While the Pacific Northwest has become renowned for its many one man, suicidal black metal projects, the scene is quickly becoming little more than Xasthur/Leviathan cloning with little or no deviation from the template laid down by Wrest and Malefic and I’ve been waiting for a person/band to add a little something different to the genre. Bindrune’s last effort from Celestiial failed miserably, but apparently, that act is Chet W. Scott.

No pseudonym is necessary here as Chet’s project, Blood of the Black Owl, finally delivers a take on doomy depressive black metal that deviates slightly from the suffocating psychosis of his peers. What we have here is still, disturbing and nervous doom gaited black metal, but with a tangible Stoner lean, especially in guitar tone. Now don’t get me wrong, the first time I listened to Blood of the Black Owl with headphones on at bedtime, I had wretched nightmares (seriously), as the draining, lengthy tracks are still fraught with tense paranoia, but its’ less clichéd and insidious and more organic.

The mournful drone of opener “Kills The Timber” immediately cements the stoner aspect of BotBO, but Chet’s pained and often barely audible wails and moans remind you this is no Dazed and Confused trip, and the track’s dramatic, howl laden turn at around the 7:20 mark is stifling and disturbing, like a trip gone bad. The wolves continue their haunting serenade for the start of “The Thunderous Hooves of Two Goats in the Sky” which continues the hazy delirium. Now, the 13-minute “Drinking the Blood of a Lion” and “Like a Coffin Chasing a Womb, His Chariot Becomes a Southern Bloodstorm” sees a tangibly more malevolent atmosphere prevail, sounding like the Disembowelment inspired tones that Azrael (the USBM act on Moribund) might ply. The atonal lope of “Uwwalo”, slows things down even more and its mid song tribal break is downright haunting and “Hammer Comes Crashing Down” sees Chet become far more upfront with his strained wails amid the dramatic, almost Viking/Bathory on barbiturates drone. Closer “A Coven of Vultures” (another 13 minute track), is a draining, droning affair that cements the albums laborious, dread inducing fog that left me feeling truly ‘icky’.

Ultimately, Blood of the Black Owl’s, 70 minute duration with its thicker guitars and hazy malevolence, ends up sounding like Malefic or Wrest tripping balls in the forest, but wont leave you open wristed and insane but red eyed and deliriously paranoid.

[Visit the band's website]

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