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Satanic Warmaster are a band I have not really followed. I think the last one of theirs I heard was Nachzehrer over a decade ago, and it didn't make much impression on me. Despite that, these guys have been one of the stalwart acts of the Finnish scene for like 20 years, and this is their sixth full-length album, though as a Black Metal band their discography is cluttered with endless splits, EPs, demos, compilations, and live albums.

This is fast but highly melodic Black Metal, very much in line with the Finnish sound of bands like Horna, Sargeist, or Behexen. The production is a little mushy this time out, so the guitars sound a bit smooth for what I like from this kind of music. The melodies are good and create a lot of mood, but overall I find the songwriting kind of shapeless and in need of more focus than it gets. Fast, aggressive, melodic, but not really compelling.