RIENAUS is a black metal band from Finland who formed in 2009. "Luciferille," is their third full length but they have been prolific in other ways.  They have released three demo albums, a live album, one EP, a split and two compilations. As far as Finnish Satanic black metal goes, this album definitely delivers the very sound expected of them.  Is it a mind blowing album that reinvents the wheel?  Of course not.  Most albums of any style do not achieve this but any band playing this very specific music  isn't out to do that anyway. What "Luciferille," does achieve is providing 34 minutes of straight up blackened, raw rage. That run time is pretty much the sweet spot that I like to experience for this type of album too.

While I find the production and mix to be a cut above most other albums labeled "raw", this isn't exactly polished either.  As these things tend to go, especially when the music gets really chaotic, the instruments (especially the guitars) tend to blend together.  At these moments, I actually find that it helps the overall sound because the band handles the "wall of sound" approach very well.  It also gives  variety to the music, as it seems to, at times, alternate between more riff based, groove laden structures and oppressive blackened sound.

The album begins with the intro track, "Alkusoitto," which honestly doesn't do much to build up the excitement.  Thankfully, "Uhrattavaksi siunattu" is what I wanted to hear as the first full song.  It begins immediately with a slower tempo that lets the riffs hammer themselves into the song's foundation.  The drums provide this foundation and compliment the song well.  The bass isn't particularly a standout, due to the production and mix no doubt,  but the low end is supplied, adding yet another layer to the darkness. The mid section of the song is faster paced and the band switches gears well enough before doing so again and returning to the denser, slower paced parts.

The title track is extraordinarily explosive and the violence just comes off in wave after wave.  The band seems more in their element on this track, even the bass grabs my attention more.  The riffs are a bit more open, as are the drums, to go along with the deadly energy.  This is definitely one of the album's best songs and the one I found myself going back to the most. "Pedon merkki," is a burner of a song, complete with an excellent guitar tone.  The riffs are massive in the beginning, deep static hanging in the air while carrying bloody screams over them.  It doesn't take long for the song to cast that off and turn the music into a singular, deadly device that swiftly finds a target.  The riffs double down on their sinister sound-just pure fucking evil, and that is, simply put, what this type of black metal should always be.

"Äänet yössä," ends the album in a big way, an explosion of misanthropic rage that doesn't yield until the end. What may exist as an example of melody for a band like this is peppered throughout the track, adding a nice contrast from some of the heavier riffs.  This song is a steamroller and by the end, you know black metal has taken it all from you. All in all, RIENAUS have released a solid and very serviceable album in "Luciferille."  If the more raw, straight forward from of black metal is what you crave from what has become a rather diverse genre, this album will hit the rotten spot in your soul.