HAXANDRAOK is yet another group that is beyond classification. If you were to put it into a category, Black Metal would be the best place for it. But where others are singing about Satan and his ne'er-do-wells, here can be found the ancient powers and quotations from Qliphothic Sorcery (from Jewish Mysticism), Necromancy, and Primordial Witchcraft. One gets the feeling that what these guys are conjuring would even scare the devil himself and send him running to the hills. If their goal is to achieve an otherworldly sound where you almost feel as if some kind of creature from an unknown plane were to be summoned in your living room were you playing it over your stereo, then they have succeeded in this.

There are moments of complete brutality that assaults your soul as well as melodic points that make you want to bob your head to the music. You almost get the feeling like you've walked in on some ritual of black magic. Things are being chanted, shouted, whispered and mumbled that you cannot understand, but you know that you are in the presence of something old, ancient, primordial and evil. The sounds of the incantations and the spells leave you speechless as you can't help but watch the ritual come to its completion. What will become of you when the ritual is complete? Will you lose your mind? Will you be possessed by an evil spirit? Or will you simply be chilled to the marrow yet be unaffected by the magic? It depends on you and whether or not you are strong enough to resist the evil or will succumb to it.

Musically speaking, it is a very skilled performance. The riffage here is very strong and there are even a few flourishes of lead guitar that suit the music very well that I was very impressed with. I believe that one of the members is Greek because there are certainly some Eastern melodies that I heard peppered throughout the album. HAXANDRAOK will give you goosebumps in the same way that a great horror movie does without it coming off as campy or cheesy. The evil is real, palpable, and feels like it's about to pounce on you as you listen to this album. Black Metal is not my particular genre of choice, but when it's done well, I like it. HAXANDRAOK have done this well, and hats off to them for putting out a strong album such as this. If Black Metal is your jam, you need to give these guys a listen. And yes, as always,

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