I have a bit of an odd confession when it comes to discovering and obtaining obscure Black Metal, Death Metal and Extreme Metal in general from around the world, especially when it pertains to countries where English is not the dominant language – and that confession is, that when I procure the release, be it an album or EP and it’s written in another language, I leave it curated in my music played WITHOUT the English translation.
The reason that this is pertinent here, is because this release from Ukraine’s Kaosophia, entitled ‘Beyond The Black Horizon’, has only ONE track titled in English; the rest are in their native tongue (which I presume to be Cyrillic) and I personally love that, as it makes the album feel more natural to Kaosophia; who have two prior albums, primarily with English track titles.
With this third album for Kaosophia, the approach is already stellar as soon as it begins; a wonderfully catchy, yet riff-heavy and memorable one-two punch of melodic Black Metal to satisfy those who enjoy the work of Mgła, Watain and Ondskapt, as well as a bit of Path (from Russia) influence creeping in, which is a good thing.
The production is crisp; the songs a decent length so as to breathe and settle with you; essential for listening to the album in its entirety (primarily the reason why I ensure my copies are not translated; I want the music to speak for itself and transcend language and culture). Also of note is that the album has two brief instrumental tracks; said tracks flowing perfectly within the album’s designated order.
The moments of blistering riffage, pounding drum work and rasped and growling vocals are tempered with strains of melody that are catchy and memorable in their own right; making the album a must-listen from start to finish, and ultimately, a surprisingly powerful listen across the board.
Ukrainian Black Metal seems to have a great emphasis on melody and tight playing; what with 1914, Raventale and Colotyphus being key examples of this. While 2025 saw many superb releases being hailed for their creativity and artistic efforts within Extreme Metal, along with a spirited discussion for what makes an album “Album Of The Year” in whatever form that took, Kaosophia’s third studio album is an excellent release that deserves checking out with subsequent revisits, even if you can’t discern the track names as they are.
