From their EPK, "Hailing from the far north of Sweden, HARADRIM is a Blackened Death Metal band heavily inspired by the crust and hardcore scene of their hometown Umeå. The band formed during late 2021 and released their first demo in May of 2022. Having spent nearly two years writing their debut album, "Death of Idols," it was finally recorded in the summer. The album has eleven songs.

"Death of Idols" is the first. It's a blast of impossibly frigid air on an already freezing cold day. The vocals are hateful screams and you can hear the resolve building in the song. The bass led interlude with clean vocals is a surprise break in the madness. "Venus Falling" is another energetic track that is thick and overgrown with background elements. The sound that the trio is able to create seems like it would take five members to pull off. "Godless" is a song that's smoke lasts a lot longer than its intense burn. There is even a guitar solo here and some clean guitars.

"Defiling of Spirit" sounds like a dirty hand is working its way closer and closer to your inner bits. The pacing of these songs is so fast, that I feel like there is no way that the band can keep it up much longer, yet, they do. "Demigod" has a bit of a slower pace, and those powerful riffs come through strong. This song is pure brutality in its most primitive form. "Conquest" hears the scorching pace return. This track has a sturdy but filthy structure as well as plenty of zip. "The Price of Compliance" is a slower groove with meaty bass notes and some semi-clean vocals that sound like they come from inside a metal machine. "Ashes of Warsaw" closes the album. As the title suggests, it's a slow grind of anger, despair, and hopelessness.

Overall, I was swept up in the sounds of the band's hometown. In their subarctic climate, it's so cold, that the starkness comes out in the music. The music is very well crafted also. It's thick, diverse, and black at its core. I liken it to BLACK SABBATH's sound when you think of their roots in the industrial Birmingham, England. I love it when a band gives you a taste of their personal life in their music.