"Verwüstung" is the latest release from Ukraine's Black Metal one-man band MOLOCH. Although the ambiguous name may not strike any familiar chords with the average fan of Black Metal, the front man and multi-instrumentalist Sergiy Fjordsson has been quite busy with his project MOLOCH since its formation in 2002.

To look at MOLOCH's back catalogue is staggering. But considering that Sergiy Fjordsson has a passion for ambient noise, several of the releases he's put out as MOLOCH explore further into this equivocally bleak stylistic direction. "Verwüstung" (translated from German as "Devastation" or "Desolation") marks the bands' twelfth full-length release after being brought into existence twelve years ago. There are not many bands that I can think of who have the kind of consistency to put out an album every year on average. And there are oodles of EPs, compilation discs and 7" splits that MOLOCH have released since then. Considering that Sergiy also plays in three other active bands, he may be the champion of the Ukrainian metal scene with such a staggering quantity of releases from these projects as well.

To diverge away from talking about MOLOCH before I get into the substance of this album, I was completely unaware of Sergiy's long history of dedication and hard work put towards distributing and nourishing the Heavy Metal scene in Ukraine. If anyone has been watching the world news so far this year, you might get the clue that Fjordsson's not exactly living in a place on Earth where productivity is in abundance. The release of this album is truly a testament to the power of the human will how one man can put out an album like "Verwüstung" during such a politically turbulent time.

In Depressive Black Metal, there lies a very fine line separating the absurd tripe that would never pass for listenable music and the sublime realm of the tortured, bleak atmospheres that are very appropriately expressed in the genre. Where many artists have failed in the genre, it's this writer's belief that MOLOCH falls into the latter category of Depressive Black Metal acts. Yes, the howling vocals are repetitive and require no actual musical ability to pull off but without them, 'Verwüstung' would lack a vital component to this devastating album.

"Verwüstung" also offers up a few brief moments of Fjordsson's experimental and ambient talents on the beginning track "Todesstille" & the album's self-titled conclusion "Verwüstung". We also get a very ambient and lonely-sounding bass solo on the song "Du bist nichts in dieser sterbenden Welt" ("You Are Nothing In This Dying World") which leads into a bleak and abysmal composition laced with Fjordsson's decaying vocals and the ice-cold tone of his rhythm guitars.

This album is a pretty great listen to as far as Depressive Black Metal goes. The ambience and the expressive musicianship really make this album a dense listening experience. This album is sure to be underestimated at the conclusion of this year but I will be sure to remember this one for sure.