The change that has come upon black metal in certain corners of its sound over the years has long been undeniable, but I feel as though there is still so much to be done. Even as we find ourselves being met by numerous albums from legions of different bands all over the world, the boundaries of black metal still have yet to be stretched to their true extent no matter how purists or elitists may try to change that. For some bands, that journey is something that travels down on a very personal level with their music reflecting that very much so over the years. Few bands embody that in my experience more than Great Cold Emptiness who with his third album has completed a cycle of grief, despair, and hollowness that has resulted in solidarity, solace, and growth.

This is one of those albums that a single listen does not do enough justice for. I genuinely did not know much of what to expect apart from emotional black metal with a clearly emotional edge given that the difference between “Miles Before I Sleep” and “Death Gifted a Bouquet” felt quite massive, and it would be an understatement to say that the same applies to “Immaculate Hearts Will Triumph”. This is an album where everything has come full circle for the mastermind behind Great Cold Emptiness where everything from before has compiled to form a soul that it entirely its own, able to stand before any and all challenges that come before it, and take head-on with the black metal on display for all of these four tracks without compromise. Less atmospheric than what we’ve come to know before, “Immaculate Hearts Will Triumph” sees the evolution of Great Cold Emptiness taken to the next step where we really see the music itself take on the emotional aspect of Great Cold Emptiness that have always been touched on before, but never before have they taken the center stage. It results in what’s certainly the least sonically intense creation that we’ve seen from the act, but it’s in the place of immense heaviness that the heart and soul of the impeccable songwriting pulls the listener further into the black metal that focuses more on growth and perseverence rather than the darkness and death that many rightfully associate with the sound.

Separately, the many pieces of “Immaculate Hearts Will Triumph” don’t seem like they could come together and form something that can be considered anything even close to black metal much less a creation that really engages the listener. By putting itself wholly before such a task and learning from the past, Great Cold Emptiness brings it all together in stupendous fashion. While I cannot find myself putting this record above the likes of “Miles Before I Sleep”, there’s no denying the quality, heart, and power that is to be found in every given moment of the end of this very human trilogy where a man has truly become his own.

LISTEN to “Immaculate Hearts Will Triumph” on Bandcamp here.

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