DØDSFERD is an immensely prolific Black Metal band hailing from Athens, Greece. In their current iteration, the band is a duo comprising Wrath (vocalist, guitarist, bassist) and N.D. (drums). They formed twenty years ago and have since churned out ten full-length albums, nine splits, one live album, and four EPs - the latest, "Skotos" is due for release on May 14, 2021 through Transcending Obscurity.

The word 'skotos' is a Greek biblical term referring to the complete absence of light, both literally and metaphorically. It can also signify the place of eternal punishment, misery, and separation from god. Yeah, so a great name for a Black Metal album or even a metal band . . . though, shockingly, I can't find an active metal band using that name. And since we're doing the linguistic thing, the band has said 'dødsferd' is Norwegian for "journey of death," though Google translate begs to differ. I should also say that DØDSFERD has some of best album titles ever: "Suicide and the Rest of Your Kind Will Follow"; "Spitting with Hatred the Insignificance of Life"; "The Parasitic Survival of the Human Race." Who knew misanthropy could be so fun!

So back to this EP. Two tracks, ten minutes, and lifetime of being pissed off (American sense). This is Black Metal as it was meant to be. Speaking of which, the production values are decidedly lo-fi, clearly intentionally so. The riffs are a distorted hellscape of aggression and anguish, the vocals are screeching banshee on the lower scale, the bass is more present than I anticipated, the drums are graceless, fast, and without remorse. So, all good on the music front. Lyrics? Who the hell knows? Couldn't understand a word, but they felt earnest enough. Betting these aren't songs about unrequited love or feeling triggered by the misuse of pronouns.

Both tracks are very good. If I had to pick a favorite - you know, Sophie's choice and all that - I' d go with "Cursed to Die at First Light." But I also liked "Skotadi" (trans: dark, obscurity, nighttime), so forget Sophie, I'm storming the castle and making off with both treasures. The cover art is by Bacchus who also wrote the lyrics. If the name sounds familiar in the DØDSFERD context, he also covered some past bass duties.

Final analysis: There are a lot of Black Metal wannabe bands and projects out there. DØDSFERD is the real deal, and "Skotos" is as legit a BM artifact as you're going to find. Whether you're new to the scene or you're a battle worn veteran of the second war on heaven, this EP is worth the buy.