PANZERFAUST is a black metal band from Canada, who formed in 2005. Their latest release “The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion,” is their six full-length album; they have also released a demo, a split and four EPs. I discovered this band when I reviewed the second part of “The Suns of Perdition.” I found the album extremely engaging and gave it high marks. The third part I also reviewed and didn't find it anywhere near as impressive. So how does this fourth entry hold up?Very, very well. It's just as good as the second part and I find it more interesting than the previous one. This band returns to a more direct sound this time around. Of course, there is still plenty of atmosphere to be found but presented in a much more intense way. A lot of death metal elements are mixed with the band’s ferocious black metal; the songs have weight to them and, at times, seem palpable. In essence, The atmospheric and direction they took with the third chapter is better handled and integrated into their special brand of extremity.

But the album doesn't lock itself into any particular corner; the songs have a lot of breathing room to let a ton of details in. Each of the five songs have a lot to offer but never do they sound overstuffed or cluttered. I find the album is at its best when it’s heavy without actually being heavy, something that ULCERATE has mastered but now they have some competition on that front. The opening song, “Hesychasm Unchained,” has a thick blanket of apocalyptic tones that falls, and then suffocates. It’s a sort of claustrophobic song that showcases how the album approaches what being “heavy” and “extreme” really means. However, underneath those toes exists an confident and competent metal band who rise and falls with the ebb and flow of the song in a natural way.

As the song approaches it’s middle, Goliath’s seething vocals represent madness incarnate. Brock Vay Dijk and Thomas Gervais serve up rumbling guitar and bass as Alexander Kartashov leads them through the dark corridors with truly fantastic drumming. While that song was emotion manifested in ethereal form, floating between physical and immaterial planes, “When Even The Ground Is Hostile,” is direct, fast, and gripping. The riffs are groovy as hell, accented perfectly by quick, sharp, drums. All the players turn on a time around the 1:35 mark, and go on a rabid attack. Pain, danger, and unimaginable stress pour out of the song’s liminal spaces, battered into pieces, reforged and cast back out as a song that is a nonstop ripper for six and a half minutes. This is one harrowing, uncomfortable song.

“The Damascene Conversions,” is one of my favorite songs from the band….the way the song builds up is both thrilling and filled with nervous energy. This song is another example of how the band plays extreme music without it sounding overly extreme—it’s subtle in a certain way, each element of black metal used in a way that acts as more of a building block to a greater whole rather than a battering ram. The melodies enhance the song in a dark way, being more in line with the thought of the changing tide and the possibilities of never being able to go back again. The last minute is one of the finest passages on the album—thick grooves highlighted by dismal melodies.

The album saves the two longest songs last, the first being “Occam’s Fucking Razor.” I don't know if I’ve heard a song this year with better flow than this one. Everything comes together for the first few minutes, the drums in particular offering a hypnotic approach that compliments the other instruments while keeping attention locked into the groove. The sound recordings add a frightening element and that never really leaves. The song flows like suffering itself stalking the world until around the 5:24 mark, when everything is pushed off a cliff and free falls. Violence and panic ensues, every member of the band playing as hard and fast as possible. Around the 6:10 mark, the tempo picks up even more and a tragic but surprisingly catchy moment blitzkriegs its way through.

The final song is the 11 minute epic “To Shadow Zion (No Sanctuary).” This song is the culmination of the entire “The Suns of Perdition” works and the album itself. It takes all the best elements of the album and puts them together for one final ride. The first three minutes or so are a build up, but one that captures the essence of the album. The energy builds up around the 3:46 mark, the song getting darker and denser as the shadows grow darker and deeper. The band’s unique sense of melody is on full display here, effectively melding that side with their blackened side in a way that is definitely the best they have managed so far.

PANZERFAUST’s “The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion,” returns the band to the top of their game and a sterling example of what music is capable of doing when a band can fully realize their vision and present that vision effectively to its listeners.