Sometimes a band gets the crappy end of the reviewing stick just because of timing. I mean can you imagine trying to review a black metal album when you really, really can’t face much music at all. Hence the lateness of the review; taken me a fucking age to sort my brain out enough to be fair to it.

Glad I did though as the Dutch one-man band certainly have a lot going for them on this their second album. What we have here after the sounds of some church congregation or something is an absolute battery of riffing, melody and malevolence. Four tracks each around the ten-minute mark but with a great approach to the concept of melody and a surging, rolling tempo.

There’s something about the sound of Akhlys in the initial storm; that sense of dark winds suddenly howling and buffetting you. It spirals down into a darkness and clean vocals rise up through the maelstrom; part choral, part Anaal Nathrakh. And again, that’s a good thing. The clean vocals are, throughout, outstanding whether singular or harmony. Amidst the howling riffs they are like a malignant storm lantern; they pull you in but there is precious little comfort to be found. The harsh vocals howl with a real sense of anger too, and help keep this firmly nailed to the black metal axis.

The drumming, with the dexterous basslines pushing here and leading there is somehow what this album turns on. The twists of rhythm and the pinhead turns of time work brilliantly, keeping things bright and exciting throughout the forty-minute unfaltering tempest.

There is a real air of class and confidence with Ossaert and serious judgement as to when the clean vocals should come in. I’d almost say that there is a touch of true doom to how they handle this, Griftegarde style, and particularly on the magnificent closing part of the fourth track when the clean vocals rise and are rent asunder into a howl.

It is relentless yes, but it is also compelling, dark and smothering. The only way out of this is to finish it and the journey is well worth it.

Pretty damned impressive. 

(8/10 Gizmo)

https://www.facebook.com/Ossaert

https://argentorecords.bandcamp.com/album/pelgrimsoord