From Italy comes Affliction Vector with their first full length album - they had just one EP prior to this. It's definitely more to the black metal end of the black/death spectrum, with claustrophobic riffing and smothering textures. The vocals range from shout to snarl to scream in true black metal style. It's brutal, but with a definite sense of dark and cold melody at times. This has as much in common with Mayhem as it does with Conqueror or Revenge, a perfect middle ground with good riffs and decent composition. Weird intros and outros abound, adding to the horrific, choking atmosphere. Their songs do tend to blend a bit on the first listen through, but I imagine with multiple listens that subsides. There's just so much going on in these songs that you won't catch it all the first time through unless you have a truly trained ear. It's hard to absorb in one sitting. This is not a bad thing, as Emperor was like this for me at first as well. This is worth the time to check out if you want something a bit more visceral from your black metal.
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