It was a cold, frostbitten night when my phone notification showed a new message. I swiped the lock screen and saw it was from El Jefe himself, my editor. He was asking in an enigmatic fashion if I would like to review this new album from Wolves of Perdition. I said that I would give it a go, and so links were sent and downloaded. Well, constant reader, I am here to testify at the altar of Symphonic Black Metal. I was skeptical, I’ll admit, but then Jefe mentioned another band he had recommended called Istapp and I was immediately interested. Then I hit play…

The eerie intro “Must Kill Them All” fittingly introduces what’s about to come because “Forest of the Impaled” is like Death ripping from your speakers, with so many great time changes that your neck is going to get a workout head banging to it. These four crazy fucking Finns (Varjo and Rujo form the core of the band, however according to metal-archives.com and the press release there are two other members, Hellpriest and TheEnd) have come together to unleash hell with this sophomore effort Ultra-Violence and thrown a spiked gauntlet into the ring of the Symphonic Black Metal scene.

“Death Machine” and “The Worst of Us” are my favorites here; they form the heart of the record. Razor sharp guitar tone and a warm, organic production make this an enjoyable record indeed. The last three songs are also beyond the scope of what melodic/Symphonic Black Metal can be, because holy shit! It’s like the way Sherlock fought in the movies, it would show the path of the blows to the body. The ending three tracks are those body blows that immobilize you “Rain of Blood and Ashes”, the haunting misery of “the Funeral Hymn” and the merciless closer “Tuomio”.

This is Finnish melodic/Symphonic Black Metal of the highest order. Fierce, untamed and full of rage. Timing and pacing are the watch words here as Ultra-Violence has brutality and beautiful destruction matched up in spades. With a  fantastic production that I can’t talk about enough, every instrument is brought to fore, to devastating effect.

Ultra-Violence is out now, so I highly recommend you pick it up. If you love the bubbly tunes of Marduk, Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth and even Impaled Nazarene… PLUS the aforementioned Istapp, you will devour this release again and again.

[Visit the band's website]

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