ABKEHR are from Northern Germany and they were formed in 2015. They play a mix of traditional Norwegian Black Metal and US atmospheric Black Metal. They released one EP and "In Blut" (English: "In Blood") is their second full-length album. It was released via German label Vendetta Records which has Black Metal and Doom Metal bands among their current roster. There is no official video release so far. The album has a length of about 31 minutes.

After the releases of "In Asche" ("In Ashes") and "In Feuer" ("In Fire"), it is time for "In Blut". Not only the album titles, even more the song titles show a remarkable consistency of ABKEHR (you should be able to guess the song titles of the previous releases by now) and this is also reflected in their sound. ABKEHR do not experiment, they go back to their well-tried patterns with improvements in details. It all starts with "I" which has a slow and melancholic start before it erupts into a sequence of blisteringly fast rhythms with aggressive guitar rhythms and hammering drums. A dark and melancholic atmosphere is maintained throughout the track especially during the mid-tempo parts that alternate with the highly paced parts. On a down side, the highly-pitched screams sound a bit subdued during most of the track.

Song number two is different from "I" in the sense that the focus is more on classical Black Metal and less on creating atmosphere. The textures are comparable to "I" though, with the frequent changes between highly paced and mid-tempo parts. The fast parts are very straight forward here. Highlight are two parts in the middle and near the end of the track where ABKEHR generates a dark atmosphere for a very short period. The majority of "II" is a pummeling in the best tradition of Norwegian Black Metalists. "III" sounds a bit different with a freezing atmosphere enhanced by the slow and stomping rhythm and powerful guitar riffing. The vocals are more emphasized and also more variable compared to the other tracks. There is hardly any change in rhythm throughout which contributes to maintaining the doom and gloom of the track.

"IV" needs a little while before it comes to business and business means another frantic and bludgeoning rhythm driven forward by the relentless drumming and flesh-ripping guitar riffs, all played at high intensity. As in "II", "IV" is rather inspired by old school Black Metal and less by depressive atmospheres. The latter ones appear for a very short period towards the end of the track.

"In Blut" is a decent full-length album and it is an upgrade compared to previous releases. ABKEHR provide a clearly structured mix between traditional and atmospheric Black Metal elements and continue to develop the sound of their previous albums. The album sounds mature with a good songwriting while the production of the album leaves room for improvement. Those who love the symbiosis of traditional and atmospheric Black Metal will surely dig this and enjoy "In Blut".