Not all religions and beliefs portray hell as a fiery furnace, indeed some traditions describe it as a frozen bleak wasteland. That’s certainly the impression this Polish duo musically convey and entering into their brand of darkness will ensure that things are as cold and as dead as the tomb itself. Following up their debut album ‘Ritual Chalice Of Hateful Blood’ from 2019 the pair that are Zeper and Skogen have been busy with a slew of split and EP releases and have now decided the time is right to follow things up with a second LP. It just took one spin to hear the advancement of their craft and the cold and frigid atmosphere contained within drips with malice and malaise. Although this is orthodox black metal in essence, one should not go into it looking for decimation and plague of a virulent nature. Musically this is doom by pace and the six lengthy tracks ooze a palpable essence of dread and decrepitude.

Hideous croaks and slow drum pounds are followed by chugging guitar tones as ‘Spirituality Burning Black’ takes form. The eerie keyboard tones add a funereal draping over this and are well represented in the mix which gives solid clarity and definition to all parts of the process. It would be all too easy for the players to wrench up the speed here but they stick to their template with determination and grit and tar songs like ‘For Vengeance the Malevolent Fog Rises’ with mist laden gloom with nothing in the way of light shining through. It’s a bit like embracing cold wet earth and being buried for eternity as they very creepily crawl through things, the occasional shrieking vocal line being one of many facets that have you bristling in fear. A solid booming timbre from the drums makes presence felt through the ribcage as it battles away like a heart slowly pumping blood on ‘Primordial Wrath Of Old Death.’ Vocals are cadaverous and it’s a grizzly rite albeit one with an obsidian and stygian melody.

Portraying an air of shuffling and decayed corpses over running times reaching nearly 9-minutes the second half and songs such as ‘From His Blood’ have no problem keeping and capturing the listener’s attention. The mournful keyboards on this particularly convey desertion, bleakness and graven images in a stylistic way similar to the likes of Mortuary Drape and strange countrymen Cultes Des Ghoules. Thankfully however the paths are easier to follow than the eccentricities of the latter even if there is little in the way of light to illuminate the way. A slight diversification is found on ‘Kości boga’ which has a gnarly punkish slow beat to it and sees drummer / bassist Skogen not only seemingly thwacking the ‘Bones Of God’ harder but also unable to resist unleashing a sudden bracing speedy flurry from the kit.

If you are looking for an ice-cold retreat from the summer’s heat this is enough to freeze the bones and the soul itself. Take a step into perpetual darkness at the following links…

(8/10 Pete Woods)

https://www.facebook.com/hellscoronation

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/transgression-of-a-necromantical-darkness