France’s Aosoth released one of the greatest black metal albums I ever heard in 2013-IV: An Arrow in Heart. It made my best of list and I interviewed them as well.  Nice dudes, creating some dark and brutal music.  There were a few death metal elements on the album and it was just fantastic.  Fast Forward 4 years later and Aosoth have unleashed V: The Inside Scriptures.  The label released some cryptic wording that suggested this is the last Aosoth album, as it was taking so long and almost was not released.  I contacted the band and they immediately responded.  Aosoth will continue to put out future releases, thank the dark lord, and will go in an even more sinister and darker direction.  FTW!!!!

This 6 song album has long songs, like their past release and the album clocks in at 46 minutes.  “A Heart to Judge” is the longest track, at 8.43 and the song gets into a mid-paced moment with scathing vocals before going into a dark and cold blasting section which takes no prisoners.  The guitar tone is frighteningly evil.  The 3.20 slower moment has some beautiful guitar melodies over the monstrous double bass.  Killer blast section afterwards and some real nice drum work at the 6.40 mark.

The title track begins slow and super heavy.  Almost at a monolith doomy, dirgy pace with vicious vocals and more killer drums.  There are some slow down moments and the guitar melodies just embed in your brain, right before the blast comes in and destroys your soul and the pounding ending is brilliant.  It’s heavy and hate-filled with so much evil dripping from all sides of this sucker.  “Silver Dagger and the Breathless Smile” ends the album and at over 8 minutes is a perfect ending, especially with the epic intro with the cymbals, guitar riff and then the vocals coming forth. Then the fastest blasts the band has ever done erupts for a brief few seconds and goes into a pounding mid-paced part with so much coldness to the guitar tone.  The isolated guitar moment is the Holy Shit moment.  It goes into a killer early 90’s beat with berating vocals over this section and then into that super-fast blast moment again.  It’s delightfully evil and sinister.  More unholiness awaits as the slower passage comes in and is so depressing and emotive it actually brought a huge grin to me.  The vocals are pained and anguished and vicious.  The brutal blast comes in again and the song trails off in a mid-paced rollicking sort of way, then picks up some speed, going faster and faster and then it’s Over.

Aosoth have unleashed a demonic and monstrous album, yet again.  It screams creativity and originality and V: The Inside Scriptures is one of the elite albums of 2017.  It also has one of the best album covers and each song is excellent.  Aosoth have once again reminded the world why they are the kings of Black Metal.  Again some death metal drippings here and there, but not as much.  There are sections that have passages similar to Finland’s Desolate Shrine.  It’s mainly in the dark, evil and cold guitar and blasting moments.  Really spectacular music.  Aosoth should be damn proud of this monstrous spawn.  Buy or Die!

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