CLOAK is described as a black metal/rock band hailing from the city of Atlanta, Georgia in the deep South of the USA. Influenced by Nordic black metal, and melodic rock, they blend the two styles to create a catchy sound of dispelling darkness that is easy to get hooked on. Their latest release "To Venomous Depths" was released on November the 10^th last year.

In the first track of this album, in "To Venomous Depths/Where No Light Shines", I was immediately hit with inverted melodic sequences led with ringing pianos, reminding me of DISSECTION's intro to "Where Dead Angels Lie". This reminiscent style continued on beyond the intro, as vocals and the full band were introduced, which then mentally brought me to WATAIN.

Leading onto the second track, "Within The Timeless Black" seems rhythmically pieced together, memorable and creative. This gets interesting beyond half way through the song, where tremolo guitars ring out in a haze, as an underlying layer of rhythm guitars and drums march forth in momentum. I found this intertwining strangely contrasting and spine-tingling to hear. A minute and a half to the close of the song, the full band pushes forward in full throttle.

"Beyond the veil" has a slow start, leading into a heavy performance, as one of the most intense tracks on the album in my opinion. The pedaling of double-bass drums is more prevalent, as rock styles are subtly incorporated towards the end. Lyrics are poetic and nostalgic in style throughout the album, with the current song expressing "On withered backbones lie earthly truths, that crumble in thy hand. To hallowed ground where the self must die, for the new to be reborn", which manifests a theme of death and renewal.

"Passage" serves as a short, and intriguing interlude of discorded muted guitar melodies, and poetic murmur of the vocals, bridging the way to final track of the album "Deep Red". This begins with a dreary start, with guitars ringing out, and drums steadily pacing away. Soon, some punchy rock influences step in. This would be a perfect time for some head-banging at a live performance.  The contrast of atmospheric guitars, and punchy break downs pervades throughout. A rolling of the snare builds up towards the end of the track, leading into a final bursting of blast beats, before all smoke settles with a light acoustic melody at the conclusion.

Listening to CLOAK's "To Venomous Depths", there's a unique sound that adds to the clarity, it's as if the instruments are slightly echoed out, letting them blend into each other and create a dark atmosphere. Their rock influences breathe an air of life into the grainy blackness of the sound, making it too easy for the listener to get hooked onto each note. The lyrics are old-fashioned in a poetic way, using dark imagery and metaphors. To me, this adds some originality, as clichés are not being re-used, but the lyrics come from somewhere deeper.