16 May 2024
Blaze of Perdition, one of the prominent names of Polish black metal, return after four years with their new album. The band gave signs of becoming bigger by entering Metal Blade Records with their previous album (The Harrowing Hearts, 2020).
Frankly, “The Harrowing of Hearts” would have been considered an above-average album if it had been released by any other band, but they had done such a good job with “Conscious Darkness” that “The Harrowing of Hearts” did not satisfy the fans of the band. The band again produced a similar style of music, but the fierceness of the music was toned down a bit, resulting in an album that was a little easier to listen to. Such a strategy may have been determined to enable the group to grow a little more and reach a wider audience. Long story short, “The Harrowing of Hearts” is a bit middling in terms of listening satisfaction for fans with higher expectations.
So, how’s the new album? As I’ve just mentioned, the music has the general structure that Blaze of Perdition has been performing for a long time, but this time it is harder and more relentless compared to the previous album. Being one who admires Sonneillon’s vocals very much, I’ m once again satisfied with vocal parts. The listeners will undoubtadly encounter a very good vocal performance. This time, the lyrics are entirely in Polish. Metal listeners have gotten accustomed to this language, which sounds phonetically different, by listening to a lot of Polish bands writing lyrics in their native language.
The album is very satisfactory in terms of sound and recording quality. It’s kinda music that’s obviously been written by experienced hands. All songs in the album, which includes a total of five songs, have a similar vibe. However, if I had to choose a favorite, my favorite would be “Niezmywalne”. It is the song that best reveals the general atmosphere of the album and the intended song structure. So, is the album as good as Conscious Darkness? I don’t think so, but it is a step above the previous album. I think the band have shaken off the rust a little bit.
Those who loved Blaze of Perdition will love this album either.
8/10
