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Forgotten Path Records debut with an interesting release from Lithuanian Black Metal horde Inquisitor, who subvert the genre by plowing the depths of the avant-garde. If that term sends traditionalists running for the hills, they might want to give Inquisitor the benefit of the doubt, because while there are progressive elements, elaborate sequences, and even a smattering of keyboards, the music held within is Black Metal in its basic forms. The guitars are hypnotic swirls, the drums hammer away with mechanical precision, and the atmosphere, once you get past the spoken-word intro, is redolent of dark deeds in clinical laboratories.

A touch strange, this is more enjoyable than one might expect, though the vocals are certainly a talking point. They rise from the usual throat-tearing rasp to almost core-ish snarls. During these moments, The Quantum Theory Of Id sounds close to Tech-Death acts such as Arsis or Atheist; only when those unmistakable tremolos return are we back in the dark country. Despite a few misleading segments, Inquisitor have produced a thought-provoking debut, one that will find a foothold in the Prog Metal sphere as well as the corpse-painted forest.