Black Metal bands have really upped their game as of late. Gone are the days where every band was held to standard by MAYHEM, BURZUM, and the likes of the old Norwegian greats, gone are the days when every single Black Metal band you heard was bursting with unrefined Punk energy and rawness... these days, Black Metal bands seem to be one-upping everyone else, with surreal masterpieces of pure experimentation and progressive musicality being churned out like a machines packaging fast food. Talent, bravado, and individualism are now commonplace in Black Metal.

To top it all off, Black Metal bands have never been very concerned with whether they were accessible or "listenable", veering off mainstream Metal criteria for the most part. INQUISITION is one of the bands I consider to be part of this new wave of Black Metal greatness. From their previous releases, critics have already noticed an upward trend of potential and mastery from this duo. Dagon and Incubus have been at this Black Metal-ing business for about 20 years (they started as a Thrash Metal band first), securing their stronghold as one of the newer bands that have a full and very focused grip on producing music for music's sake without any pressure to conform.

However, it would be wrong to say that INQUISITION's music does not carry the rawness of the typical Black Metal sound. They are usually very raw, transmitting a massive wave of sonic assault with every riff and cymbal crash, teetering on the edge of being garage, their music convulsing in the essence of what it means to play from the heart and use sounds to invoke emotions and images. No one does this better than Black Metal bands.

The heavy, pounding, relentless music of INQUISITION forms a musical wall of such vicious force that the listener is often both captivated and thrown off by this audio assault. INQUISITION does not bother themselves with fooling around with sound effects or amassing clips from old movies to add color to their musical atmosphere - INQUISITION is at the polar end of the "experimentation spectrum". Most Black Metal bands in this experimental vein tend to focus on atmosphere, taking it slow and building the mood, and giving priority to the overall musical experience than to the riffs. Running in the complete opposite direction but still on the same line, INQUISITION are doing things completely differently by being riff-heavy - the atmosphere the music does create in the end is simple a by-product of all the riffing.

The various modes and impacts of this riffing is heavily apparent throughout all of "Obscure Verses for the Multiverse", from energetic and speedy riff attacks to slow and heavy creepers to brilliant rhythmic passages that ache to combine both speedy and slow riffing, melding harmonics to create a natural atmosphere that bounces off each riff and onto the other.

As with most Black Metal bands, the drums never disappoint. It would be difficult to screw up drumming in a Black Metal setting. But Incubus does set his own standards, being extremely proficient with rhythm. A lot of drummers tend to get carried away and overdo fills, but Incubus is far more focused and harps on the rhythm more than anything else, creating a wonderfully solid foundation for Dagon to work his riffs and vocals on.

Aside from the mind-boggling song titles, there is nothing at all questionable about this album. It shows INQUISITON at their best again, as the band continues to reign consistent with their musical output. The material is not everybody's piece of cake. As I mentioned: the sonic assault of rawness may be off-putting to some who prefer their Black Metal more atmospheric and polished. INQUITISION doesn't bother with that - they get straight to the offensive and leave their fans reeling, starry-eyed, from that brutal attack on their nervous system.