From Bandcamp, “This is Black Metal from the fertile earth of the graveyard – for the wanderer who dares walk the path of no return – guided by nothing but His luminous darkness. Now, they return with a fiery assault on the senses, in the shape of an EP entitled “Solus (Igne Natura Renovator Integra)" four psalms of relentless, multi-layered and hellish madness. “The EP is an inward journey of spiritual violence and cathartic soul-searching”, comments NKTFR, and adds, “both musically and lyrically, it continues in a bold leap into the dark unknown.”

“Hunt of be Hunted” is first. It begins with that familiar “doom” song that you often hear in old movies foretelling doom and the like. Piano notes carry the melody. Without warning, it transitions to depressive Black Metal…the kind that you might find in a graveyard long after the sun has gone down. The drums sound like a programmed machine however, because they are largely lifeless. “Alpha Ego” is faster moving and does have some diverse sounds, but again, the stiff drums ruin much of it for me. The song has some serious energy to it, but that’s about it. The harrowing qualities almost seem pre-fabricated and they don’t come out naturally.

“Holy Fire” is much shorter, and more devastating in scope. The riff is low, slow, and dissonant, and spoken words are uttered above what sounds like sirens in the background. “Epigone of Tragedy” closes the album, and it has deep warning buried within, like the coming of the end of the world. What begins as tones of despair turns to tones of utter hopelessness, and you can feel your soul leaving your body by the end. Overall, this album was promising at times, and puzzling at others. There were some good songs, and some inconsistent ones a well. It just failed to leave an indelible mark on me.