Practically ever since the style came into existence, pain and existential suffering have long been a core part of what has made black metal what we all know it to be. Sometimes, we’re given works that draw from that concept to put forth records that are certainly decent, but then there are the exceptional efforts that don’t just embody those ideals to the fullest but give us a true idea of what can still be done when the sound is given the proper treatment. We’re lucky enough to live in an age where such works happen at least a few times in any given year with the only thing required of us as listeners is patience. With its debut offering, Ofnus provides us with a harrowing experience that does far more than merely do the concepts of the sound justice.

It’s always a treacherous business to embody the core ideals of a sound like black metal in the modern age since any straying from the classic veins of the sound can work against you in the eyes of many, but careful hands and tenacious spirits can make it work no matter how you build your particular breed of black metal. The right amounts of melody, atmosphere, and fluidity between styles in your sound can immediately transform your work into a creation that demands to be heard with Ofnus offering us a prime example of how fascinating such a work can become. “Time Held Me Grey and Dying” doesn’t waste a single moment of its 53-minute runtime. Never once losing itself in its own atmospheres, leaning too far in either direction such that we get an unbalanced mix, or foolishly trying to become some pompous, ego-inflated work that’s hardly worthy of being called hollow, Ofnus keeps itself steady for the very entirety of its debut with each track giving us a new look into their brand of darkness and harrowing visages that haunt humanity at every turn with it hardly taking anything to make any of us fall into that unending abyssal cycle. We’re truly brought to the same level as the deepest pits of despair, fear, and sin that lies within the darkest shadows of the human soul as Ofnus shows us a simple truth that we do our best to ignore but there’s no way around it: oblivion is our singular fate. That is the final destination of “Time Held Me Grey and Dying” where we’re all but withered husks on the doorstep to nothingness with the somber power of Ofnus nothing to underestimate for, like our inevitable end, their power is nigh on unavoidable.

Everything is laid bare as the atmospheres draw out your repressed thoughts, the riffs keep you rooted in place no matter how much you may wish to escape, and the very ferocity of Ofnus is terrifying enough to not move a single muscle lest you face their direct wrath, and the evocative nature comes naturally in this debut in such a spectacular fashion that I cannot help but be floored by what’s been done here. There are always a few acts that can deliver creations close to what’s come about here, but it should become clear by the end of the first track alone that “Time Held Me Grey and Dying” is in a weight class that none of us could have possibly anticipated.

LISTEN to “Time Held Me Grey And Dying” on Bandcamp here.

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