Recently, the Native American representation in the world of black metal has been on a meteoric rise, and it’s in every way that it offers a fresh and fascinating new lens for black metal to look through despite how dense and diverse the scene has become in virtually no time at all. We could sit here for hours and talk about the many different bands that have come from their ancestral homelands to bear homage to that history and the spirits that flow through that very ground and water, and there really doesn’t show any sign of it stopping any time soon with its evolving culture and natural talent that seems to excel at every given opportunity. There hasn’t been a single band that I’ve come across that brings such glory to Native Americans in its black metal, but it has to be with the debut from Blackbraid that I have to say I found the most compelling example of such in my experience.

Whereas in recent times we would normally turn to the likes of Panopticon to show us how true and beautiful the combination of black metal with the utmost pristine spirits of nature, times are certainly changed and our choices become more delectable with each passing year. The lead single that brought us the arrival of Blackbraid at the start of the year should have been enough to tell us that this name was not one that was to be passed up, and it’s in every way that the very existence of “Blackbraid I” should be hailed as a true manifestation of the very best out of that scenario. I will never claim to have any sort of expertise on the culture or any proper history of Native Americans and their current place in the world, but it’s albums like this that provide us with a window into that mindset that’s as gorgeous, harrowing, and personal as we could ask for. For the very whole of this magnificent debut, Blackbraid never once turns away from using the very rivers, the echoes from the valleys, and the chanting of ancient spirits to paint a mesmerizing picture of the Adirondack wilderness as how it is now, how it was when it was still untouched and unspoiled, and, hopefully, how it will be should the flow of time be gracious to its hills and animals. Every single one of these 36 minutes should be more than enough to plant the modern black metal fan in their very seat as there is so much excellence to uncover and lose yourself in as Blackbraid already proves to be a force to be recognized and reckoned with as we move forward with the very name still to be in the mouths of those who experience this awesome debut for years to come.

With this particular corner of black metal on the rise, the arrival of a band like this is as prophetical as it is magnificent to behold. There’s so much talent, passion, and history to be found within these notes as even the very water over the rocks have a part to play in this performance, and Blackbraid executes it all to a tremendous degree. To lose yourself in the very wilderness of “Blackbraid I” is to surrender to the very ether of the wilds that gave birth to this creation in the first place, making it a beautiful beast to behold in virtually every form.

“Blackbraid I” releases on August 26th!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Blackbraid I” on Bandcamp here.

FOLLOW Blackbraid on Instagram here.