There are plenty of avenues to take in the modern landscape of black metal especially when you’re talented enough to be able to do a large variety of them in impressive detail. In no small way, few can compare to the likes of Ayloss. Far from the perfect embodiment of black metal but a face for what the modern state of the sound is capable of, Ayloss has long earned the title of mastermind in several different acts. While many are howling into the void for “IV” from Spectral Lore to come out now rather than later, it’s clear that this guy has a lot more to get out of his system. Just last year we saw the arrival of Auriferous Flame with a sound that hailed the origins of black metal itself with a simpler sound and harsher tone than what we might expect from an Ayloss project. Without a shred of compromisation and supremely clear vision, the sophomore effort from Auriferous Flame is nothing to sneeze at whatsoever.

Out of the very gate, this is an album that should be a clear and absolute no-brainer. For the likes of Ayloss, a more simplistic approach that delivers in many regards while never once failing to include intricacies into the mix for a good bit of flair, and not to mention loads of flavorful imagery, Auriferous Flame is the embodiment of what has long influenced the entity. The act’s debut from last year was a delicious treat by all accounts, but it is here with “Ardor for Black Mastery” that Auriferous Flame seems to really hit its stride. Scathing riffs paired with a tremendous understanding of what made black metal such a phenomenon in its earliest and darkest days, “Ardor for Black Mastery” doesn’t waste a single moment. Be it the air of the whole album that draws you in or the healthy injection of thrash alongside the impeccable songwriting that keep you in, this is the sort of album that I think many are constantly craving for given the fact that it checks many of the right boxes necessary to really scratch that itch for the old school sound that many of us have with Auriferous Flame doing so in spectacular fashion. This is black metal that is here to reclaim and reaffirm the very soul of the sound for what it has long been: voracious from the get-go and a stand against much that plagues our very existence. From the riffs to the undisputed mastery over the sound, Auriferous Flame has put on a spectacular performance with its sophomore with the final vision of “Ardor for Black Mastery” far from anything to easily turn away from.

More than just an off-shoot of Spectral Lore that’s destined to be little more than a side project, Auriferous Flame cements its status as an entity that is not to be put on a lower status given Ayloss’s work in Spectral Lore, Divine Element, or any of his numerous other bands. “Ardor for Black Mastery” is a amazing step in a different direction than what we would normally come to expect from this artist, and you would be forgiven for not expecting the turn that was taken for this album. It’s a turn that many of us have seen before, but in no small way does Auriferous Flame make it one worthy of being dismissed or ignored in any capacity. From the very beginning, Auriferous Flame throws its weight around to grand effect.

“Ardor for Black Mastery” releases on October 6th via True Cult Records and Stellar Auditorium Productions!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Ardor for Black Mastery” on Bandcamp here, or via YouTube below.

LIKE Auriferous Flame on Facebook here.