this blackened reality just as cold and lonely death serves Lucifer himself. Ovfrost has assaulted the wandering malist with terrifying rage, melding inspirations together as a blacksmith would hammer a dragon-slaying scythe into existence. Malist has taken a tried and true evil formula and chemically mutated it into a new troubled species of black metal.

FFO: Wolves in the Throne Room, Darkthrone, Satyricon, Mayhem

Label: Narcoleptica Productions
Origin: Viterbo, Italy

For a four song EP (three — if you don’t count the brief intro), Ad Omega incubates a surprising culture of blackened variety into their sophomore effort, Golden Age in Blasphemy. Noktvrnal (vocals and guitars) and Phersu (everything else) blaze a winding path through the annals of the black metal library, dismantling encyclopedias of history and abstract art to create a passionate canvas of chaotic insanity. Just as an impressionist imparts thousands of tiny strokes to create a stunning painting, Ad Omega layers every track with precisely timed inflections of evil that reveal a beautiful listening experience.

Following up on their 2019 debut, Luciferian Climax, Golden Age of Blasphemy cuts out the noise, maintains complexity, and narrows the focus. The album artwork conveys the mood — this is the soundtrack of tortured demons entrapped within gnarled roots of a decaying forest, desperate to escape only to find a churning sea of blackness beyond. Noktvrnals’s vocals consist of lengthier, more muddled growls than those of traditional black metallers of the past, which enhance the impending doom and confused dread of the unfortunate soul who has wandered into this dimensionless void. Musically, Golden Age of Blasphemy is contained within a tightly polished onyx chalice. Minor chords throughout the EP pull out the traditional roots of black metal, while the brilliantly composed electronic drums keep this winding beast goose-stepping through every room of the underworld.

Standout track, “Great Mother Lilith,” breathes frozen hatred into the fiery world of Golden Age of Blasphemy. The character of Lilith is a dark moon goddess consistent with her translation in Hebrew: night monster. She is worshipped by modern Satanists, and considered an equivalent of the demonic Hindu figure of Kali. Many hold that the term lullaby originated from desperate pleas of “Lilith-Abi,” Hebrew for “Lilith, begone!” Ad Omega have brought this wicked woman into their world, and flushed out her every evil trait in a slowly burning sermon of impending doom. Not without switchblades up their sleeves, “Great Mother Lilith” somehow elegantly transitions to symphonic and peaceful orchestra music, fitting for Sunday Mass. Service doesn’t last long, though: soon the entire church is torched, as Ad Omega return with an enraged sonic assault that persists throughout the remainder of the entire album.

Great Mother Lilith (10:10 - 17:18)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txi3ymSmCeA

“Non Serviam,” Latin for “I will not serve,” sentences the listener to a rusted dungeon trapped under miles of rock, and makes it clear that Ad Omega, in fact, will not serve. This middle finger is flipped throughout Golden Age of Blasphemy. “Lux(I)Fer” charges out of the gate with a primal scream and classic riffage structured to honor the old days of black metal. Not a minute in, however, the leads pump blood into anesthetizing piano that sedates the listener: this is not your father’s black metal band. This brief section calls to mind the innovativeness of Emperor when they recorded a split with Thorns that birthed such evil as “I Am,” as well as letting Ulver remix their masterpiece, “Sworn.” The rare injection of produced synth playing off of the raw evil throws one in a nostalgic trip from the 90’s. Slowing down the pace allows Phersu’s guitars to pierce the eardrums, spoken word and blasted drums juxtaposition each other until Noktvrnal’s vocals violently roundhouse the track in the teeth. While the bookends of this album contain twists and turns in pace and content, “Heretical Path” burns a relentless magmatic highway into hell. Anger and resentment show their skin through bony black metal scales, while a soaring solo brings this enraged diatribe to a swift end.

Golden Age in Blasphemy is a surprising, aggressive, and bleak take on modern black metal. Noktvrnal and Phersu have concocted symphonic stylings and raw anger into a successfully daring entry in the catalog of the musically extreme. This EP shops through years of black metal history with style, tactfully using ingredients from each sub-genre and mixing them with the skill of an executive chef. This band has been releasing music for only a year; with Golden Age in Blasphemy, Ad Omega have rocketed to the forefront of electric resistance.

FFO: Emperor, Dissection, Satyricon, Thorns

Label: Purity Through Fire
Origin: Cumbria, United Kingdom

Thy Dying Light is a triumphantly frostbitten return to the old days of black metal, when undying Satanic loyalty and vehement rejection of society were equally as important as the music. The music is raw, cold, and dark — sure to satisfy anyone whose dreams are filled with rotting forests obscured by falling snow.

In the better part of four years, Thy Dying Light has steadily built their arsenal of old-school black metal masterpieces. Many of the tracks on their self-titled debut full length album have been released before in the form of demos and EPS, but without the production quality and streamlined flow showcased on the new record. Azrael (guitars and drums) and Hrafn (vocals, guitars and bass) have found a firm foothold in an increasingly crowded space, and effortlessly ascended to the top of this blackened field.

Thy Dying Light has nailed a notice of their existence to Lucifer’s door. Their imagery conjures up early Darkthrone records, in which corpse-painted grimaces scream for relief from the hell of modern society. Melodic interludes between beautifully intense segments of music are injected into the blood of every track, yet chilling vocals retain a sense of foreboding evil throughout. The delicate balance between refinement and chaotic anger is struck with perfection: peaceful endings to “Under the Horns” and “Cold in Death” are curtailed in the fiery introduction of tracks such as “Impaler.” Many other bands offer slower sections and melody as respite from the madness; Thy Dying Light manages to successfully provoke the listener to desire increasingly disturbing levels of chaos. This is a feat in and of itself, and I found myself unintentionally reaching suicidal speeds along the highway of deadly riffage.

Standout track “Ritual Altar” is a chunky, evil love song to the Dark One. Burning with slow intensity and dripping with deliciously melodic lead licks, “Ritual Altar” is stuffed with bloodcurdling howls that linger in the air like poisonous fog. Drums weave in and out — a theme carried throughout the whole album — and a compositional strategy that effortlessly ramps up songs from the first crushing riff to the final growl of dominant desperation. This evolutionary tapestry is not just apparent from song to song, but throughout the fabric of Thy Dying Light. Each track commands its own domain, confidently thrusting the helpless listener into the middle of every engorged sermon.

Ritual Altar (16:05-22:03)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0FN3-k7yN4

Thy Dying Light is remarkably varied considering its homage to early chaotic black metal. Perhaps more impressive: this blending of pace and structure serves to enhance the record’s authenticity. If hearing this album upon entering Helvete (the record store in Oslo at the heart of the black metal movement) I wouldn’t bat an eye, and would be shocked to learn it was from the UK in 2020. Hrafn’s vocals impeccably embody the emotion and power contained within the genre’s very best, and deliver a diabolical empathy uncommon in many releases since the dark dawn of black metal. What Thy Dying Light has achieved is groundbreaking: by taking detailed notes from iconic groups such as Gorgoroth and Bathory, they have created an evil incantation as vicious as anything black metal has produced in the past decade.

FFO: Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, Mayhem, Bathory

Label: Trust No One Recordings
Origin: Västernorrland County, Sweden

Svartkonst is the one-man Black Metal project of Rickard Törnqvist. A seasoned extreme metal listener will immediately think of one-man project, Burzum, for comparison, but where Burzum plays as the old-school mafia soldier, Svartkonst is today’s acting boss.

One-man bands are relatively rare, but not entirely absent, in the Black Metal dimension. Of course, Varg Vikernes helped pioneer the movement in the early 90’s with Burzum, a Norwegian Black Metal project plagued with violence. Two years after founding this band, Vikernes was convicted of the murder of his former Mayhem bandmate, Euronymous. He was also found guilty of a series of stave church arsons, which have since become synonymous with Black Metal and aided in sending the genre into infamy. But lets get back to Vikernes’ project, Burzum. Low production quality and lengthy tracks dominate much of early Burzum (pre-prison days), while the project later evolved into atmospheric synth tracks and mood pieces.

Early Burzum is one-dimensional in its content and delivery and a bit stale almost three decades later, whereas Rickard Törnqvist’s Svartkonst is anything but. This one-man project is full-bodied, surprising, and full of epic twists that will age exquisitely and be savored for years to come.

In Svartkonst’s debut album, Devil’s Blood, Törnqvist masterfully commands traditional elements of Black Metal. The pace and delivery are brilliantly varied. Where a lot of Black Metal bands fall easy victim to four minutes of pummeling, albeit uninspired, blast-beating, Svartkonst refreshingly achieves a satisfying blend of intensity and relief. Törnqvist’s vocals are straight out of the basements and alleys of early 90’s Oslo, but the vicious drumming and piercing guitars have graduated to more sophisticated levels of composition. The aptly named Devil’s Blood channels inspiration from the work of Swedish Black Metal titans Watain, and absolutely draws extreme metal blood.

Two years later, Svartkonst (Swedish for “Black Art”) triumphantly return with this outing, Black Waves. This album is a 40 minute magic carpet ride on a bed of nails. Leading singles “I Am The Void” and “Death Magic” are confident, violent pieces that whet the headbanger’s audible appetite for more. “Death Magic” utilizes a vocal reverb that presents Törnqvist as Satan himself, dictating angry sermons through deep, echoing caverns. “World Ablaze” and “Ruins of Splendor” captivate as soaring Black Metal tracks by switching gears with ease, slowing the pace and ending with slow-motion, head-on collisions.

Standout track, “Stray in the Dark,” is heavier than the collected masses of the planets it soars beyond. Elements of Gatecreeper’s “stadium death metal” sound are prolific, with tantalizingly slow and chunky power chords of evil cranking the volume knob to its limit.

"Stray in the Dark"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw-NciuXaDo

Black Waves marks a step forward in Svartkonst’s repertoire and in the Satanic catalog of Scandinavian Black Metal. Weaving the minor keys of old with Törnqvist’s unparalleled murderous vocals, modern production levels and razor sharp instrumental work put Black Waves in esteemed company. Just as Törnqvist’s black waves roll over the “withering flowers” of the title track, Black Waves decimates once-solid releases that have since decayed behind bars.

FFO: Watain, Gatecreeper, Dark Funeral, Emperor

Label: Noble Demon
Origin: Gothenburg, Sweden

Upon first listen, Impius Viam delivers as a very solid entry into the Swedish Black Metal catalog. It is impossible to escape the pummeling thunder from Janne Jaloma (Dark Funeral), the soaring strings of Johan Eskillson and Henric Liljesand (Cipher System), or the relentlessly and satisfyingly evil dueling growls of Ken Romlin. But to chalk it up as another accomplished piece of this blackened genre would be overly simplistic, if not a bit narrow-minded. In reality, Night Crowned’s debut album is a melding of many inspirations and influences that morphs into a one-of-a-kind listening experience for any fan of extreme metal.

Literally translating to “Wicked Way,” Impius Viam takes the listener down a bleak road of evil genius. Leading singles, “Unholy Path” and “Reborn” carry piercing guitar leads borne of the spawn of hell. Standout track, “Nocturnal Pulse,” appeared on the band’s 2018 EP Humanity Will Echo Out. This work is both slow in its build and patient in its ultimate delivery. Romlin’s scream builds through the intro, which is brilliantly crafted into two parts: the first kicks the song into gear, and the second awakens those meant to remain underground. Elements of death metal are woven in: blast beats and chunky riffage support a roaring solo, before the song quickly dives back into early 90’s black metal bliss.

Nocturnal Pulse (Black Lion Records)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uob67uh-3tA&list=PL6ArVjSG7YnZ7xSdqsvFw6EM_Yr3Shxn-&index=9&t=0s

What sets Impius Viam apart from other black metal releases is not immediately apparent to the listener. Each song boldly plays a different wild card. Whether in the form of acoustic guitars, haunting chanted lyrics, classical heavy metal guitar solos, or even elements of deathcore, Night Crowned switches gears with elegance and speed. Take the flagship single: “Ira,” which is written entirely in Swedish and clocks in at nearly five minutes. It is staggering how many musical compositions are crammed into this beast, yet the band’s superior craftsmanship is somehow retained. “Ira” (Latin for a deadly sin, anger) is truly an accomplishment in itself.

Another song with a winding and wicked path of genre-bending is “Black Bone Cross.” This song begins with acoustic revelations straight from The Somberlain (Dissection) before launching into a tirade of pure metal evil. Halfway through, the acoustics return and carry the song into the black heavens, with spirited bimodal guitars delivering melody and a momentary respite from the madness.

Impius Viam is truly a sensational piece of art. With melodies sure to please the most jaded Gothenburg Scene fanatic, sparse chugging riffage and screams to satisfy any modern death metal or deathcore fan, acoustics nodding to the early days of musical satanic madness (RIP Jon Nödtveidt), Night Crowned has delivered a black metal opus masterfully seasoned with the best of its neighboring genres. This is surely a record to pick up.

FFO: Dark Funeral, Dissection, Emperor, Inferi, Carnifex