PITCH BLACK PROCESS is a Turkish Melodic Black and Death Metal band that might be more widely recognized under another name. All of the members played previously in an act called AFFLICTION during the late 90's and early 2000's before changing their name and their style. AFFLICTION played their last show in 2011, before resurfacing the same year as a more polished, professional Symphonic Death group that has gone on to gain considerable fame in Turkey and worldwide. The group's first album was released in 2013 as an EP called "Deceiver", and since then they've produced one other full-length album before their latest work, "Derin", announced in 2016. Now, I consider myself to be a bit of a Black Metal connoisseur, so I had high hopes for PITCH BLACK PROCESS. However, I'm a seasoned veteran of Metal, especially Melodic Black Metal, and therefore I wasn't expecting this album to blow me away. I couldn't have been more wrong, though. From the first note of the introductory song, I was captivated.

"Borrowed Lives and Borrowed World" is an absolutely brutal song that tears into the listener with a stuttering drumbeat and electric riffs that slice through the bass and rhythm guitar. Demirel's vocals switch from clean melodies to gutturals in a second, and weave flawlessly into the chugging bass and rapid-fire drums. "Into the Void" introduces an eerily industrial element into PITCH BLACK PROCESS's unique brand of Melodic Death Metal. The vocals, which are sung in Turkish, are gravelly, threatening and add the perfect sinister undertone before the track roars into a clean chorus. The guitar riff is pretty simple, but the rhythmic element of it underlays the vocals and drums perfectly without making the song too busy.

"A Soundtrack for the Lonely" is a heavy, pulsing masterpiece. Here, Demirel focuses more on growling rather than singing, while the band is technically classified as Black Metal, the vocals are clearly more influenced by Death Metal. There's none of the classic Black Metal shrieking here, but the vocal style works with the machine-gun drumbeats and the harsh, rhythmic bass riffs. The guitars really steal the show in this track, as they introduce a catchy and unforgettable riff. "Dark Desires" is clearly influenced by Industrial acts (such as MINISTRY) and starts out with distorted guitars over a chugging drumbeat. Demirel's voice takes on an even harsher tone, and is decidedly reminiscent of Jeffrey Walker's vocals from CARCASS.

"Halil Ibrahim Sofrasi" is an intriguing departure from PITCH BLACK PROCESS's usual backing tracks of thumping bass. This song fuses Melodic Death Metal with Middle Eastern influences (such as the sitar) and the chanting vocals. Although this isn't their heaviest, it gives the listener a glimpse into the band's roots while still staying true to their musical genre. "Final Riddle" is an electric, synthesized journey, which draws upon elements of Speed Metal and Symphonic Death Metal in order to create a truly distinctive track. I was expecting a thrash-y chorus, but the band introduces juxtaposition between melodic vocals over mellow guitar tracks and Demirel's gutturals over rapid-fire rhythm guitar and bass.

The next track, "Debris", is a traditional Symphonic Death/Black Metal song. The vocals are clearly inspired by those of DIMMU BORGIR, but deviate from classic Black Metal in the chorus where the singing is layered and takes on a melodic quality. The guitar riffs are chugging and blast through the choppy bass and drums to create an exhaustingly precise track. "Toy Soldier" is heavily distorted, but feels cleaner than many of the other songs on the album. It's almost like Pop Metal in the riffs, at least until Demirel reaches the chorus and starts his harsh vocals. The guitar riffs are fairly simple, but the staccato drums layer behind them to create an insane contrast. The use of the synthesizer at about 2:30 is especially interesting, and introduces a new element to the song.

The last track, "Beautiful Delusion," was undoubtedly one of my favorites. It's a great example of what Blackened Death Metal should be, and a raw and passionate glimpse into Demirel's vocal talent overlapped with demonic, incessant guitar riffs that rip through each other in their effort to reach a climax before the song devolves into a clean, somber chorus. I know I might be particularly biased towards this specific genre, however, PITCH BLACK PROCESS has created an absolute masterpiece with this album and their effort and professionalism is obvious.