WARDAEMONIC is a Black Metal band from Australia. They originally formed in 2005, having released three previous full-length albums in their tenure. They return to the fold with their new offering, "Acts of Repentance".

WARDAEMONIC is a monster of a black metal band. I would go so far as to say that they are a blackened death metal band, but I'm sure that would be splitting hairs. In any case, "Acts of Repentance" is a blistering powerhouse of a brutal album. I was not expecting to be completely obliterated by the music. The tracks on this album are all very lengthy, and they beat your face in with their brutality throughout the entirety of the song. I always find myself gushing over black metal bands that use gutter growls on top of their vile black metal screams, but WARDAEMONIC interchanges the vocal styles so well, and it just cuts that much deeper. All the tracks are titled and laid out as acts in a film.

The length of those tracks takes you on a complete journey of black metal greatness. "Act I - Introspection" kicks you right in the face from the start and does not let up. I was expecting to hear a lengthy intro given the eerie sonic sounds that were first emitted, boy was I wrong. The track starts with a blistering attack on the senses. My head was rocked completely by the fierceness of all the musical elements. It has all the best elements of brutal death metal, with that black metal cadence on top of it. There are some almost psychedelic background sounds that further the journey of this album's sound. "Act II - Admission" follows suit with its brutal black metal attack.

There is a black metal prototypical sound with a slower tempo in this track, but there is no mistaking the continuous musical prowess of WARDAEMONIC. There is an almost proggy feel to their music. "Act III - Castigation" comes in with a masterful and powerful battle ballad intro before returning to the absolute brutal sound present throughout the album. The guttural vocals take front and center in this track, while the sound offering is very tech death in nature. While the track sits at a whopping twelve minutes in length, there is a wave of absolute destruction in the music presented. There are a few tempo changes, but ultimately the song just hits on every level. "Act IV - Sufferance" brings in a very well-developed hypnotic new element to the music. Its equal parts brutal and transcendental. The latter half of the album seemed to work its way into a more melodic sound, that just aids in showing how in depth WARDAEMONIC can take their music.

From start to finish, "Acts of Repentance" is a masterfully done black metal album. There exist elements of death metal, progressive, and psychedelic influences that bring the musical tonality to an impressive head. WARDAEMONIC should be on everyone's radar. Every track showcase something new and different about their sound. This is a beast of an album.