(Black Metal) WARKVLT - Deathymn album review

Release date November 10, 2020 (Sadist Records)

The Mighty Decibel's #6 ranked extreme metal album of 2020!!

You want some more blitzkrieg blackness in your metal diet? Look no further than Warkvlt's third full length release, Deathymn, for your next dose. At the heart of this Indonesia-based unit's sound is straight forward, high velocity black metal, played with steely-eyed determination and an obvious disdain for humanity. This latter point is really brought home via the lascivious, gargle vocals that D employs, providing that extra bile to the listening experience. Check out "Panzer VI", "Holokvast" and "Khold" for some prime examples of this style of harrowing black metal.

Warkvlt prove that they aren't a one-trick pony though, as they introduce several soundscapes intermittently throughout the release to provide some slight respites (cue screaming crowds, gothic chanting, tolling bells, etc.). They also add tempo changes within song structures, displaying instrumental prowess and fine writing skills, not being constrained by any unwritten wall-of-sound black metal rules of engagement. Refer to "Morbid Ritual" and "Plague" for examples of this latter strength.

So, if you're in the market for some professionally recorded and played black metal that pierces armor at 60 paces, let Warkvlt's Deathymn be your next dose of aural violence. And then file next to your Marduk and Funeral Mist albums.

(8.5)