It's nice to see black metal bands acting mysterious. Skyclad Cult is an Oregon-based atmospheric black metal/ambient band, with no documented members, Spotify profiles, or other online presence - just their Bandcamp, where their "Demo" and EP, "Many Will Never Know This Freedom," are available. The identity hiding of this band is better than that of Sleep Token and Imperial Triumphant combined! I'm very excited for what's in store.

"Naked Sunrise" is the first of only five short tracks. For only 2:25, Skyclad Cult yanks you into a cold, dreadful world. The track's quality and sound remind me of Burzum, only without the Nazi parts. The keyboards shove the track into the dungeon synth realm, but as soon as I'm done determining genres, the song ends. I really enjoyed the short time I had with it, and I'm a whiny bastard when it comes to sound production. "You Cannot Hide Me" thankfully extends the run time to four minutes. Traditional black metal tremolo picking starts back up, and the vocals follow. The vocals are delivered with pure hate, and I love it. Again, the cult ropes you into the frosty realm, but this time you're not alone - the riffage and vocals accompany you. For an atmosphere-concerned band, they sure do know how to chug from time to time. "Systemic Freedom" is thrashy and in-your-face, but don't fret - the ambience is still the most prominent factor. Dynamic keyboard work joins in, giving the track a bit of a symphonic feel that I'll welcome any day. "Skyclad Slayer" is up next, and Skyclad sure did slay this track with their pummeling guitar delivery and vocal work. They fit it all into a minute-fifty. Finally, the title track, "Many Will Never Know This Freedom," reverts to the atmospheric metal shown in the first couple songs. The guitars create such a sombre tone, and I wish I'd had more time with it. Alas, the EP ends after this song, and my time with Skyclad's newest release is now done.

To keep this review from being one huge chunk of adulation, I must critique the runtime. With the charming material presented in Skyclad Cult's newest release, I only want more. The mixing, while "bad," is perfect for this genre of music, and the esoteric nature of the band solidifies my fascination with "Many Will Never Know This Freedom." For a buck-fifty, go grab this on Bandcamp.