Black Metal from the USA, but the essence of this fourth album is the Norwegian scene shortly after the turn of the millennium.
You can hear inspired moments traceable to Dark Funeral’s ‘Diabolis Interium’, Marduk’s ‘World Funeral’, and Emperor’s ‘Prometheus – The Discipline of Fire and Demise’.Inspirations from outside the Norwegian sphere can be found in the vein of Belphegor and Behemoth, regarding the blend of Black and Death metal, and also the French scene from the same timeframe.
There’s a certain darkness and dissonance in ‘The Blaze of Abaddon’ drawn from latter mentioned source of inspiration, yet the up-tempo riffs with accompanying melodic lines, reminiscent of Dark Funeral for instance, are also discernible, albeit largely dispersed throughout the album.
Commendable in its own right, but also an album that will likely struggle to capture attention amidst the multitude of releases.
