Ukraine's Black Metal duo ULVEGR is back with their fourth full-length album "Titahion: Kaos Manifest", featuring guest appearances from Astargh (lead guitar and vocals), Hyozt (keyboard), and Zhoth (vocals) in three of the songs. And what a fitting name they chose for this album; this is really chaos personified and put to music. But not in a haphazard or incoherent way. Rather, ULVEGR take a slew of different influences and meld them together into what could be easily mistaken for the hymnbook from hell.

Showcasing nine songs which span just under three-quarters of an hour, "Titahion: Kaos Manifest" is a slab of pure ferocious Black Metal from start to end. Starting off with "Sol in Signo Sagittarii" tribal drumbeats and throat singing set an ominous atmosphere, which is shattered in the follower "Throne Among the Void". Snarled vocals combine with swirling guitar riffs, with a gong and more Tibetan throat singing giving the song an air of an occult monastery. This emphasis on occultism is a red thread that runs throughout the album, tying together the various songs, with hats being tipped to a range of influences, from the works of Lovecraft to Babylonian demons, and is obvious from the very notes through to the last.

Tribal-sounding drumbeats in songs such as "Thousand Aeons in Transcedent Abyss" give the album an almost ritualistic feel, surfacing again in later songs such as "Bloodcult. Initiation.", which keep bringing this image of a ritualistic cult to the fore. I can only imagine how spectacular this album would be played live in a shrouded and incense-laden venue: absolutely unforgettable. Whilst songs such as "Thousand Aeons in Transcedent Abyss" and "U-tuk-ku Lim-nu" serve more as ambient interludes than songs in their own standing, they nevertheless add to the sepulcher air of the album as a whole. This makes songs like "When Stars Will Turn to Ashes" and "Manifestations of Havoc" all the more powerful and gripping, lending intensity through the contrast. At the pinnacle of the album we have "She, Who Grants Sufferings", a slow-paced affair that ponderously marches through the ether, seemingly heralding an apocalyptic war. This provides a sharp counter to the more melancholic atmosphere is seen in the penultimate song "Bloodcult. Initiation.", which in turn provides a striking difference to closer "Black Light Of A Dying Sun". Here, agonising shrieked vocals and a searing guitar solo add a tormented sound which meld into a melancholic and mournful, albeit abrupt, end to the album.

Overall, this is a very intense album that will leave you shattered and helplessly lifting your crushed fingers to try press play once more. The production is also well done, giving the album a sense of unbridled power. This added to the vast diversity of the album makes for a completely annihilating and ravishing listening experience. Definitely recommended if you're looking for an intense Occult Black Metal band that will leave you with goosebumps.