I had received this promo CD some time ago, but for unknown reasons it was lost somewhere in my room, until some days ago, when I came across it again and decided to listen to it and see what CHTHONIAN are all about. The whole artwork, logo, style thing gave me the impression that I had to face a Black Metal band. It seems I wasn't totally wrong.

CHTHONIAN is a pretty old band (for what it has accomplished), since it was formed back in 1998, but has only managed to released a demo CD in 2006, and Of Beatings And The Silence In Between, which is their debut full-length album. The album is being released through Woodcut Records, a Finnish underground label that specializes in the extreme side of Metal.

For all of you who still haven't understood something, CHTHONIAN feature a member that is well known for being FINNTROLL's new singer (and he is one of CHTHONIAN's two former members along with Rosenberg). The band's music can be described as a pretty interesting mixture of Black and Death Metal, something that is based not only on the band's composing skills, but also on the singer's vocals that other times make your ears bleed with harsh Black Metal screams, while other times smash your brain with Death Metal growling. Their sound may sometimes remind you of acts like the brutal architects BELPHEGOR, the underground heroes URGEHAL and some of HORNA's classic elements.

The sound is as raw as it should be, making the album heavy as fuck, and making us believe that the Finnish trio is able to offer some great things in the future. Of Beatings And The Silence In Between is a great debut album for these guys, and I think that Black/Death Metal lovers will surely find something interesting in CHTHONIAN.