A Black Metal band hailing from Germany and formed in 2016, HAXENZIJRKELL is a loose spelling of the German word "Hexenzirkel" meaning "Coven.” “Portal” is the band’s third full-length release, and it has five songs. “Atziluth” is first. The sound is very thick and chaotic out of the gate, with that wall of sound you often refer to Black Metal as. It is wound so tightly, the wheels nearly come off the ride altogether. The vocals are unintelligible utterings as well, and this is full steam ahead Black Metal. “Beri’ah” is next. It begins with a slower pace, so that the evil really soaks in. For me, it sounds like something that might accompany the rising of a dark force in the abyss.

“Yetzirah” moves slowly once again, with vocal screams and a few spoken words added in for seasoning. For me, it sounds like the audible depiction of someone going through a deep torture…the kind that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. “Assiah” is quite long, almost 10 minutes in fact. Put the turkey in the oven on low and slow and let it cook. First, you warm, then you sweat, next it begins to feel like Death Valley, and your organs begin to cook. Your ears, fingers, and toes begin to burn, your eyes boil out, and you are roasted alive. At least, for the portion before your nerves are burnt and numbed.

“ÆON” closes the album, and it’s a beast, at 13 minutes long. It takes a while to fully develop, beginning with long, drawn out guitar notes and some brooding atmosphere. The vocal screams are subdued, and they sound like they are coming from someone who is at the end of his proverbial rope. It drags on for weeks, months, years, and centuries. This album had a slow start, but that ending song really dug deep into my soul. It opened up horrors I didn’t even know existed, and I shut that door firmly after the album was over.