BLACK CYCLONE is certainly a force of nature when it comes whirling out of your speakers. A Gothenburg band that originally had a go at being a Black Metal before replacing their last vocalist for some more operatic tones and adopted a Bay Area Thrash sound with some heady Speed influences. Fortunately, they never forgot their Black Metal beginnings and kept their dark, intimidating tone. The band formed in 2009 but their debut, "Death Is King", was released this year. Their demos "Chaos Brigade" and "Under Your Hoof" were released in 2012 and 2013, but you'd be hard-pressed to find any copies of either today, save for Youtube. BLACK CYCLONE comes off as a whirling storm of harrowing strength that would please any circle pit junkie.

Linus Johansson obliterates the gate after running it over with a tank. His vocals soar over the vicious battle of explosive blast beats and tangles of razor wire riffs as Death's coronation goes on in "Death Is Crowned As King". The war that rages is no doubt a bloody one as "Hordes" screams its way through the battlefield. The war takes a new turn with the badass titled "Beast Battalion" sounding like earlier SODOM if Tom Angelripper was replaced with NIMROD B.C's Gary Wayne. BLACK CYCLONE doesn't slow down through the rest of its run time. The best track being "Death By Crushing" for not only its high octane speed but intense fret-destroying string patterns. The album finishes with the serious and inevitable sounding "This Is It", channeling their influences MUNISCIPLE WASTE, SEPULTURA, and TESTAMENT.

BLACK CYCLONE brings their game and delivers with fully engaging choruses and death defying strings that serve to frame the whole album. BLACK CYCLONE's "Death Is King" is Death's first decree as Everlasting Supreme Ruler to harvest all he sees fit.