From Bandcamp, “Led Astray” is a masterclass in memorable, Metal riffing and twisted rhythmic thrust. As is their signature, CRUCIFIER sound positively primal here but never primitive; while these nine screeds of blasphemy might confuse or insult normcore listeners, there's an extremely considered & calculated delirium behind their blackened devilry. As such, the "tight looseness" that's characterized CRUCIFIER's work to date gets sharpened to an enviable degree as these nine labyrinths surge and storm with a paradoxical/perverse sense of class.” The album has nine songs.

“Smite…” is first. From the start, the production is very muddy, as it the music, and this isn’t your average Black Metal album. It is so thick and overgrown, and the sound is so muffled, that you can barely hear the flow of the song. But the closer you listen, the clearer it becomes. “Feed the Furnace” has a more discernable sound, but it is dissonant and harrowing. The vocals are so guttural that it is hard to pick up on them at times, and they sound like they come from Satan himself. “Biers of Catholic Bones” has a heavy structure that is still very substantial, and the guitars blend in with the vocals, creating a scary sound that will haunt you in your dreams.

“With Cornu and Peccant Breath” has a slower grind at first, which really lets the evil settle into your bones, and into your soul. It pick up from there with haste. “Trafficking with the Devil” is more chaotic in nature, but there is still a structure there, although you have to work to find it at times. The guitar solo is full of whammy bar dives and fast picking sequences as well. “Serenaded by the Angel’s Shrills” is a blasphemous song with plenty of frightening elements, but the blast beat drums keep it moving with great speed. “An Endeavor of Rats” closes the album, and images of a filthy sewer come to mind…the kind of dirt that you just can’t wash off yourself either.

This was a solid album, and it was swampier than most Black Metal albums, to the point where as a listener you can get slowly sucked into the filth and revel in it. I like the fact that it was off the beaten path a bit, but still held some of the traditions of the genre. In today’s Black Metal scene, anything is possible, if you have the courage to fly, and fly they did.