The Austrian band SVNTARER presents their highly anticipated new album "Exitus Triumphalis," a dark, intense journey into the depths of melancholy and metal. Six powerful tracks blend Post-Black-Metal, Sludge, and Death Metal into a layered sonic universe that both shakes and moves the listener. "Exitus Triumphalis" is a must-listen for anyone who wants to lose themselves in melancholy while experiencing the raw power of modern metal – an album that masterfully combines introspective depth with epic sonic grandeur. The album has six songs, and "Torch the Saints" is first. It starts slowly, but once the double bass drums kick in, the sound is heavy, tense, and dark. The shouted vocals bring a measure of aggressiveness to the music, but I don't care for their cadence…just a personal preference.

"Feed the Earth with Bodies" is another very dark offering, and at times in tinged with the blackness of evil. The vocals are again delivered as shouts with a steady amount of rage, while the music bubbles underneath like boiling oil. "Oh Lord, Come Dance with Me" is a thick offering of Post Hardcore music, and the vocals border on harsh rap. Thick, meaty bass notes make a perfect accompaniment to the rhythm guitars, which don't just represent the darkness. At times they are greyer, even a bit translucent. "Flesh Vessels" is a short transitional piece, that presumably connects the firs three songs with the last two. "Dirigent des Niedergangs" has a desperately dark sound to it, almost like someone is searching for a way out but can't find any clues. The slow, crawling pace sinks the sound down further into the bowels of the earth, and the clean tones at the end bring up a host of emotions.

"In Igne Ardeo" is the final song, and it begins with eerie voices. They seem to be coming from every direction, and the sound is quite tense.  When the tortured vocals enter, I realize that the longer I listen to them, the more they seem to connect with the music. The thumping bass notes at the end serve as a reminder about the album as a whole: some paths we don't choose in life we find ourselves walking down, nonetheless. These frigid, black trails are representative of the bleaker side of life. Whether what you feel is anger, despair, or horror, these feelings are alive in you, and you can use them to motivate you through dark times, or succumb to the darkness. That is the takeaway I have from the album.