Midnight - Hellish Expectations

 

For those in the know Midnight has become one of the most exciting, potent and promising bands in the world of underground metal over the last 15 years or so. Their new album Hellish Expectations is the ultimate reflection of the growth this band has had in that time and a thrilling next step for the band who seem to be single handedly keeping blackened thrash metal alive in America today. Having survived the long winter where USBM was completely by the wayside, as the genre seems to be raising its head again, Midnight are at the forefront. 

Hellish Expectations leans into many of the wonderfully over the top tropes that have made Midnight so exciting in the first place. Tracks like "Doom Death Desire" with the immediately memorable lyric "Doom, death, desire, desire for doom!" encapsulate this. Meanwhile, the single "FOAL" which of course stands for "Fuck Off And Live" acts as the perfect end cap to ten tracks of blistering speed metal. Midnight are a helluva lot of fun and this record seems to be just another driving force in exactly what makes them such an exciting, enduring force in the underground. Yes the music is taken seriously but it's just tongue in cheek enough to keep you coming back. 

Midnight have a deep understanding of what it takes to deliver a kickass black n' roll record in 2024. Hellish Expectations is a really, really fun offering and an album that I think will keep people coming back time and time again. Few bands truly understand their oeuvre on a fundamental level the way that Midnight do, and that's exactly what makes their art so compelling. Prepare to dive in and find yourself screaming along within the space of just a song. Midnight have perfected what makes them so great and I love it.

Pre-order the album!

https://www.metalblade.com/midnight/

Satanika - Hordes Of Disgust

Satanika are a band who perfectly embody the uniquely Italian breed of blackened thrash metal that stretches back, as far as I can tell, to the days of bands like Bulldozer. This new album from Satanika, Horde Of Disgust is twisted and weird, a testament to the bands ongoing dedication to darkness and their ability to craft something ripping and terrifying time and time again. This is thrashy black metal blasphemy done right, with a desire to slit throats and speak to listeners about the inherent darkness in a way that only metal can do. 

The sense of bloodthirsty madness that shapes so much of this record really speaks to their power as musicians. The demented cries that define a track like "Cursed Be Thy Name" turn it into a veritable warmongers anthem, and infect the songs with a Venom-esque sense of depravity. It's hard not to be charmed by the twisted vision that Satanika so eagerly bring to the table and the balls out assault that makes so much of this speedfreaks wet dream possible. Hordes Of Disgust is devilish at best, using tritones and angular riffage to put the band in a wonderfully twisted soundscape that can't help but to horrify listeners. 

Spear pointed and unrelenting, Satanika continually find ways to impress and desecrate on Hordes Of Disgust. This is a stripped back and gnarly heavy metal record that is deeply in love with all of the genres most satanic attributes. (Though, to be fair, you probably didn't need to look much further than the name to know that.) Hordes Of Disgust may not be breaking any new ground, but in their finest hours Satanika are as vile as the worst of them and keep listeners coming back for more of that blackened thrash metal magic. 

Pre-order the album!

https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/horde-of-disgust

Destroyer 666 - Never Surrender

 

It's insane to think that Destroyer 666 have been laying waste to our eardrums for nearly 30 years now. What's also insane to think about is that it's been six long years since the last offering from the ever controversial blackened death metal squadron. On their 6th record the legendary Australian by way of England band continue to impress with larger than life compositions, massive choruses, and a recurring sneer towards all the haters. The rend result is an offering that devotees of the underground will continue to be mesmerized by. 

Never Surrender impresses because of its skull rattling madness. The assault that shapes fiery offerings like "Grave Raiders" is addictive and speaks to the ongoing annihilation that this band so easily and eagerly rattles off. More than anything - Never Surrender features some massive choruses that are hard not to be impressed by. The most fist pumping of these anthems seem to showcase Destroyer 666 at their finest, blazing forth at a million miles an hour and getting fans to headbang along to classics that can't help but to capture the imagination. It's blackened thrash metal done with a sense of aplomb few of their peers have. 

Destroyer 666 go for the throat time and time again on Never Surrender and listening to them lay waste to the masses is a delight. This is what the genre was always meant to be about and the uniquely bloodthirsty vision that they bring to the table is far too much fun to let yourself get lost in. Destroyer 666 have kept the chip on their shoulder and retained their level of twisted hatred with no compromises, even after 6 years of silence. The band has always taken their time between albums, but this record has me hoping more than ever that the next one comes soon!

Pre-order the album!

https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/NeverSurrender

Sarcator - Alkahest

 

Sarcator have been one of my favorite bands in the Swedish underground for a few years now. These extremely young blackened thrash upstarts impressed the world when they released their self titled debut as teenagers in 2020. Now the band is gearing up to release a follow up, entitled Alkahest. This offering showcases a very evolved sound for these young men, with all of the same breakneck energy matured by a few more years of songwriting experience. 

The larger spread of influences that impact Alkahest and the improved technical ability of the band members has helped move the needle of what Sarcator are capable of. The tension that brims on songs like "Dreameater" is delectable and speaks to how far these guys have evolved. That being said - at times it feels like the band needs to trim the fat. Given the stripped back nature of their debut I wasn't really expecting songs nearing the ten minute mark on the follow up. That beign said - I admire their vision and the approach they seek to execute. 

All this being said - Sarcator are still an impressive force in the underground. They are dealing death with aplomb and the level of vision and skill that they bring to their music speaks to the world of possibilities that await them. It's a delight to really immerse yourself in the crushing torment that they've painted here and the blackened thrash ministrations that thrilled listeners on the debut are evolved upon here. There's a bright future for Sarcator as one of Sweden's most exciting new bands. I advise jumping on the bandwagon before it's too late.

Pre-order the album!

https://sarcatorblacklion.bandcamp.com/album/alkahest

Nocturnal Graves - An Outlaws Stand

 

Nocturnal Graves have been slicing it up in the underground since 2004. Their unique brand of demented blackened thrash metal is exciting. The level to which they unveil primal darkness and force listeners deep into the darkest recesses of the underground can't help but to fascinate. It speaks to a twisted level of underground madness that few of the bands peers can really relate too but which makes for endlessly rewarding listening. Letting yourself get immersed in their unique brand of filth is a delight of the highest order. 

There is a sense of bombast to this record that makes it really special. Songs like "Ruthless Fight" have the same sort of teeth gnashing excellence that got us all so obsessed with Mayhem back in the day. There is something truly exciting about the frenetic playing and bone churning assault that defines this release. Blackened thrash metal may be a genre that adheres to tropes, but when it comes down to it those tropes are fucking awesome and it's a blast to let your face get melted off by them. This is what metal is supposed to be about after all right? Nocturnal Graves get it, and insist that you understand the power as well. 

If you're looking to bang your head and rage to some of the most fun underground metal I've heard in a while then An Outlaws Stand is for you. It's a teeth gnashing good time full of gloriously evil imagery and sharing a larger overall vision that will leave listeners in awe. This is blackened thrash done right fully aware of its own manic and bloodthirsty madness. Letting yourself get lost in the terror is only a part of the fun. Nocturnal Graves have proven that nearly 20 years in they are still at the top of their game, so get in the pit.

Pre-order the album! 

https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/NocturnalGravesShop

Necropanther - In Depths We Sleep

It's rare that you find a band where every member is a songwriter. That level of talent is exciting to witness, and it's even cooler when bands do like Necropanther did and let each member gets to compose an EP. Their latest offering was composed by the bands guitarist and vocalist Paul Anop. It was recorded in isolation with the miracle of modern technology bringing it all together. Sometimes there are cool ideas that just don't entirely take off. Unfortunately that's how I feel about In Depths We Sleep the latest offering from blackened thrash-doom group Necropanther. 

I will say - I really appreciate the ambition of what Necropanther are doing here. It's awesome to see a band that go out and try to fuse genres and find interesting new sounds within metal. However, on this record it really feels like a jack of all trades master of none type scenario. On some tracks, like 'The Descent Master' the instrumentals are great but the vocals are off, either too loud or not well executed. The band is at their best on tracks like 'Benthic Storms Master' where they lean into more traditional blackened thrash fare. It keeps them moving but shows that they are more than just another metal band aping the greats. 

Necropanther are an interesting one any way you slice it. That being said, I wish they would just trim some of the fat and drive towards more relevant and appropriate futures for themselves without the unnecessary filler and genre explorations that don't seem to fit the overall ethos of the project. In Depths We Sleep is a thrilling record at its best and... just too weird when it isn't. I'd be curious to hear more from the band as they clearly have a few really strong elements, now it's just a question of seeing if they can build on them!

Pre-order the album!

https://necropanther.bandcamp.com/

Demiser - Through The Gate Eternal

 

Blackened thrash is one of my favorite genres of metal. It's also a dramatically under-manufactured genre of metal. Seriously - the world needs more bands like Demiser, who, as you may have gathered, I am writing about today. You see - I had a rough morning, and not just because of the ongoing biblical plague. But, I threw on Demiser and a couple minutes later I'm headbanging away and having a whale of a time. Their new record, Through The Gate Eternal is a masterful offering that really fuses the best of both genres. Also it has a song called 'Warfuck Demon Lust' which, let's be honest, is a great name for a song. 

This record is a blast both because of its glorious obsession with evil (See: "Warfuck Demon Lust") but also the sheer power of the riffs. There are moments of black metal, moments of Bay area thrash, and then entire other passages where the riff styles are fused. Invocations of hellfire abound as the band ricochet from peak to peak, capturing the imagination and definitely proving that they are among the great blackened thrash heroes of our time. This is a high energy record that you can't help but to headbang too. It's simply a blast through and through. Honestly - the fact that you can tell the band members are having fun as well only adds to this. 

Through The Gate Eternal is blackened thrash at its finest, thirsty for blood and excited to rip off your face. It sees the band running at a million miles an hour and fusing genres in a flawless way. The bands overarching mastery of both thrash and black metal is apparent throughout this release and it's really a treasure to sink your teeth into the offering here. Through The Gate Eternal is a delight to spend time with and the more you immerse yourself into the take-no-prisoners magic of this band the quicker you realize, Demiser are here for your throat. 

Pre-order the album!

https://borisrecords.bandcamp.com/album/through-the-gate-eternal

Witchtrap - Evil Strikes Again

Man - you just gotta love the South American blackened thrash scene. There are so many bands from there that simply rule and represent decades of hard work, discipline and underground metal magic. The latest offering from Witchtrap, Evil Strikes Again is just another example of that. This is Colombian blackened thrash at its finest, full of gloriously evil lyrics and over the top imagery. This is exactly what the doctor ordered - the type of evil thrash metal madness that has helped the sub-equatorial scene stay relevant for so long. 

While yes the production borders on the primitive and yes it has been five years since the bands last record, that's gotta be a part of what you signed up for with this band. Witchtrap are known for taking long breaks between record, but they continually come back with that fierce and twisted metal madness. There is a sense of swagger here that shines through on tracks like 'Return To Hell' which helps to elevate the dialog around them and make for some truly special listening. There is a mesmerizing power to what they are crafting and there allegiance to the old school ideas, classic metal bombast and 90s metal evil makes for something addictive. 

Evil Strikes Again is a fun listen and one that nicely leans into a lot of the tropes that helps to make underground metal so fun. Yes there are moments that are a bit cheesy and yes they lean into tropes now and again, but that's part of the joy of this band. They are heavy metal for heavy metals sake. If you can't get behind something that is so boldly over the top, fun and willing to go for the throat, Witchtrap aren't the band for you. But for those of us who love the madness of the underground and want to dive into the pit... look no further!

Find them on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/WITCHTRAP/

Vectis - No Mercy For The Weak

There is something to be said for the short thrashy black metal EP. No Mercy For The Weak is a perfect example of the oeuvre. The latest from Vectis, the record beats you over the head with high energy rhythms and infectious grooves. There is a chaotic magic to this album that makes it infinitely replayable. That's part of the beauty of this type of EP - it clocks in under fifteen minutes which means that it can be played time and time again but remain fresh, simply because there are so many ideas.

This all being said, No Mercy For The Weak is a bit rough at times. It's not necessarily the most polished offering to come out of the Helldprod label in recent months. That's not the point though. The point is to scream along to "Evil Possession" and have a whale of a time doing it. No Mercy For The Weak is about high powered angular riffage that goes for the throat and reminds us why we all started headbanging in the first place. When you start to look at it from that perspective it becomes a question of "What are we waiting for? Let's dive in!" There's nothing fancy here - just raw rock energy.

No Mercy For The Weak is a rager through and through. It has that 'blink and you'll miss it' quality that defines so much of the best raw and energetic metal that has come down my pipeline over the years. The chaotic magic embodied here is searing hot and a blast to sink your teeth into  it repeatedly reminds us that Vectis are at the top of their game and show no sign of slowing down. Instead I only see this band becoming ever more vicious and more sonically addictive - what more could you want anyway?

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/vectisband

Hellripper - Black Arts & Alchemy

Hellripper is the sort of fun and over the top blackened thrash metal that makes this whole scene worthwhile. Growing out of the vision of James McBain, a 24 year old mastermind, their latest offering, Black Arts & Alchemy is some of the most wonderfully wicked and hard hitting heavy music that I have heard in a good long while. Becoming ever more refined with each release, Hellripper's brand of auditory blasphemy is pushed to new levels here as we delve into their black metal by way of Motorhead assault.

Protegés of Midnight, Hellripper are the sort of band who are going to rip your face off with every caroming chord. There is something endlessly fun about the almost danceable magic of this record. The searing melodies are over the top and at times silly, but that's part of the point. there is something wonderfully self aware about Hellripper. The playful evil of the title track for example only serves to push the band further down the rabbit hole of black n roll. What's important to note is that as punk as Hellripper might feel, these executions are tight. Yes things feel like they might burst apart at the seams, but to capture that takes a lot of skill, and McBain proves it time and time again.

If you want a record that screams 'Black fucking metal!' then look no further, Hellripper provide it. This is an album that is fun, powerful and over the top. IT reflects on everything that makes metal great, delivering with bloodlust. It's hard to find metal bands in 2019 who aren't precious about their art or overinvolved. There is something wonderfully natural about the in your face fuckery of Black Arts & Alchemy and it has me wanting to come back to the gut wrenching madness of this record time and time again.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/Hellripper1/

Blackthorne - S/T 003

Well this is a really interesting one. A record that seems to infuse grind with black metal, thrash and powerviolence might normally seem like a hodgepodge, but the guys in Blackthorne make it work. This thirteen minute LP represents some of the most wonderfully vicious blackened thrash this side of Vektor. Embracing the in your face and twisted magic of the blackened thrash genre, the band add technical flourishes to counterbalance ferocious blasts. The grindy magic of these songs is intimidating at times, but it perfectly meets the bands over the top stop/start dynamic.

For a record htis extreme it's interesting to see the bands ability to play with color and dynamic interest. While the record certainly has a few super short ragers more developed pieces function as an effective counterweight. Not only that but the more thought out songs seem to speak to a darker unreality, one that might get too weird if it weren't for the grindier elements. That is to say, while this record certainly does showcase a variety of genres, it does it in a way that is surprisingly tasteful. Once more the underground has bared its ugly head and showed us that there is some wonderfully evil music for us to sink our teeth into.

I love the hectic magic of this record but I also love the fact that it comes with healthy respect for traditional black metal. In some ways you almost might wonder if Venom was the bands primary influence. It's like this band took all of that pioneering bands ideas to their logical extreme here in order to unleash hell. It's hard not to be fascinated by the various unfolding parts of S/T 003 (The band has a super weird album naming scheme I don't totally get) and the deeper you delve the more you will fall in love.

Find them on Facebook!
https://blackthorne666.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-003

Sathanas - Necrohymns

This one is an absolute motherfucker of a release. It's hard to believe that Sathanas have been churning out thrashy black metal since all the way back in 1988 and now are continuing their legacy on an Indian label, Transcending Obscurity - my how times change. I kind of love it though, there is a certain surreal majesty to what goes on with a given Sathanas release and Necrohymns is no different. The vastness of the sound is monolithic and borderline terrifying, I gotta say I'm a little bit in love with it.

There is a sort of no holds barred assault that makes Sathanas so exciting. Yet within that they also broadcast a lot of their own unique ideas. There is an undeniable swagger too, a swagger that comes from a band who have been grinding it out for thirty years and over the course of four decades. Necrohymns is the culmination if decades of devastation, the sort of ethereal and gut crunching poetry that serves to make this music so valid. While at times it can be a bit punishing, for me that's a big part of why I'm so deeply in love with it. the imagery is exactly the kind of bleak we need to get through this shit world.

The chainsaw assault and jaded sneer of Necrohymns speaks to a scene that has been strugglign to survive since its inception. This is the sound of a band who reflect the bitterness this music has always had but paint it within a sort of deeper and darker reality. Tracks like Of Wrath And Hellfire have a twisted stomp that seems to fall somewhere between Mayhem and mid-tempo Slayer. They tap into a lot of straightforward and fascinating ideas encouraging the listener to delve deeper and struggle to understand the madness within.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/sathanasmetal/

Pre-order the record!
https://sathanas.bandcamp.com/

Hammr - Unholy Destruction

Oh Hells Headbangers - how do I love you? Let me count the ways! Perhaps first on the list should be Hammr, whose long anticipated debut Unholy Destruction is guaranteed to rip your face off and acts as a constant reminder of the crushing and demented power that thrashy black metal will always have. A one man project filled with flash and grit there is something strangely addictive about this record. It's an album chock to the brim with bite size songs that leave you begging for more as you drown under riff upon riff.

The thing is that through all of this flash and bloodthirst it's fairly obvious that Hammr are onto something special with Unholy Destruction. This is an album that plays on tropes that we all know and love and a record that pulses with the sort of Satanic bliss that only black metal can touch upon. Of course within this there remains a sense of Lemmy like swagger, the manic playing and dive bombs can't help but to hint at that. There also is a sense of twisted madness that only helps to make the music all the more exciting - it touches on that Satanic panic - Venom inspired debauchery that I think drew so many of us to the genre in the first place.

Hammr plays by all the rules for fucked up heavy metal that nerds like us are going to love. Sure it's pretty particular but it's not really inaccessible. There is something strangely danceable about this band and constant ways that the group becomes more and more twisted. the loathsome noises found within are the sort of thing that will piss of your mom but also give you a chance to find truth. Independent and willing to rip your fucking throat out if you try to pin it down, Hammr's Unholy Destruction is a treat for the ears. 

Find them on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/Hammr666/?ref=br_rs

Nocturnal Graves - Satan's Cross

Season of Mist's Underground Activists sublabel is incredibly fascinating to me and chock to the brim with all sorts of badass little goodies for nerds like me to pick apart. Of special interest is their latest reissue, shining new light on Nocturnal Graves classic Satan's Cross, the kind of blistering black metal that defined the mid-Aughties this album, augmented with the addition of their demo tape of the same title. This is the sort of hard hitting and devilish black metal you can't help but to sink your teeth into.

I think what drew me to Nocturnal Graves all those years ago was the sheer breakneck devastation. The twisted vocals flying out of the speakers reflected upon a time when black metal was just as influenced by Slayer as it was Venom. This record is perhaps their thrashiest and also the one that I have always been most likely to put on. It's the album that seems to understand the devilish beauty of the old school thrash scene and imbues it with a deep sense of evil that most can't really wrap their heads around. Satan's Cross is a tortured nightmare of an album and one that has been beating fans across the ring for a decade now.

The twisted madness of a song like Rotten Cremation is absolutely thrilling and is a perfect encapsulating example of what makes Satan's Cross so great. This album is simply chock full of riffs and can't help but to fascinate time and time again with its bloodthirsty joy. You careen forward with Nocturnal Graves and watch it unfold before you and it makes for an album full of blasphemous majesty. The sort of record that can't help but to invoke your inner fifteen year old, this is what black metal has always been about.

Find them on Facebook! 
https://www.facebook.com/nocturnalgraves

Witchery - I Am Legion

It's sometimes a little hard to believe that Witchery has been around for twenty years and is gearing up to release their seventh record. They were always one of the most wonderfully twisted bands to come out of Sweden and the sheer bloodthirst that defined their output always captured my imagination. The band is back now after less than a year with an exciting new record, I Am Legion. It's a release that shows that no matter what the haters might says, Witchery remain extremely relevant in 2017.

The beauty of Witchery has always been the crazed over the top dedication to darker metal tropes. Tracks like True North and Amun-Ra explore tried and true concepts to be sure, but they are wonderfully executed and leave you begging for more. At this point Witchery are legends in their own lifetime, the strangely comforting chainsaw approach of a track like Welcome Night represents the perfect fusion of black and thrash metal, maintaining what could almost be described as a sense of fun as you grind your way through punishing solos and flashy riffs that wouldn't feel out of place on a Darkthrone record.

Getting lost in this record is a lot of fun, you find yourself rip roaring across brash pagan landscapes as the snow blasts into your face and the blood trickles down your cheeks. There is a miserable madness that drives I Am Legion forward, almost as if the band has been possessed by their demonic namesake. Witchery push above and beyond time and time again on this record and it leaves me absolutely mesmerized. Witchery is truly twisted and I can't help but want to sink my fangs into this album time and time again.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/officialwitchery/

Affliktor - S/T

Blackened thrash metal has always been an interesting genre to me because it unites two subcultures which are nowadays fairly disparate into something dissonant and powerful with a sense of fun that is gut wrenching and a demented glory that reminds us time and time again why w got so deeply involved in this music in the first place. Affliktor is the sort of technical blackened thrash assault that seeks to fill the void left by Vektor's prolonged absence, but does it in their own incredibly fascinating way.

While the Vektor comparison is facile I think it's important to realize that there's a whole hell of a lot more that makes Affliktor special. This is a band who have a certain sublime poetry to their execution. The songwriting here is excellent with riffs upon riffs stacked up to create the same sort of face melting united front that I think drew so many of us to bands like Dark Angel when we were kids. Sure there are lots of moments of Testament or Kreator worship on this record, but that's a huge part of why I love it. It's a record that knows where it comes from and then bursts down the door kicking and screaming.

I think it's hard not to lose yourself in the chaos of what Affliktor has conjured up here. This is an album that touches on a lot of powerful themes and thematically has the potency and subtlety of a ten ton hammer. There is a certain sublime poetry to the riffs here though that is simply undeniable. The general approach to songwriting on Affliktor is intricate and excellently approached. It's hard to pull yourself away from what the band has been able to conjure up here but it reminds us time and time again why thrash metal reigns supreme.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/Affliktor/

The Furor - Cavalries Of The Occult

Now THIS is blackened thrash metal. The Furor are a strangely charming band, a group who understand the grimy glory of the genre and who charge forward with the sort of demented and almost antediluvian bloodthirst that makes this sort of music so much fun to listen to in the first place. Their latest offering Cavalries Of The Occult is fairly stereotypical of the genre, which also means that it fucking rules. The Furor are the sort of thrashy black metal band who are going to burn for a thousand years whether you like it or not.

There is a sort of balls out, hair tearing assault to The Furor that you simply don't get with many of their peers. The tortured screams and hectic riffs never get old and adapt very well to a format of surprisingly long songs. While many of their peers might struggle to regularly pull off songs that are five minutes plus, The Furor seem to revel in longer tracks, merely cramming in more riffs but constantly pulling back to traditional ideas and reminding us how goddamn good they are. Cavalries Of The Occult has a sort of barn storming arrogance to it that you can't help but to smile through. You get the sense that you are being crushed by a stampede of riffs and the faster it goes the more I want to hear.

The satanic grooves and unholy gyrations of this music will capture your imagination and leave you with a smile on your face. The Furor push forward with a sort of animalistic joy and the sheer manic energy behind these songs makes them as terrifying as they are addictive. Sure The Furor needs to spend more time developing their tracks and maybe expanding the production, but as a pure and simple proof of concept Cavalries Of The Occult is an exciting testament to a band who could do great things.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/TheFurorObliterate

Ravencult - Force Of Profanation

I have a deepset passion for thrashy black metal (Thrashened Black Metal? Blackened Thrash Metal? Whatever) It's a genre that I feel has not been sufficiently explored and one that seems to yield consistently great results. Ravencult's Force Of Profanation adds to that pantheon with an album that comes forward harsh and unrelenting. They are ballsy and fun, adding a touch of rock and roll to their black metal blasphemies. This is a band who understand the blazing power of thrash metal and infuse it with triumphant satanism, making for some very fun listening. 

There is something about Ravencult that just feels... right. They are the sort of band who distill the magic of metal into something far greater. Their trademark stomp and the frankly threatening majesty of songs like Merciless Reprisal is delicious and hints at greater things to come. Force Of Profanation is the sort of record that reminds us why we got into this in the first place. Ravencult don't give a fuck what you think of them and will gleefully go for the throat - crafting an end result that is shockingly catchy and a joy to dive into. This is an album that refuses to compromise, but ends up being far more fun than almost all of its peers.

With Force Of Profanation Ravencult prove they can do it all. While most of the record certainly sits in a distinct vein of thrashy black metal the band goes willfully to either side of the spectrum and proves that they can rock it. There are moments that hint at more meditative black metal and others where the band shows that they can bring the thrash on the same level as Death Angel or Slayer. The balance they strike is... well... striking and it makes for an addictive listen you will be sure to spin time and time again. 

Find them on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/ravencultofficial/