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Weakling were one of the great underground USBM bands, even though they were almost completely unknown while they existed, and in fact broke up before their only album, Dead As Dreams, was released more than 20 years ago. Their impact on the modern sound of the genre is almost incalculable. Most of the band members vanished into non-metal projects or bands that never went much of anywhere, so imagine my surprise to find Weakling guitarist/vocalist John Gossard surfacing on the other side of the world in Aussie band Consummation.

That's by way of explaining how I came across this band, but Consummation do not really sound like Weakling much at all. This is ambitious Black Metal, not dissimilar from bands like Nightbringer, with intricate arrangements and atonal riffing to build an unfriendly atmosphere. I have to say I think the production is a weak point here, as it is just a bit flat, not giving these songs the depth or space I think would really make them shine. So, this is a more intellectual listen than a visceral one, but Consummation show a lot of promise.