From their EPK, “Beneath the vast vault of the diamond studded desert sky, the unobscured horizon as distant as another life, we wait. As the chill of night settles upon the cooling ground and the sand dances about us, carried by tiny, playful zephyrs, we wait. As the darkness thickens to a rich velvet that envelops us, wrapping us in blankets of deep silence, there is a shifting in the shadows. A star seems to sail in sedate majesty across the heavens and its light, brighter than Sirius, pierces the black. In its beam, we see them…the kings and wizards approaching from the East, their footsteps never seeming to touch the dust of the infinite wastes. We watch them come…and we wait.”

The album has eleven, songs, and “Hymn to Marduk” is first. There are tense opening tones, mostly from clean guitars and backing ambiance, and the desert themes are prominent. “Out of the sand, our king shall come” he repeats. “VENIVENIEMMANVEL” is a two-minute grind of Black Metal mixed with modern elements…almost a swing like VOLBEAT. “We Three Kings” mirrors both the album cover, and the traditional Christmas song. It’s of course their take on the song, which is filthy and sludgy, and layers are added along the way.

“What Child is This” is another Christmas song remake, and the opening description of the album become much more clear. It’s the (fabled) evening that Christ was born, but of course, the band is mocking it with their brand of metal. “Left Handed Wizard” is also a familiar tune, but I can’t quite place it. The odd thing in comparison with much of the album is how clean and somber it sounds. “Stille Nacht” means silent night, and this is the fourth cover song. Their take is twisted of course, but it also has a good deal of melody as the original did. “Auld Lang Syne” is the familiar song often sung at New Years. You know how it goes, “for old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind.” “Sacred Harp 133” also has beautiful clean tones, and the band is as adept at them as they are harsh tones, and you can easily get lost in them.

“Hymn to Marduk II” is a continuation of the opening song, “we follow the starry sky, our king will come” he proclaims with harsh vocals. The song has a majestic quality to it, but then again, it is about kings. “Minuit Chretien” closes the album…Silent Night. It’s sung by a female guest, or might be a pre-recorded song with the namesake. The Black Nativity is the nativity (the scene of Christ’s birth), but darkened with evil and foul things. The one thing that I can’t quite tell is if the band’s take on these traditional Christmas songs is meant to be a mockery of Christianity, but they have talent. This was at the very least an interesting take on it.