The very boundaries of black metal have been getting pushed for decades with innovative minds, and that’s still very much a trend that’s more than alive and well today. We could sit here all day and talk about the bands that are reshaping the sound in ways that cannot be considered anything short of extraordinary in many cases with plenty more than rightfully earning titles like essential and earth-shattering, but there is one name that has come to command respect despite its relatively short run but it’s brought nothing but absolute glory every single time: White Ward. Having been around for ten years, the amount that this band has accomplished cannot be seen as anything less than staggering, yet it’s with their third full-length effort that I can’t help but feel we now see them at their best yet.

Time is always a fickle thing. It can make an album age like fine wine in the right hands while simultaneously making another pickle poorly in the wrong hands, but I think it goes without saying that White Ward’s use of time has enabled them to become one of the premier acts in their particular corner of black metal with every new album an occasion that must be heard. The very news of “False Light” was enough to cause a stir, but nothing could compare to the truth of this record in all of its depth, complexity, and evocative nature that can be felt in just the first track all on its own, making the very whole of this eight-track 66-minute long experience one that undoubtedly will be hailed as many peoples’ favorite of the year by a long shot. This is the type of material that modern cult bands are based around with all the riffs, atmospheres, emotions, and undeniability that one could ever ask for out of a single creation with it being in every way that White Ward more than surpasses those expectations with all that they brought forth for “False Light”. The sort of record that you simply cannot listen to one time, this is a one-in-a-million creation of metal excellence that is not to be passed up for anything as White Ward more than lives up to their reputation with this magnificent effort, and I can only implore you to simply let it take you.

There’s so much to discover within “False Light” that will capture you and move your very soul, it all but demands your attention in every form as this is exquisite on every level with the final result an album that will not leave your mind any time soon. White Ward hasn’t had to prove anything for years now, but it is with this masterstroke that I can’t help but feel like we’ve gotten so much closer to the very apex of what this band is capable of, making the prospect of even greater heights both intimidating and salivating.

LISTEN to “False Light” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE White Ward on Facebook here.