Belgian Blackened Death Metal band KOSMOKRATOR have published their third studio material output with "Through Ruin... Behold," filled with music written between 2013 and 2018, some ranging from the band's early days. There is a sense of exploration that is palpable in the band's sound, one that fuses elements of Industrial, Post-Metal, Sludge and Doom into their Black and Death palette.

"The Push Towards Daath" is a mournful, hypnotic opener. Droning synths, percussive touches and ambience act as the track's intro, before clashing into Post-Metal territory with heavy riffing. What sounds like a chorus lends an epic vibe to the song, something that finds its echo on the military march of the drums. Over the course of its length, being more than seven minutes long, it builds and disarms itself repeatedly.

"Ruins" comes next, being a noisy and extremely chaotic track that goes into full-blown blast beat attack at times. The subtle gang vocals are a nice touch, setting it apart on the record. The second half of the song sets into a nice pace that is almost groovy.

"Irreversible Pathways" flows perfectly from "Ruins". Its meaty riffs and complex rhythm make it quite straightforward in comparison. Chromatic playing gives a deconstructing feel to the riffs at times, a quirky songwriting trick that functions perfectly.

Bass drones provide deep, enigmatic textures to the slow building intro of "I Am the Utterance of My Name" right before it explodes into a chaotic, shapeshifting riff salad. The drums take on a jazz-tinged approach, with syncopated hi-hat work. For its outro, the band lays down fine bass grooves and vocals get an electronic effect treatment. Although many of the ideas are clever, the track as a whole ends up being a bit too chaotic at times.

On "Komokratoras I - In His Name Shineth the Sun," dissonant, harsh singing and growling clashes against the steady backbone provided by the band. Eerie vocal samples, melodic and almost operatic embellish the song. Its groovy middle section brings in sludgy guitar work and trance-inducing basslines. The whole thing builds into a noisy climax and gives way to a psychedelic-tinged, Black Metal outro.

More Post-Metal vibes appear on "Nathir," the song with the catchiest riff on the record. One of the most melodic sections on the album comes at the very beginning of this track, being extremely memorable, and most of the track follows the dense, noisy formula of previous songs but in a more streamlined, cohesive way.

"Gestorben Muss Sein" is an outstanding finale, and quite possibly the strongest track on the record. At nine minutes, it takes its time to work around several ideas, making sure they flow together in a non-obtrusive way. The middle third is some of the heaviest stuff on the record while the last third, in stark contrast, is made up of clean guitars, static and soft female singing. A beautiful moment slowly swallowed in crackling noise; a fitting end to a dark album.

Although not a memorable record, "Through Ruin... Behold" is positively complex, dense and noteworthy. It is the kind of album where the whole is better than the sum of its parts, and even if it gets a little too chaotic and dissonant at moments, it mostly works as a unit. The band succeeds in building a mood and creating a dark, hypnotic atmosphere, just as enigmatic as it is deeply enticing. This is a record that creeps onto you.