I've been pushing back reviewing this album because I don't want to kick it off my regular playlist but, alas, I do have one hell of a backlog that I need to get to. This is some really good black metal. I'm reminded of mid to late 90s fast Scandinavian black metal but just a bit slower and with a hint of French melodic black metal from the same period, which allows for a better appreciation of all the subtle melodies and twists and to fully let the dark, haunted atmosphere sink in.

The vocals are pretty much perfect raspy shrieks and I can't get enough of that since they just blend so well with the music and are a perfect addition to the ever-present dark atmosphere of the album. The sound is rather polished with just a bit of a raw edge, but that doesn't take anything away from the aggression and violence on display. Top-notch stuff.

I tend to skip reading the promotional material so as to avoid subconsciously repeating anything I read in it, so it's only after several listens and thinking, "fuck this is good!" that I went back and found out that this is an all-female band. If anyone out there still thought that women are not up to par with men in metal, well, give this a listen. Asagraum can take any black metal band, hell, any band to the cleaners and teach them a lesson or two.

In the end, this album is not really original as this sound has been done to death, but when it is so damn well written and played, who cares? I hope they realize that I have high expectations for their next album. ;)