It pains me beyond compare to know that the far right is on the rise again across Europe and, at the time of writing this review, has once again taken over the most notorious and dangerous nation on the planet. That gives more than enough reasons for the average human being to go mental both physically and emotionally. Plus, it fuels the golden light of creativity that shines through the fightback against the bigots who want to control every aspect of our lives.

The man leading said fightback in the world of black metal is Ayloss, mastermind of Greece’s finest RABM projects: Spectral Lore, Mystras and Fortress of the Pearl to name a few. Now he is back with a new album from Auriferous Flame, who last year gave us a beautiful barrage of medieval inspired antifascist black metal. Now, it is time for the second offensive: The Insurrectionists and The Caretakers might be a relatively short album at just over 30 minutes, but it packs in enough energy, anger and Hellenic blackened creativity to knock even the most sophisticated of RABM lovers sideways.

I think it’s safe to say Ayloss was taking the “less is more” route with this release, for it doesn’t feature much of the medieval-esque instrumentation that 2023’s “Ardor For Black Mastery” carried onto the audible battlefield. Here, we see Ayloss taking a more dissonant approach with jagged guitars and drums that border on blackened thrash metal in places, but also retain some melodies here and there to keep the band’s versatile range alive.

What really made this release stand out for me was the short track listing which packs in multiple layers of metallic experimentation that has been served with elements of raw black metal and Ayloss’s signature indecipherable lyrics.

Theme-wise, Ayloss has penned some very beautiful lyrics detailing the an uprising of common folk against despotic leaders with imagery that would not look out of place in a decent fantasy novel. It is my opinion that he is fighting against the homogenised attitude of many medieval black metal groups who have appropriated a neo-medievalist shtick to promote hateful, fascistic opinions in their music and rewrite history in a warped, racist rhetoric.

Auriferous means golden, and Ayloss is once again shining the golden light of antifascist black metal that keeps his nation the leading force in the European RABM movement. More than enough reasons for me to feel proud of my Greek roots.

Add this album to your collection if you want to know what the future of black metal and the Hellenic scene sounds like. A new wave of raw, vicious, outspoken and antiracist audible beauty.

(8.5/10 Demitri Levantis)

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https://auriferousflame.bandcamp.com/album/the-insurrectionists-and-the-caretakers