Moments of Nostalgia rush through my memory as I play another new release of 2013. From having found great Metal albums of several genres this year, I had yet to tread on some of the known fusion genres; in this case, Black / Doom Metal.

THE RUINS OF BEVERAST is a project by Alexander Von Meilenwald that's been active in the underground since 2003, combining the dark energy and the occult themes of Black Metal with the gloomy atmospheres of Doom Metal. The latest LP "Blood Vaults - The Blazing Gospel of Heinrich Kramer" is a genuine display of uniqueness that will appeal to the occasional Doom listener and the extreme True Black Metal enthusiast like me.

"Blood Vaults" does not feature any fast drums, shrieked vocals and your typical Black Metal guitar riffs, but this album takes those aspects and uses their effects on a Doom formula and ends up making something so intense and magnificent, that the album from start to finish is like an adventure into the mind of Von Meilenwald himself. The vocals are growled to perfection, the guitars can be slow and melancholic like those in a Funeral Doom Metal release, while at the same time turning fast paced and heavy especially on songs like "Spires, the Wailing City" which happens to be my favourite song on the album. Another fantastic addition to this is the dark ambience in intros like "Apologia" and "Trial"... I leave the blank space for the listener, as I am speechless to how I should be describing this.

The rest of the elements are added spices to make "Blood Vaults" one of the best releases of 2013. I kept coming back for more listens and I don't think I will stop anytime soon. So, to Doom and Black Metal fans of the underground and to people who desire to experience the wonders this underground of ours offers, do not hesitate in checking this release out.