LICHWAY is a three-piece band from Cardiff & England, formed in 2020. Two members are also in underground Black & Death Metal bands including SODOMIZED CADAVER & AGRONA. The members consist of Corff (Drums), Kreulon (Bass) and Anfad (Vocals). "Soul Torment" is their debut and will be released on 15th December 2020 via MSH Music Group.

"Damned Echoes" leads off the album. It's a short, mood-setting ambient track without a whole lot going on. "Bringing Finality" opens with a blood-curdling scream that seems to go on forever. Guitars, bass and drums join in, and the vocals are raspy screams. The production is somewhat muted, as is often the case in the genre. The attack is unrelenting. "Soul Torment" is another burner...short, but not low on intensity. The guitars create a riff at times, and at other times are more chaotic, fast-picked sections.

"What Comes to All" begins with a more linear riff and a slower, more grinding pace. The pacing is almost hypnotic. Towards the end, the riff changes and becomes more sinister sounding. "Bound by Dusk" is just over four-minutes in length. It opens with a lawless sound, augmented by the vocals, which at times sound like they are sung inside some sort of a metal tube. They have this slight reverberation to them. "Fading" is a short, two-and-a-half-minute scorcher that threatens to drain your very soul. The sound is very evil and harrowing.

"Tomb Mist" opens with a villainous sound. It's another slower song, really allowing the malevolent sound to seep deep into your pores. It picks up, with blast beat drumming, and then relaxes again. "Pointless Existence" begins with a slow and malicious sound...one thing that the band does well is pushing the harrowing sound down your throat without excuses. "Mourners" closes the album, and it's the longest song, at over five-minutes in length. It begins with a slower, more mesmerizing pace. The vocals are absolutely vile here. It also had a deep and dark depression...something that might push you over the edge.

Overall, it's a good first effort from the band of out the UK, staying traditional to the Black Metal fore-fathers but also adding their own personality into the mix. Structurally, I feel like the album would stand on its own in the genre, especially considering the amount of bleak nature of the music and how it would latch onto your fears, doubts, and feelings of insecurity and send them into the abyss.