Ordinance-Relinquishment

It's been a long day, they didn't tell me it would be like this, but now it's almost done, and it's time for 65 minutes of pure black metal. Such is the power of Ordinance and their new record Reliniquishment from their erudite (and X-rated) cover art to their epic and oftentimes highly intellectualized compositions, this is not a band to be trifled with. There is a certain atavistic might to this record that a lot of modern black metal doesn't touch on. The slow croaks that introduce the albums first track prepare you for the madness to come.

Relinquishment never really roars, but that's not the point of this kind of record anyway. Instead, it's a slow burn, the band drives their way home, right into your heart. Their is a meditative kind of magic to these songs that allows us to fall deep within and perhaps find something better within ourselves. See, Relinquishment is the kind of black metal record that opens the eyes of the listener and prepares them for a brave new world. The droning guitars and surprisingly gentle, yet still very distorted riffing of these songs helps to capture the listenr and carry them off to grey soundscapes that I'm not quite sure what to make of.

It's impossible to sum up a record of this magnitude in just a few words, but know this, Ordinance have created something far beyond the ken of mortal man. There is a power here that speaks to something greater, be it in the haunting melody lines or twisted vocal passages, Ordinance have come out and created a strange sort of head space. One where you can close your eyes and revel in some oftentimes terrifying music, and yet still find peace. This is the kind of black metal that relies on pure vibes, and by god is it good.