Here we have some suitably epic sounding black metal from the state of Washington that focuses on fantasy in the lyrics. They remind me a bit of Moonblood and Satanic Warmaster, but with their own twist on the style. They're not a clone like so many other bands, and there are clones aplenty in the scene. They have wondrous synths that occasionally appear in the music that helps the fantasy landscape to materialize in the imagination, really emphasizing the epic feel of the music. They rely heavily on tremolo-picked riffs, but they'll throw a curveball at the listener occasionally and vary their approach with an aggressive or epic riff, or even a quiet interlude. The repetition combined with all the tremolo-picking gives some of their songs an almost hypnotic quality. The production is suitably raw, but all the instruments are clearly audible and cleanly played. There is no slop here, the band is tight. If this interests you, you will have to settle for digital, since the LP is now sold out in pre-orders, but I highly recommend checking it out anyway.
