From Bandcamp, "Portuguese black metal force IRAE return with their most ambitious work to date, "In the Key of Twilight," a concept album about overcoming oneself, as a human, and as the man who made god. Across its bleak yet transformative soundscapes, the record explores opening doors, breaking barriers, and forging new paths, rising from extinction into the light. A bold evolution in IRAE's discography, "In the Key of Twilight" combines the band's trademark ferocity with an expansive, narrative driven approach. Each track unfolds like a chapter in a journey of destruction, transcendence, and rebirth."

The album has eight songs, and following a short intro, "Apex Predator" is first. It comes at you straight like a rabid dog who hasn't eaten in weeks, and doesn't ask questions, he just starts biting and chewing. As with a lot of Black Metal, this album is about intensity and a fiery rage. "Key to the Darkest Path" is another fast-mover, where the band steps on the gas pedal and doesn't let up, letting out a blood-curdling laugh as you speed off into the unknown. It drops for a few bars, to let the inherent evil of the album soak in like a sickness, before the vengeance returns. "Forlorn" uses harrowing tones to tell its tale, and the title of the word means "pitifully sad or lonely." You can feel yourself slipping further into darkness as the song progresses.

"There Will Be Wrath" uses a lot of guitar work to create that "wall of sound" you often hear in the genre. Combined with furious drumming, it lays down the aggression thick. The riffs are thrashy at times also. "The End of Light" has a slower riff that again is more akin to the Thrash genre than Black Metal, and it seems the band is running low on steam and original ideas. Let's keep listening though. "Black Vault of Nothingness" redeems the album. It moves quickly, but each step is calculated. Nothingness is how the song makes me feel…it's like a somberness that you just can't shake. "Negative Energy" closes the album. It's aptly titled, because besides the thick guitar sound, it seems to zap the energy from the listener. By the end of the album, you just feel spent…hopeless.

This was a solid release. It was closer to the traditional side of the genre, but they did add their own personality to the music. If they would have taken a few more chances, and it could have gone from good to excellent.