Black Metal is notorious for its excesses, and the history is full of bands that have tried too hard to become the quintessence of all that is black, with the end result being that they merely become an unwitting farce. Then again, you do get absolute gems that are purposefully absurd, such as the legendary IMMORTAL, or the not-so-legendary ridiculousness that is THE BLACK SATANS. So it was with a slight bit of trepidation that I first listened to "Secret Serpent", the debut album of the Polish band KAOSKULT. With an almost cliché album title, enigmatic stage names, and the cloak-and-dagger song titles, I was slightly dubious about whether this was another band that had taken things a step too far.

However, my mind was soon put at ease; from the very first notes onwards, it is clear that these three men mean business. The first track "Invocation/Manifest" has an unusual almost Techno tempo to it, mixed with heavily distorted guitars and a stereotypical Black Metal type of vocal style. The entire album verges on being chaotic and discordant, but still somehow manages to maintain some semblance of cohesion throughout. I particularly enjoyed the third track "The New Aeon" with its darker flowing melodies reminiscent of a less accessible version of SATYRICON circa their "The Age of Nero" album. Being the veterans of various other bands, KAOSKULT clearly know what they are doing and incorporate a myriad of twists and turns into their music. At first listen, these appear random, disjointed, and haphazard, but upon reflection, each section does meld into the others. The golden standard adhered to throughout the album is variation, with each track being vastly different to the next. The almost disjointed sound seems to come and go in waves, with the beginning of the album being heavily laden with twists; this dies down considerably before being returned to in the middle of the album before again simmering down. The sound quality is also very good, with each instrument being clearly audible and each complimenting the other in terms of volume. Technically speaking, the music is well written, but does lack some of the raw emotions typically found in this form of Black Metal.

All in all, this is definitely one of the slightly more experimental Black Metal bands out there, not entirely dissimilar to other bands such as ABIGOR. I nevertheless very much enjoyed the album, and will definitely be keeping my eye on them in the future. If chaotic yet coherent is something that appeals to you, then I would definitely recommend giving them a listen. However, if you want some smooth listening, then the turmoil and confusion that is KAOSKULT is probably not for you.