Black metal has long been a key genre for me in my years as a metalhead who is seeking out new metal, and even to this day is never ceases to surprise me with all sorts of innovation and talent that seems to come from nowhere. But there’s nothing wrong with remaining orthodox either as you can still be a fantastic band even though you’re not doing anything new stylistically. Atramentum is a new band that seems to agree with me on that, and their debut album is more than enough proof to show that it truly can work.

Many people tend to look at orthodox black metal is too boring and relies too much on current and past legends in order to make it work. And while I can agree that leaning too much on the sound of bands past can be truly boring and all but a downer for someone like me, creating straight black metal is far from unentertaining, and it’s bands like Atramentum that prove me right. With their debut, “Aischrolatry”, this band out of the UK shows that not only do they have a definite understanding of what it means to make the unholy black metal that we all know and love but that they also know how to execute it with utmost skill. By that, I’m referring to the seething riffs, the vicious attitude, and non-stop insanity that the album elicits from start to finish as this band rages on in a black blaze that cannot be stopped. “Aischrolatry” contains everything that people have come to know and love about the genre, and it all comes together quite nicely despite this being a debut album which tends to be notorious for being shaky starts for new bands. Yet, Atramentum still comes out on top with the album with very few stumbles outside the flow of some songs being shaky at best at times. Despite that, “Aischrolatry” still manages to be an admirable record that channels the truly evil nature of black metal to a sinister pinnacle that many quiver at the thought of. But Atramentum goes head first into it all and absolutely fucking tears everything up in sight!

If there was ever to be an album that was as much its own entity as much as it is an homage to the greatness of past black metal, then this is that album. Atramentum has set themselves on a great path with “Aischrolatry” at the helm with its black flame burning bright, and you can bet your fucking ass that if there’s any blasphemous band to keep your eye on then Atramentum is just that band!

LISTEN to “Aischrolatry” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Atramentum on Facebook here.