The deeper you go into the underground of metal, things get very weird very fast. The same goes for how intimidating things become as you start to get acts that are crazier and more occult as you venture into the darker reaches of the sound with it being difficult to find sanity in such a dense environment that offers not so much as a single shred of solace or comfort so long as you’re lost in that long dark. After a while, names start to stand out. Ôros Kaù is one that I’ve had on my radar since their intriguing split with Precaria three years ago with the prospect of a new effort from the Belgian act something that I knew I would need to be a part of. Without a shred of compromisation, Ôros Kaù has made a record for which such a wait was well worth it.

When I think of what unnerving material from the dark reaches of the abyss that inhabits the outer reaches of metal’s underworld, especially when we’re dealing with black-death metal that holds nothing back, “Thanatos” is the breed of creation that I would associate with those depths. Hands down, Ôros Kaù has put together a work that isn’t just a massive step forward from everything they’ve done before, but the wildest yet most refined creation of black-death metal that I’ve experienced in far too long. From the obvious references to Baal and Marbas that come well-armed with a genuinely staggering understanding of the sound that never once stays in one spot for long be it in the clearly defined arena of black-death metal that Ôros Kaù has been making for itself even as we see the act pulling from other sounds to make for an exceptional experience whose refuses to stay in a singular form, “Thanatos” has a lot to unpack! Be it the uncompromising rhythms that mold perfectly with the eviscerating nature of Ôros Kaù to ensure that these six massive tracks are always engaging whilst delivering peak darkness at every possible turn, this is a sophomore record that is intimidating for those who aren’t wont to explore the much more occult and darker side of what the underground has to offer as “Thanatos” doesn’t just stand as a one-off marvel with a 14-minute finale posing as some semblance of grandeur. From the very beginning all the way to its haunting end, “Thanatos” is the real deal in every possible way!

Darkness such as this is of a sort that we simply don’t get often, and that makes it all the sweeter when we do come upon such efforts. Many bands inhabit the same paths and tendencies like what we see Ôros Kaù do here with each of them having their own merits, but Ôros Kaù singularly stands above much of them with everything that’s been delivered here nothing short of what it means to take the concepts and themes and crank them up to one million. “Thanatos” is an imposing figure right from the get-go, but you’ll find glory and wonder in that macabre darkness should you allow yourself to succumb to the intricacies and incantations of Ôros Kaù.

“Thanatos” releases on September 22nd via I, Voidhanger Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Thanatos” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Ôros Kaù on Facebook here.