There has never been a shortage of quality black metal, and there likely is never going to be. So long as the spirit is kept strong and everybody looks in the right places throughout the dense underground, I truly believe that we will always have something to talk about in ways of black metal that is even halfway to being considered worthwhile. It can be found anywhere in the world at this point with even the oldest of those bastions still offering greatness that we can constantly look forward to no matter how new or old the talent in question may be. On the newer end of that spectrum, Asakta’s debut is a fantastic example of just such glory!

While there’s always a place in my heart for albums that dare to push the boundaries of the style in some form or implement some element that truly allows the band to express itself in even just one way, there is never anything that can question well-done straightforward black metal that has just the right fuel behind it alongside the potency to carry the performance all the way through unto the end. I didn’t have a clue of what to expect with Asakta given it is but the duo’s debut, but it is all six of these tracks in the aptly named “The Abyss of Existence” that I can’t help but feel as though Asakta nailed their desired premise with great understanding and unquestionable potency. Far from the most bombastic of black metal albums that any of us may have heard, it’s in the mid-tempo riffs and suffocating darkness that Asakta flourishes just as black metal has been crafted to do for decades now with this record certainly an achievement in that madness from the moment you press play. The vast expanse of nothingness has inspired many records of this style from all angles with many only briefly tapping into what it can do when utilized properly, yet it is here with all six tracks of “The Abyss of Existence” that Asakta doesn’t merely tap. Rather, they dive right into those lightless depths whole-heartedly to re-emerge with such visages in an exemplary form that many aren’t ever quite able to ascertain no matter how long they swim throughout the dense, unending void.

We don’t see any boundaries pushed or anything new brought to the table in this release such that I’m left bewildered by what Asakta has accomplished here, but there is no way that I can walk away from this effort without feeling as though Asakta has put their very best foot forward to make their first full-length album something noteworthy at the very least. “The Abyss of Existence” is but the beginning for what this act can deliver, and I can only imagine what else it could uncover should it simply submerge once more into that infinite void where anything is possible albeit with a terrible cost.

“The Abyss of Existence” releases on January 17th!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “The Abyss of Existence” on Bandcamp here or via YouTube below.

LIKE Asakta on Facebook here.