Black Metal is a global language. It is passion, aggression and a level of vulnerability. It is everything that is good with music and it transcends borders. Coming into the limelight today is WARKVLT; the four-piece Indonesian outfit that, despite their years, are constantly trickle feeding fans and as such have quite the impressive back catalogue. The focal point of this review is their most recent release "Deathymn".

The artwork is ghoulish and mysterious, a truly subtle yet elegant cover. Opening the album is "Inquisition", ghostly voices call to you and entice you in before a wall of impenetrable sound smashes against you. The breathless and relentless energy is contagious and I am absolutely hooked. A false start to "Morbid Ritual" leads me to believe that this was to be a slightly calmer track... how wrong I was. The same intensity and drive are present, capped by D's coarse and distinctive vocals.

Jumping forwards a little bit, "Panzer VI" resonated with me a bit, having worked with tanks in the past. And the organised chaos that ensues just allowed me to visualise the scene. Hot, sweaty and cramped conditions; shouting over the engine to hear one another. For that I thank you WARKVLT. "Ancient Hellfire" delivers another edge once again, with the subtle melodies riding under the main tracking, whilst it may not necessarily be a focal point to the track, my god does it make the music fantastic!  Seriously check it out!

Jumping ahead a bit again, this time to the final track, because you guys need to listen to the others to fully appreciate this record! But, the titular "Deathymn" really shores up the album as all of the finer points come together and WARKVLT deliver a complete performance.

Overall, this is another strong release from these stalwarts of Black Metal. If you are looking to expand your repertoire, or just need a new add to your playlist, get these guys on your radar today!