From Bandcamp, "After a long absence from the scene, LORN release a full-length album that marks a return to the past and to the tradition of black metal, in itself an act of rejection and criticism towards an increasingly contradictory present devoid of real content. "I wanted to represent a return to the known, to tradition, starting from fundamental cornerstones: simplicity, melody, and concepts more oriented towards metaphysical infinity," explains Radok, the Italian musician at the helm of the project. It's a spiritual quest that is also a sonic quest. The songs develop on controlled rhythmic scores, playing on the contrast between accelerations and contemplative mid-tempos, so as to give greater emphasis to inspired and emotional black metal riffing. "Once we reach the limit, we climb back up, starting from the ruins, from the traces left by our ancestors," Radok concludes. "We must have the humility to recognize that perhaps the tradition was not off-beat at all, despite its indigestible dogmatic reality and its customs so incomprehensible to the eyes of the present."

The album has six songs, and the title track is first. A twisted, black beast comes out of the gate, so grotesque, you have to look away. The harsh vocals are filthy but don't take over the sound with reverberating screams, and the guitar work is dark and meaty. "Haderburg" is another deadly slab of Black Metal, and the background is filled with corpses, skulls, rotting flesh, and severed body parts…the perfect snack for the vermin who now occupy the space. Clocking in at just under three minutes, it's practically over before you know it. "Leuchenberg" has a thick and overgrown sound that's akin to trying to make your way through yards of quicksand while rockets light up the sky above. There are some fleeting melodies here as well, and they are somber. The depression continues, each note worse than the previous, until the sound drops closing in on the halfway mark. Acoustic guitars and piano take over from there, and the levity is striking.

"Gallows" is desolate. The repeated guitar pattern and slow pace makes it weight on your back like a boulder that gets heavier and heavier as you plod along. The landscape they paint, is full of nothing…there are ever grey skies, no plant life growing anywhere, and no sign of man nor beast. Towards the end, some light finally breaks through, and it leads you on a wild goose chase over the plains. "Ordo Draconis" is a short four-minutes, and its melody and even hopeful tones help to provide a path for you to continue forward. Meaty bass notes and steady synths occupy much of the background, and you get a sense of wonder here. "Threshold's Tragedy" is the final song, and it make a sharp turn to darkness once more. This time, the sound screams in pain, in torture, and even in regret. The contrast along the song is striking, and the melodies are even warm at times.

I,Voidhanger very rarely disappoints, and this album is another undeniable winner. The sounds was as close to how it was advertised as possible. You will find towering landscapes that unfold in front of your eyes, built on the raw aggression and hatred of Black Metal. But unlike a lot of Black Metal, this album breathes and is alive, with a full layer of synths to round out the sound. It's also mysterious, and leaves the listener wondering and in awe. Open the book on "Searing Blood" and see what secrets and puzzles it has in store for you.