Nothing ignites more than hearing a signature Black Metal sound of a certain country or circle. I've spiritually adored the French occult grim touch, I've been inspired by the dryness and orthodoxy of the Norwegians, but the Finns have inspired in unique ways I cannot describe. I've followed HORNA for years, and been up to date with everything involving the key bands such as BAPTISM, SATANIC WARMASTER and even super lo-fi underground projects in the likes of DEAD REPTILE SHRINE. However, despite my addiction, I never happened to hear of the band SACRIFICIUM CARMEN. My introduction to them thankfully was not disappointing at all, as I got to experience a fusion between many Finnish Black Metal sounds I admire.

"Ikuisen Tulen Kammiossa", aka ITK for those who cannot get past the first word, is SACRIFICIUM CARMEN's debut LP. As an underground release in 2015, a dedicated follower of this grim field of music would expect two things. First, a clinging to the dark roots of Black Metal in respect to the scene the band belongs to (if they wish to be respected in their surrounding circle), and second, a composition that honors the genre and does not go way past the given limits of musical creativity. The second part would sound funny to most individuals not familiar with Black Metal, but it's quite true. You do not cross the red line outside the realms of extreme metal if you wish to establish yourself in darkness and anti-culture. Moving on, ITK is fully written in Finnish and gladly, sounds very Finnish as well.

What I adored about this release is its production and overall feel. SACRIFICIUM CARMEN plays in the sub-category of Raw Black Metal, and manages to combine the rawness of HORNA alongside a slight dash of influence from the less extreme yet violent SARGEIST. All in all, when it comes to sound on ITK you're to expect a traditional underground formula with very clean and eargasmic sound quality. Tracks that stood out to me are "Öisen haahkan liekeissä" and "Nemesis" due to perfect musical composition in terms of guitar riffs and the unrelenting chaos of the vocals.

"Ikuisen Tulen Kammiossa" is a debut that will hopefully light the way for SACRIFICIUM CARMEN in their journey for the darkness that every practitioner of this field of the Black Metal genre deserves. The LP is great in every way, and as a signature sound being present, it will get the necessary respect. My advice to the band is to persevere and continue feeding the dread that hungers for more evil. My advice to the readers however, is to grab this record from Saturnal Records and show support to a scene of music that has remained true in essence for years on end.