I admit it, I only grabbed this because I loved the cover but the more I listened to this the more I realised I had stumbled upon something really interesting. Formed in 2021 by Krystof (vocals, guitar, bass, keys) and Bob Hill (drums) they made a reputation for themselves with their debut album ‘Underground Rituals of Those Unseen’, and it was not long afterwards that they were signed by Italian label WormholeDeath Records and now they are back with their second. There is a raw anger contained within which takes me back to the early Darkthrone days, and it is not unusual for Krystof to “harmonise” with an even gruffer style. I initially thought of the music as blackened death but as I kept playing it I began to feel it is was classic black metal as opposed to anything crossing genres.

True, there are elements of both Marduk and Behemoth in here as well, and the latter has tended to more death elements in recent years, but this is an album which takes us back to the early Nineties and the vibrant scene which was immortalised in Lords of Chaos. It is raw, it is heavy, with stacks of attitude and given they are now on a label renowned for extreme metal I am sure this will be picked up quite widely.

Rating: 7/10

Links:
https://gravethorn.bandcamp.com/
https://wormholedeath.com/