GRAVE WITH A VIEW is a black metal band from Finland, who formed in 2018. Their latest album, “Raw Illumination,” is their second full-length album; they have also released two EPs. I discovered the band with their “Grave With A View” EP but I can confidently say “Raw Illumination” is their best piece of music yet. It’s raw in the best ways with song structure built upon bouts of speedy violence interspersed with slow despondency. Smartly used melodic tendencies and atmospheric synths subtly progress their sound even as the band takes a nosedive into an even deeper pit of darkness. As previously mentioned, it’s raw but it doesn’t hold back the viciousness of their sound. Instead of using raw production to cover up a lack of ambition or being underground for the hell of it, the duo uses it as yet another piece of arsenal in their blackened assault. The production is, simply put, cold and misanthropic but that just makes the music shine its black light all the more.

The album opens with “Cold Flesh Peregrination,” and a harrowing scream that rips through the song almost as fast as the drums. The guitars are dense but groovy and razor sharp all at the same time. This song is an intense, biting experience that puts their blackened aggression on full display. “Wrest,” grabbed my attention immediately with clever drumming and depressive opening riffs. The guitars evolve into crunchy rhythms that hit like a slap to the face over and over again, truly unrelenting. The combination of the guitars and the atmosphere is huge, a monolith casting it’s shadows over everything. The title track, as all title tracks are supposed to be, is one of the best songs on the album. The short intro ramps up the urgency and the use of clean vocals soon after adds a chilling effect. This song is much slower than the others, a dirge of wicked bleakness that envelopes the senses. The screeching blackened vocals are pained and as deadly as the instrumentation.

The final two songs, “Tail Swallower,” and “These Meaningless Gestures,” also count themselves among the beest on the album. The former’s guitar tone is fantastic, a distorted evil that cuts through the depths of their frozen soundscapes. The drums build up the intensity, going from 10 to 20 as the band pulls back on the tempo a bit to allow this darkness much room to grow. The passage after the halfpoint is surprisingly crushing, a dense ball of everything the song has built up to. The latter ends the song on a solemn, depressive note. The vocals make use of the liminal spaces, filling the void with retching abrasiveness. This is the most methodical song on the album and it uses everything at its disposable to end the album on an uncomfortable note. The sudden tempo change around the four minute mark is like pouring salt on an open wound: it hurts and it cannot be abated.

GRAVE WITH A VIEW have upped their game with “Raw Illumination,” and have solidified themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the black metal scene. This is a strong sophomore album from a band that shows endless promise because they thrive in the endless void.