SCITALIS is a Black Metal trio out of Umea, Sweden. They formed in 2020 and released their debut EP, "Awakening," through Vendetta Records on March 5, 2020. To recap: Black Metal. Sweden. Solid label. Do you really need any more information? How about, unrelenting, Grade A, soul-devouring, pure Black Metal strewn across six tracks. This is twenty-nine minutes of exceptionally well-mastered Black Metal performed with all the vehemence and malevolence you have come to expect from Northern European purveyors of the dark arts.

Musically, S (who also crafted the compositions) is a virtuoso of discordant riffs and tremolo solos somehow made melodic despite their harshness; A (who also penned the lyrics) delivers vocals that are icy, evil, and powerful; and J's drumming is unyielding and expansive. And not related to the music, but I'll go ahead and tag it on to this paragraph because why the hell not: They also like to spell "of" as "ov," which I thought was an annoying affectation but is actually a nod to Genesis P-Orridge so, yeah, that kind of fits.

Lyrically, it's all darkness bereft of warmth and mercy. Just bleak intonations of insidious visions from the dark mind of A. The lyrics and musical arrangements pair up exquisitely. The opening track, "Awakening," for instance is impassioned and primal, like something indeed is clawing itself from the depths - whether from a hellish crevasse of the earth or the dark recesses of your own mind.

Standout tracks are many on this EP. Just pick a side and drop the needle anywhere you want. My personal favorites are the title track, "Awakening," for the emotive and haunting solo; the second track, "Drowning," for its multi-layered movements and simple but resonant lyrics; and the final track, "Sword of Lies," for its brutal tidal riffs and discordant phrasing.

Altogether this debut album is a definitive classic if there is such a thing in the world of Black Metal. I guess "archetypal" might be better suited description, connoting something ancient and eldritch. Like the album cover steeped with clean iconography and etched black on white, SCITALIS takes a no-frills approach to their music. It's direct, menacing, and disturbingly satisfying.