Though based in Portugal, Signal Rex has a long reach. On February 14, 2025, in collaboration with the Lyndanise Coven, that reach extended far north to Tallinn, Estonia, home to the Black Metal foursome, SOERD who released their full-length debut, Keldrikojast. Translated to English, keldrikojast means ‘in the basement,’ which is as perfect a title for a Black Metal album as ever. It captures both the hungry wolf as well as the evil vibe. I mean, there’re only two things that like to hang out in basements—Black Metal bands working on their next album and some eldritch horror of the dark looking to swallow your soul. Either way, little good ever comes from the basement . . . unless, of course, you’re into those things, in which case you’re in luck.  

Keldrikojast, while far from innovative or groundbreaking, is a solid debut for SOERD who already had a bit of a running start with their 2023 EP, Mil laaned vaikivad. The flipside to innovation, of course, is tradition, and when you’re from the Finnish region—well, tradition ain’t such a bad thing. That tradition flows through Keldrikojast loud and clear.

All the songs are delivered in the tongue of Estonia, alternating from clean to unclean vocals. The music itself has a grayish hue, slightly Atmospheric but decisively visceral with occasional acoustic flourishes. The production values are slightly muddy (probably purposefully) which lends to the discordant, analog feel. The two-guitar assault of SIIM and Raiko keeps the pressure on, and Erik (bass) and Markus (drum) provide a powerful backbone throughout.

My personal pick of standouts include: “Peied ja lumihall,” one of the longer tracks which traverses a tumultuous landscape spoken word, acoustic flares, and all the dissonance you can soak; “Pisaratäis puskarit” for its raw riffage; and, to be a little controversial, the trio of ambient tracks—effectively the intro, interlude, and outro(“Pt. 1: Eeslugu (Vaikinud),” “Interluudium,” and “Keldrikojast.” Sorry, I just dig Atmospheric, and these three tracks add a certain cold vibe to the whole album—like the fog in the that Steven King book, The Mist.

Fans of most subgenres of Black Metal will appreciate Keldrikojast. Ramping up from a duo to a foursome has added both depth and richness to the band’s sound and the songwriting has become more nuanced. Building on the success of their 2023 EP, SOERD establishes clear trajectory with Keldrikojast.