Like their northern neighbors Wolves In The Throne Room, this Humboldt-based black metal band produces long songs that are intelligently arranged suites with tempo progressions that build a lot of tension and resolve with epic triumph; however, their sound is far more violent and jarring than other Cascadian bands. Replace the ambient/neo-folk influence with crushing sludge and at atmosphere full of despair and bleak, bloodthirsty hatred. Twin guitars coalesce more to add weight to the tone rather than to harmonize, and the vocals are dark roars from the depths of hell rather than Burzum-esque banshee screeches. When they opened for Wolves and Worm Ouroboros at Slim’s, the hipster SF crowd was forced to shut the fuck up and listen.

FCC clean. RIYL: Milton’s Paradise Lost but you wish Satan had won

1: (11:50) A lot of dynamic contrast—pummeling, relentless, and bloodthirsty when it’s fast; grueling and bonecrushing when it’s slow. At high volumes, the dissonance may irreparably shatter your timpani. (feedback outro ABRUPTLY SEGUES into next track)
2: (7:57) As one might expect, the shortest track picks up the speed during the fast parts, compressing all the aggression into a more compact vessel. Absolutely ballistic, apocalyptic, destructive. A lo-fi harmonizing slow part concludes, gorgeous but no less despairing.
3: (19:39) Massive, epic—fast, slow, everywhere in between. An unrelenting hail of riffs from every angle, masterfully sustained for the entire B-side. Starts with eerie, melancholy drone and quickly tumbles into an array of sonic blasphemies.