AKOLYTH – Ecstatic Kingdom, CD

Be treated or tortured, depending on your outlook, by masterfully crafted black metal with rivetingly aggressive onslaughts amidst a chaotic blend of catchy, grooving hooks and discordantly harsh soundscapes, truly a powerful concoction. Although overall this is a rather contemporary sound, it is clearly rooted in the traditions and old school sounds of black metal bands such as Gorgoroth while the likenesses to Craft, Leviathan and Deathspell Omega are more obvious. That being said, Akolyth does not truly sound like any of these bands singularly or even combined, with a uniquely ritualistic and eerie approach filled with torturous progressions and perhaps a less experimental nature.