The Black Metal Bavarian duo that call themselves THE LAST SEED are releasing this album following their debut album Hellboy back in 2018 with the same label. Let's hear what they are offering up

"Asylum" kicks off this album with a slow, building melody like something we'd expect from DARK FUNERAL. Its just building up and ticking over, picking up pace gradually, could explode any second. It does kick in rather than explode, it works well to peak interest, it is very 2^nd Gen Black Metal, tried, tested and working well. The pace is well-balanced and steady, creating melodies and harmonies beautifully. The vocals are key, they do not distract you from the others melodies they orchestrate. The pace picks u after the 5-minute mark, nothing frantic, but enough to be noticed and appreciated. It's a decent start, a controlled start.

"Watchers" keeps the similar pace that "Asylum" ended on, not to fade out a decent rhythm, a good idea. Vocal screams break their silence, nothing too vivid, but enough to open the vocals chords up. The song is an easy-going one, its well-balanced, the harmony paces set to low, vocals running well within the melodies, it works well for what they are seemingly aiming for. This song does not seem like it will kick into a higher gear, it is happily going about its own way to create further symphonies. This one is nowhere near as bold, but it works well enough not to be a bore, but also not making us wonder if they only have one setting, we now know these guys can mix it up.

"Ghost" picks up the pace to where "Watchers" started off at, if anything, its faster. Solid start. It does seem to die down a bit just before the vocals kick in, but once the vocals open up, the pace takes off once more. Well executed. Things do slow down again, the vocals go two-ways also, repeating in a more eerie way, adds a certain depth to the song. The song seems to be following a rotating pattern, faster pace then slows down and repeat. The song also felt as if it could have expanded more rather than repeating itself, but it is by no means a bad song.

"Nomad" has a slower start to what we have heard so far, not too much slower, its well-balanced and as the entire album so far. The vocals meet the melodies once more, timing and pace is everything. The song is similar in a harmonic way with what we have heard on this album and I for one want to hear something a but different. The song is well-balanced, could throw a few more twists into it, but they go with what they know works.

"Arise" has a much slower and Funeral Doom style start, although it doesn't last for long before the vocals start normally and the pace dramatically increases. The melodies continue to build up in a more progressive way. The song breaks down a bit again, back and forth with the pace like it has on many of these songs, the only difference is it doesn't dip far, it keeps a much better overall pace, more of this will be better.

"Wilderness" copies the same slow start, but the melodies seem fluid enough from the opening, even if the pace seems withdrawn. The pace is not withdrawn for long, it soon kicks back up to speed. The pace once more slows to medium; the issue here is that it is no longer sounding fresh, it is sounding like all the other songs and by this point in the album I would have expected a few more tricks to have appeared.

"A Promise of Darkness" contains a considerable bit more fury as it kicks off, more power in the melodies spilling out, makes a great change. The vocals allow the pace to slow ever so slightly but keep the melodies well-balanced. It does slow down again, a lot more than was probably required. The momentum has changed and slowed down too far. The pace does the repeat trick, again and fires back up, but it is too predictable at this point in the album, we still need surprises and we just aren't getting them. The slowness appears again, it doesn't add depth it takes away interest, the song will most likely pick up again before fading away to end which it has done on so many of the songs here. And it does.

"Arcane Gestalts" is another ling song that I am predicting will change the pace, switching it in the same way that the album has. A decent mid-ranged pace start to build up. The pace and harmonies work well together, nothing of much experimentalism except the new guitar segment ticking over nicely. The lack of slowing down is well received so far around the 4-minute mark. This harmony actually works really well to add as something new. Around the halfway mark it slows down, but becomes more melodic and it is beautifully executed. The song does slow down as the vocals become spoken word. This starts the now usual fading out of the song.

"Our Seed" closes out the album with a decent start, the pace is set quite high and has enough raw power from the vocals to interest us more. This is a much better ideal for the song, more frantic-paced than others on the song, but why wait until the end? The melody is always building up and ticking over, it works so well. The song has more power than many of its predecessors and that shows a willing to change and progress the songs. This is a solid end to the album even if it does fade away at the end.

It's a good album to slot into your Black Metal playlists, but a bit too repetitive all the way through, nothing wrong with the songs, just not enough change