French Black Metal band THE GREAT OLD ONES take massive inspiration from the works of HP Lovecraft - even going so far as to include his picture in their band lineup. Lovecraft's work often falls into what is now known as cosmic horror; tales of alien beings far beyond human comprehension, with thoughts and shapeless-forms far that humans simply don't have the ability to understand. The tracklist for "EOD: A Tale of Dark Legacy" is jammed full of references to Lovecraftian tales and the music itself pays great tribute to them with murky distortion and unrelenting intensity that makes you feel overwhelmed and overmatched.

"Searching for R Olmstead" is a 25 second bit of atmosphere-setting. I wish they had just tacked it onto "Shadow Over Innsmouth", but that's a personal gripe of mine.  "Shadow Over Innsmouth" is just as creepy, unsettling, and as supernatural as the story it is named after. With brutal pummelling and slower grinding, there is enough variety here to really show off the band's skills. "When the Stars Align" has plenty of haunting distortion, making the track an otherworldly invasion of hellish music. Like the works on which it is based, there is no sense of grandeur or self-importance in the lyrics, just a sense of insignificance in the worship of gods who don't even know you exist.

"The Ritual" is an impeccable piece, with an instrumental opening filled with a steady drumbeat that is like, well, a ritual. "Wanderings" is another short transitional track that begins with spoken dialogue and eerie music building that builds tension for the next track. "In Screams and Flames" picks up where "Wanderings" left off, and is a dull constant wail that resembles a broken-down bus with its horn stuck. The formula blends with some interesting changes for what may be one of the best tracks on the album. "Mare Infinitum" starts off slow and graceful before returning to the oppressive pummelling that eventually finds a balance between the two, which truly works in its favour. The final track is a serene acoustic finale that wraps up the album on a much lighter note than i would have expected.

 "EOD: A Tale of Dark Legacy" as a whole could be a little too repetitive at times, but in the second half THE GREAT OLD ONES break away from this in certain tracks and make it work in their favour during the others. While I wouldn't go so far as saying that it has a slow start, the album definitely hits its stride around "The Ritual". If you like creepy supernatural Death Metal then THE GREAT OLD ONES are definitely worth checking out.