Sometimes we build things up in our minds so much that the reality of the construction almost never lines up. Relationships, careers, baked goods; we all hope they come out perfect but sometimes you break up, you get fired, or you leave it in the oven too long, respectively. And when it comes to music, anticipating something new can be just as disappointing when it fails to deliver.

This humble critic will seek to temper the hype train that may or may not be on the rails, because something very strange is happening right now. From the Eternal City of Rome comes THEOMACHIA, self-identified as Gnostic Black Metal, with their debut EP "The Theosophist". Though only consisting of three songs weighing in at barely eleven minutes altogether, what is contained is not so much a diamond in the rough but a blade in the dark. Where most Black metal sounds like the result of a devilish pact, this EP leaves all the gods behind.

A soaring style of Black metal begins on "Gnothi Seauton", establishing a split usage of traditional growling and a clean Gothy vocal, which will, over the EP's course, occasionally become absolutely trance-ish. The next track, "The Suicide Of The Demiurge", has plenty of Black metal hallmarks like a number of stops and shifts and is clearly the dominant sound at work, but even so, the song somehow seems less than committed to the genre even without betraying it. By the time the title track wanders in, the band's lane is clearly established, and a downright spooky synth closer turns off the last street lamp.

Truth be told, "The Theosophist" has the potential to schism the genre faithful. Some will deride the lack of extreme edge or headphones-only production, but others will praise the sheer daring of it all. And although seeming to dabble in other methods, THEOMACHIA is nevertheless overwhelmingly Black metal, albeit in a most unorthodox interpretation. Instead of relying on explosiveness or brutality to make a point, they weave in a slightly Gothic spiritualism, which may inform the so-called 'Gnostic' aspect of the band.

This is all speculation, of course. Though the EP has been out since February, there is still very little information on THEOMACHIA except for what any high schooler could surmise from the lyrics sheet or from Encyclopedia Metallum. We're left then to our own interpretations, and that's strange territory for this otherwise straightforward genre. "The Theosophist", as said, may cause a rift among the devoted, but could also shepherd the true believers to a new era in Black metal.

Keep an eye on this one. The full-length debut... it could be very big.