This 22 year old Germanic Black metal institution that is Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult is back with their 6th sacrifice in the form of ‘Mardom’. This is pure, raw, traditional, venomous black metal in its purest form and Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult deliver it with a deluge of grime and malevolence which makes it so immoral and obnoxious it has morphed into a true thing of pure beauty.

‘Inception Of Atemporal Transition’ cuts the beast open at the artery and it pours out a moody, oppressive, demonic intro which really sets the mood and tone for the proceedings still to come. The whole album follows the same trend with no one track particularly standing out as a highlight, which may be down to the fact that the whole package is so masterful and perfect in its chosen media.

‘Mardom – Echo Zmory’ is powerful, aggressive and bleak. The drum work of Horm is impressive and the fretwork from Omelar and Velnias is absolutely flawless. Omelar also spits out the vocals with hostility and malice which all adds to the splendour of the makeup. ‘A Sweven Most Devout’ and ‘T.O.W.D.A.T.H.A.B.T.E’ follow the same path as the opening duo, venomous, cruel and domineering.

‘A Beseechment Twofold’ is slow and steady with an eerie, almost silent intro before the soul is unleashed to the praying hordes below. ‘Exaudi Domine’ opens the track by showcasing the drum work and guitar skills before the vocals enter the fray with a deeper undertone which all adds to the immoral and sinful characteristic of the release. There is also more of a tune to the soul for this one which helps lift the track to a higher echelon than the rest of the package.

‘The Boundless Beast’ blasts you straight from the start and launches back into the old tried and tested recipe. Enflamed, caustic and vindictive yet portraying a more rounded and solid base from which they launch the track.

Another slow and eerie intro accompanies ‘Widma’ which is built around a confusion of paranormal and sinister sounds, almost resembling immoral and revolting souls baying from the catacombs in hell. These intermittent slow tracks help to create the stunning and exquisite art from these satanic and immoral Germans

The album closes with ‘Imperishable Soulless Gown’ and ‘The Sphere’, both of which unleash a tirade of raw vocals and aggressive musical spines exhibiting the most muscle laden tracks on the album, particularly on ‘The Sphere’ the vocals are pretty much preaching to the carnivorous and starving souls which are ready to feast upon this raw and bloody masterpiece.

This truly is virulent and sullied, a showcase of aggressive black metal in its purest of forms. A must for any black metal hungry soul, or even those with just a passing interest in the genre won’t be disappointed.

(9.5/10 Phil Pountney)

https://www.facebook.com/Slaughtercult

https://war-anthem-records.bandcamp.com/album/mardom