PANZERFAUST is a Canadian black metal band formed in 2005.  "The Suns of Perdition - Chapter II: Render unto Eden" is their fifth full length album.  They have also released three EP s and a split album.This is such an atmospheric album, everything from the production to the way the song unfolds.  There isn't any epic keyboards, cosmic passage, or ambient interludes.  It's four guys who have put their hearts and souls into this music and the flow this love creates just pours outward. This offsets the raw nature of both the sound of the album itself and the lyrics content, involving the horrors of war. All these elements make the second chapter of  "The Suns of Perdition" an engaging listen as any album I've heard or reviewed this year.

The pace of the album is perfect and I appreciate how methodical it is.  With this album, PANZERFAUST don't concern themselves with constantly playing a thousand miles an hour and shoving machine gun drums down the throat until boredom sets in. Every second of every minute has its place and is used to further the song for the album's overall greater good.

The album opens up with the longest track, "Promethean Fire," and it takes some time to build up.  I enjoy a song that improves itself as it goes along so by the time the bass, and later the drums, bring out heart beat like thumps I was already excited.  Slight melody prevents itself out of the fog as the song comes to a head around the 2:30 mark with a deep growl, surrounded by blackened screams. Chaotic guitar riffs appear naturally and the mix between them and the guitar is quite impressive. The song also reveals another aspect about the album that works wonders, which is the fact that the songs have more than just one moment of build up.  About halfway thru, the guitars become less chaotic and hang back to let the bass and drums create even more tension for the song to explode once again.

The bass and drums are one hell of a duo-Gervais and Kartashov are relentless in their pursuit of working off each other and giving the songs the foundation they need to survive. "The Faustian Pact," is so focused on intensity, anger, and anguish that it become all encompassing and almost a physical presence that I can see in my brain. The song's middle portion goes for break, the drums are all over the place but with purpose, the riffs and bass hammering down like there is not tomorrow and the vocals wild and uncontrollable. The last two minutes are intimidating and destructive as a legion of tanks shooting you in the face all at once.  Total fucking obliteration.

The third track, "Areopagitica," is very riff focused that throws crushing riffs on top of a destitute world of broken dreams. A brutal groove settles in and for the next few minutes this song, this album, and this band are untouchable as a soundtrack of fire, fury, and brimstone.   This track is one big wall of sound, but coherent in its destruction...think MESHUGGAH but instead of polyrhythms , its musical nuclear explosions.

"The Snare of the Fowler," is almost anxiety inducing in the beginning with the creepy melodic guitars and guttural blackened vocals fighting the way through this fear campaign.  As far the guitar goes, I think this may be the most urgent and biting of the five tracks with the shredded groove that morphs into rapid fire melodic riffs that lay the way for the vocals to rip everything up towards the song's end.

"Pascal's Wager," is set into an ominous tone by the bass, circled by the lingering danger presented by the drums.  A darkly melodic movement encompasses the next three minutes and it is interesting as it is emotive.   The monstrous and speedy bass pummels its way out of this dim light but the rest of the song has very strong post metal leanings although still very much aggressive and potent