Since some of the earliest iterations of black metal, religion has been a big player in the style both sonically and thematically. Considering its stance against such institutions, the bleak madness of hell and the ever-wide maw of death spurned by blasphemous acts are what most tend to rely their black metal on, but there is always more to explore for those who are willing to find it elsewhere. Looking up to the supposed kingdom in the sky in its self-righteousness, we find Depths Above whose presence is something of a different beast in the realm of black metal albeit the band still just starting out. Yet, with all that they delivered for their debut effort, this act shows us they’re already not a name to underestimate.

It’s simple enough to throw down some riffage, bring in a decent amount of rage, point it in the direction of any religion of your choosing, and not even worry about production quality if you so please in order to bring some black metal to life. There is always a time and place for such madness, but whenever we get a creation that desires to aspire to become so much more and achieve new heights without compromisation alongside the unyielding desire to tear down all that is good, there we have a recipe for true grandeur in destruction. As if to perfectly embody that concept, Depths Above crafted their debut album, “Ex Nihilo” as a testament to such. The very whole of this album feels like rather than looking down into the dark and fiery layers of Hell peeling back into one another, Depths Above sought to take its brand of chaos to the world above with the exact kind of atmosphere, dissonance, and introspective properties to match such a visage. The four tracks of “Ex Nihilo” work overtime in every moment that’s to be had throughout its 31-minute runtime with it being both the heavy rolling that really pulls the listener in while the passages of pull-back add real gravitas to the whole of the effort to make it not just another blind rager of a black metal record, but, rather, a calculated performance that’s as vicious as it is rewarding right from the get-go being all one could need to fall within the abyssal power of Depths Above.

This is black metal that plenty attempt but few succeed at which instantly makes this creation something to fawn over. Yet, the fact remains that this is but the debut album from Depths Above so there is still more than plenty of room for the act to improve by the time it crafts its next record. However, given all that was brought forth and delivered with “Ex Nihilo”, I’ve no doubt that we will be in for a true feast for the senses.

“Ex Nihilo” will be re-released on November 18th via Avantgarde Music!

LISTEN to “Ex Nihilo” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Depths Above on Facebook here.