Emerging from the Belgian underground in 1993, ENTHRONED have stood as one of black metal's enduring forces, their legacy defined by uncompromising vision and ritualistic intensity. Over three decades, the band has refined their craft into an art form of esoteric violence and transcendence. Their new opus, "Ashspawn," embodies six years of ritual creation and total artistic unity. The album charts a descent into spiritual death and a transformative rebirth, framed by a lyrical architecture of demonology, ritual praxis, and metaphysical calculus. Every note and silence is deliberate; a weapon forged for transformation rather than entertainment. "Ashspawn" is not an echo of past glories, but a culmination of ENTHRONED's essence: dark, authentic, and absolute.

The album has nine songs, and "Crawling Temples" is first. It roars out of the gates after a brief teaser intro with a fury that burns high and an absolutely harrowing landscape. If this song doesn't scare your hair into turning white, nothing will. "Basilisk Triumphant" acts like the first song if you doused it in gasoline to fan the flames. The vocals might be the best part of the album so far…they are evil, in every sense of that word.  "Stillborn Litany" is another frightening affair, and the deep gutturals sound like the come from Satan himself. The pace is a fast mover, and the drummer keeps an impossible sense of timing. "Ashspawn" is an aggressive track where the weight and speed is dialed up past 10. It slows just a bit, to let the harrowing qualities sink in deep.

"Sightless" has a similar sound and pace, and the songs are starting to blur together just a bit. That's one of my biggest concerns on an album…where the songs sound the same. Even in Extreme Metal, it is possible to provide more distance between them. "Chysalid" is another harrowing offering, but it doesn't sound much different than some of the previous songs. "Ashen Advocacy" finally presents some real variation. It takes a bit for you to catch your bearings here, because the opening sequence is chaotic, but it does settle into an evil groove of sorts. "Assertion" is the final song, and they waste no time in presenting another heavy and aggressive song. The bass guitar notes are pronounced, and they provide some real energy in the song.

Overall, this was in line with what you might expect from a band that has been around this long. It was of course a solid release, and a menacing listening experience, but I just wish the band would have taken a few more chances. Long time fans don't always like that, but it does help a seasoned band keep up better with the times.