Norway, as the vast majority of people are fully aware, produces some of the best and most memorable Black Metal in the world, and has been doing so for about a quarter of a decade. Even today, there are plenty of underground bands coming out of the woodwork who are creating some amazing music that is shaping the genre and the scene at large. Trondheim based KATECHON are one such band, and they already have one full length under their belt. Their latest full length, "Coronation", might just be their best work to date.

The first thing that really strikes you when "Desolation" literally bursts into life is just how incredibly ferocious it sounds. The music is incredibly harsh and dissonant, and the vocals are equally in your face, cutting through the mix and soaring over the guitar lines and the vicious drumming. "Noble Men" is another juggernaut of a track, characterised by some razor sharp, hook-laden guitar lines and some varied, powerful vocals. "Humanity Diseased", the albums longest track, continues in much the same vein as the first two tracks, with some musical and vocal performances that sound fierce and violent. The second half of the track slows the pace significantly, and this results in a much darker, eerier sound that sets a different tone to the music that we've heard so far. The albums fourth offering, "Asylum" is a much more measured, mid-paced affair to begin with, before quickening the pace significantly, to the point where the music sounds almost as if it's teetering on the brink of chaos. "Days in Delirium" opts for a much slower pace, but is nonetheless heavy, thanks mostly to the excellent vocal delivery and the jarring, creepy guitar lines that make up this track. This song has a lot of experimentation on it, and it actually ends up being one of the most interesting tracks on here. The following track, "Shroud of Death" opens on a brilliant, hair-raisingly good guitar line that immediately grabs your attention and draws the listener in. It's another album highlight on a record made up of several excellent tracks, and I could definitely see this being a fan favourite in the not too distant future. "Death is King", the albums penultimate track, complete with impassioned drumming and guitar work, helps to set the albums final, titular track up very nicely. This final song, "Coronation", is a raw, vicious Black Metal assault, with Punk-inflected drumming that suits the music well. The cacophony of noise the band creates here really helps to cement this album into the listeners memory and solidify the whole album as a great album by an equally great band.

Right from the first track, it's clear that this band are avid fans of the genre, incorporating various influences to great effect. To my ears, there's part that are reminiscent of HATE FOREST's "Sorrows", arguably one of the most aggressive and abrasive Black Metal albums ever released. There are other sections that bring to mind latter day MAYHEM, or even TAAKE. But, at the end of the day, this has it's own sound and style, and although there are parts on here that might bring to mind other bands, it is in no way a parody or a carbon copy. KATECHON have carved out their own niche within the Black Metal sound, and the results sound fantastic. If you like your Black Metal with plenty of speed and ferocity, and just the right amount of rawness, then this is an album, and indeed a band, you should be checking out.