BHAGAVAT is an Italian band that has been active since 2007 and this is their debut released just a little while ago.

Oh man, I just love the opening for this album so much. It is slightly unsettling, you can feel the gloominess, with a nice drone covering the background and what sounds like tape loops happening. After that, you hear frantic symphonic orchestration at the back. And we hear primal sounds while the strings come and it crescendos to the next track. It is an amazing way to start the album.

This album is quite an easy listen and a good way for newcomers to start listening to Black Metal. It is not too harsh, has very groovy riffs and the sounds are mastered very well so nothing is too blaring in the mix.

The first standout track is "Il Manifesto Del Maligno". It has the guitarist and bassist playing around with scales and the drummer was able to showcase his drumming chops in this track with short drum solos in the song. I love the strings interlude in this song, and it segues to the next movement very well. The song is very well sequenced and it kept my attention throughout its whole duration. Also there were tons of guitar wails and tapping and it is just a really enjoyable listen.

"Black Tongue of Ground" is another interesting track for me; it sounded like something that came out an 80's Halloween special cartoon. It definitely was different from the rest of the album with its chugging guitar playing and its eerie atmosphere. At times, it even has a Post Rock vibe to the track with its stripped down drumming and atmospheric background.

The third song that really stood out for me is "Su Navi D'Argento". It is almost Technical Death Metal; tons of hypnotic guitar playing and seemingly random drum fills holds this track together. There's no break in this song, it is one movement followed by the next instantly. It has quite a number of sudden time signature changes and it is just a great showcase of what this band has to offer.

There is nothing I can complain about this album. It is technically proficient, it is catchy, and it is not too long. A masterpiece of a debut.