BLACKDEATH "Katharsis: Kalte Lieder Aus Der Hölle" 12"LP

Hot blood in the frozen wastes, tormented sleeps, no rest, no peace, always some war to be fought. Blackdeath keep fighting, living life as war. On this new album, all of the wildness and violence that Blackdeath have been renowned for have now hardened into an idiosyncratic and cracked style: manic vocals that switch between black rasp and psychotic singing, Nordic style riffs that are somehow bent into a weapon with sharper angles, and a song progression that is equal parts percussive brawl and wide-eyed revelation. After six albums you'd think that they would have plateaued, or grown tired, but no. Rather, here, you find them in the strongest form since the band's inception back in 1998.They now have finally secured themselves a real drummer, and full-professional studio sound. For some underground black metal bands, that might equal an awkward combination, but Blackdeath have always been stubbornly focused on quality of riff and refined composition of song which translates perfectly in this level of production.