To deal with some extreme Metal genres is to deal with some national scenes as well. That happens due some features that are heard solely on a country's identity for some genres, as Swedish and British Death Metal and Norwegian and Greek Black Metal. But what could be expected from a scene that isn't traditional, or that rare are the extreme Metal bands from the country in question? Well, Australia has some extreme names, but OATH OF DAMNATION comes to unleash its fury with "Fury and Malevolence", their second album.

To begin with, the band had a change on its lineup after "The Descent": Doomsayer assumed the vocals along the bass guitar (Formous left the band 2016), and Haemorrh came to the keyboards. The music they play is a brutal, fast and melodic form of Black Metal that brings along features from Swedish and Finnish Schools, but with a personal insight and some Death Metal touches. They play fast and furious, but bearing a clear melodic outfit, with a very good set of rhythmic changes and good technical level. And it's so good to hear such form of music, done with energy and aggressiveness, in a way that hypnotizes the listeners.

The recordings, mixing and mastering of "Fury and Malevolence" were done by Andy Kite, who brought to the album a very good balance between a crude and melodic insight with a clean aesthetics (to allow the band's melodies and orchestrations to be fully understood). Of course that some aspects could be better used, because the sound quality is like a poorer version of the one used by DIMMU BORGIR on "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant". It works and is good, but could be way better.

On their music, nothing is left to say that isn't that the world must know their work. Yes, it's precisely that, because the brutal and melodic outfit of "Imhullu" (very good orchestrations with piledriving drums) and "The Abortuary", the very good contrasts of aggressive (and excellent) guitar riffs with orchestrations shown on "Ardenti Haereticus" and "With Fire and Malevolence", the melodically brutal and embracing ambience of "To Crack the Earth and Bring Down the Sky", and the brutal oppression with fast tempos of "In Death's Dominion" (excellent clean vocals are used on this one) and on "I Curse Thee, O' Lord!" can't be known just for a few people. It's a privilege that any extreme Metal fan must have!

"Fury and Malevolence" is a great album, and OATH OF DAMNATION is an alternative for those who miss what famous Melodic/Symphonic Black Metal bands were in the 90's.