2014 is proving to be a big year for Black Metal with MAYHEM's "Psywar" surely setting the bar high. France's CAINAN DAWN is a strong contender, with their second full-length "Thavmial" truly showcasing France's potential for excellent extreme metal bands. The album has an atmosphere and progressiveness about it that sets it apart from much of modern Black Metal.

"The Brood" explodes with a volatile evil, propelled by characteristic blast-beats and exhuding a beautifully vitriolic chord progression. As the track goes on, I sense perhaps a little of the old DIMMU BORGIR creeping in, with fast and pounding riffs oozing a darkly melancholic atmosphere. Not a short track, it continues to subtly evolve, the slowing down of the riffs sneaking up, almost hypnotic. "Legionem Daemonicus" was quite possibly my favorite track, particularly due to the vocal delivery. Not restricted to shrieks, the reverberations from Heruforod's infernal vocal chords are multi-dimensional, a vocalist who growls and screams with unbridled emotion.

"Vigrid" comes off as more of an older BEHEMOTH track, mixing in a few traditional metal riff arrangements in with the morbid storm of hellfire. Ingeniously, there is a greater eeriness I experienced with this track, evoked by the strategic chord progressions, surprisingly complex for the genre. The title track is another extremely strong track, diverging again, a little, from traditional Black Metal arrangements, opting for a more Thrash approach in places.

I believe that in continuing to make music like this, CAINAN DAWN will grow to become an extreme Metal pioneer of their country, to be placed in with bands like ALCEST.