“Veil Of Death, Ruptured” is the third full-length album from the all-female Dutch black metal band/witches coven, ASAGRAUM. The press kit for the album states that their goal is: “to create pure Satanic Black Metal with the old-school feeling of the eternal ’90s greats and with dark psychedelic influences.” This new album will be released on October 20, 2023, on Edged Circle Productions. I have been listening to ASAGRAUM since their first album was released in 2017 and jumped at the opportunity to review “Veil Of Death, Ruptured.”

The album opener, “Ignem Purificat Lilitu,” does an excellent job of setting the stage for what is to come. I tend to like a healthy dose of reverb on black metal vocals and the production on Obscura’s rasps and screams is excellent. I was pleasantly surprised to hear some clean vocals towards the song’s end. The pleasant-sounding vocals also in no way detract from the urgency and intensity of this track.

The following track, “Fearless Dominance,” first builds suspense with some dissonant guitar work. A. Morthaemer’s drumming stands out whether she is playing requisite blast beats or more complex and intriguing parts. This track is fierce and unhinged and that’s exactly how I like black metal to sound. Obscura’s long, drawn-out screams are what give this song some extra ferocity. The bridge is a clean guitar part that gives way to another aural onslaught. The whispered vocals at the track’s end are also a nice touch.

Two instrumental interlude tracks break up the intensity so that the album doesn’t come off as stale and one-note. The first of these tracks is “Opus Ad Errantem.” This one is a clean guitar piece that is never boring and isn’t too long so that it leaves you pining for the faster, more violent tracks. The other instrumental, “Opus Ad Aeternum,” is just over three minutes, which is a bit on the long side for a track that just breaks up the feral tracks. That being said, it is still a pleasant clean guitar-driven piece that sets up the finale nicely.

The final track, “De Waanzin Roept Mijn Naam,” which translates to “The Madness Is Calling My Name” in English, is the most dynamic song on the album. There are several well-placed screams and multiple tempo changes, with the slower parts breaking up the black metal barrage that is the majority of the song. It is a fine sendoff to an excellent second-wave black metal album.

Overall, I enjoyed this album and listened to it multiple times, both leisurely and critically. Their musical style is heavily influenced by, as they put it, the eternal 90s greats. I am thrilled to hear that they added some dissonant and mildly psychedelic elements as well. All-female metal groups have been resurgent over the past few years, and I’m one hundred percent for it, especially when they are as enjoyable as ASAGRAUM.