After their infamous 2021 demo tape “I: Cutting Wood for Magickal Purposes”, Ritualistic Black Metal outfit BOARHAMMER return with their first full-length recording entitled “II: Chemognosis – A Shortcut to Mushrooms”. Taking their characteristic features to the next level, “Chemognosis” contains eight tracks of first wave black metal madness, enriched by splodges of doom metal, epic heavy metal, and a good overdose of psychedelic chaos bound to deliver an otherworldly experience of sonic magick. “Wood has been cut, time to set it ablaze!”

“Entering Forest Twylite” is the first song. The sound develops slowly, until about a minute in. In saunters a doomy riff, with clean vocals that echo, until a veritable bomb goes off and the sound muddies with laughter, organic production, and banging cymbals. “Skeins of Demented Magick” has some GHOST vibes in the entering riff, followed by a barrage of drums and frightening harsh vocals. It gives me the feeling of walking through a graveyard or a haunted orchard at night, and always looking over my shoulder. “Tree Transvection” begins with a linear riff, and a background full with sludge. The band throws on equal helpings of Black and Doom Metal as well. So far, this is indeed a genre bending experience.

“Erdkaul” has some splooges of traditional heavy metal mixed in with the bleak, harsh, and angry vocals. “Arboreal Portal Ritual” has more ominous warning tones in the beginning, almost like you are marching towards a chamber where secret black magic would be harnessed. At times, the music borders on shtick, but the band sound fairly genuine to me. “Behold Those Fell Candles” flirts with a Punky MOTORHEAD type of crossover Metal sound to me, and you can almost sing along with the vocals. Spooky sounds follow, with a good heaping of power. “Lysovik – Midnight Conjuring at the Crossroads” has a swagger to it, like some of the NWOBHM bands of the past. Of course, the scary Black Metal sound interwoven into the music muddies things up.

If the album titles and song titles don’t clue the listener into their odd, psychedelic world, nothing will. Although the production was quite raw, I believe it had to be to carry this type of muddy and dirty sound. This was a unique blend of sound which always gets the thumbs up in my book.