There's been a disproportionately large amount of Folk and Power Metal making its way to the Metal Temple offices of late and it's been having an unusual effect. All the upbeat anthems and jaunty hurdy-gurdy playing have mixed with the increasingly mild spring weather to leave everyone feeling rather positive. In fact, the only real problems we've faced recently have been aching facial muscles from smiling too much. And then "Our Father" by THE KING IS BLIND turned up like a great big kick in the nads to remind us that life is a constant cycle of anguish and despair which only ends when we're cast into the eternal nothingness of death. The King isn't just blind you understand, he's also completely deranged, bloodthirsty and homicidal. But he's also written one of the best Death Metal albums of the year so far.

"Our Father" opens with the blistering duo of "Genesis Refracted" and "Fragility Becomes Wrath," a tightly wound pair of songs that are as cathartic and violent as Death Metal can get. The first is a short, nasty burst of aggression akin to taking a dagger in the bowels, the second quickly expanding on it by taking them into ever escalating highs of unpleasantness. It's an impressive start but just at the exact moment when Death Metal albums normally become monotonous, THE KING IS BLIND throw in a curveball.

"Mors Somnis" is longer, mid-paced and far more atmospheric. Sure, it still sounds like a pack of rabid dogs tearing a corpse apart with their teeth, but almost the entire second half is a stripped back melodic comedown with vocals making only sporadic appearances. By the time the song finishes, it becomes clear that THE KING IS BLIND have a good grasp of light and shade, even if the variety is cleverly disguised by sheer sonic extremity. "Mesmeric Furnace" for example is an epic slice of Blackened Death, complete with choral vocals and oodles of melancholy, while the likes of "Amen" and "For All Daemons Are Here" are more straight forward bursts of KATAKLYSM-style bloodletting.

It's a hugely impressive record and one that demonstrates just how good Extreme Metal can be when played with commitment and passion. There are no easy hooks or choruses to get into, the vocals are all but indistinguishable and on the first glance, this might seem impenetrable. It barely takes any effort to get into however and as nasty as it gets, THE KING IS BLIND might even make some in-roads into mainstream territory. They'll never fill an arena, but they could certainly knock heads with CANNIBAL CORPSE or THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER and have a good chance of stepping up thanks to this outstanding debut. In other words, "Our Father" is bloody great, go and buy it now!