Finnish black metal has been living in the shadow of its more illustrious Norwegian counterparts for many years, but make no mistake about it, the Finnish scene is thriving and has spawned some of the nastiest black metal on offer including Archgoat, Azaghal, Satanic Warmaster, Behexen, Beherit and my personal favourites Horna and Sargeist to name but a few. The scene is usually associated with aggressive outbursts of satanic fury, but newcomers Morketida go for a more measured mid paced approach, perhaps more akin to Noenum than some the aforementioned bands.

‘Panphage Mysticum’ is their debut and begins with a chilling intro before things get underway in earnest with ‘Invoking the Seventh Moon’ and a plodding intro which builds slowly as the track gathers momentum. Growled vocals are buried in the mix adding a gnarly dimension while creating an air of desolation, setting the scene for the rest of the album.

‘Witchcraft’ and ‘Serpent’s Grail’ rumble past with more of the same downtempo, relatively low-fi black metal musings reinforcing my opinion that this album is more about atmosphere and overall effect rather than individual tracks and by the time ‘Throne of Unseen’ is swirling around us, a grim aura has taken hold conjuring up sinister images of Scandinavian forests enshrouded in dense fog.

The album’s title track is a haunting melancholic instrumental piece effectively transforming the atmosphere from sinister to melancholic before normal service is resumed with a nefarious ‘Temple of Prevailing Darkness’. The album is brought to a close with the same chilling sounds as were present in the intro completing the circle for Morketida’s first offering to the black metal underworld.

As I have alluded to, this album has a relatively low fi sound with growled vocals which are buried a little in the mix taking things back to the early days of the Scandinavian black metal scene. This, combined with the fact that it is a little more mid paced than many of their peers means this might not be for everyone, but if this sort of grimness sounds like your cup of tea, give it a go because it’s not bad at all.

(7.5/10 Andy Pountney)

https://www.facebook.com/Morketida

https://werewolfrecords.bandcamp.com/album/panphage-mysticism