For all that black metal has presented to us over the decades, self-reflection is something that we’ve seen to an extent that is more than worthy of further expansion. The more depressive reaches of the genre tend to be the corner of the sound that tackle such themes to dreary effect with few others outside of that corner who are able to do real justice for the concept in any meaningful way. Faidra’s flavorful debut from just three years ago was a great entrance by all accounts with the themes and approach something that black metal has seen many times before, yet such a foundation was ripe for expansion. With its sophomore effort, Faidra ventures down the paths of the soul to tremendous effect the likes of which I haven’t seen from black metal in far too long.

From the very title alone, it’s clear that Faidra looked inwards to bring these six tracks to life. Across a 46-minute runtime that is nothing short of impressive for its atmospheres, melodies, and contemplative nature that all work magnificently off each other, Faidra knows only wild victory for the entirety of “Militant : Penitent : Triumphant”. Be it from the slow yet incredibly well-paced tempos that are brought together beautifully with themes of sin, penitence, and redemption which are reflected in the album title itself or the slight but distinct change in direction from Faidra’s debut that takes the act down a path that is both sonically and thematically something that black metal rarely touches. Immediately, the effort hits its mark. With every subsequent track, “Militant : Penitent : Triumphant” pushes these concepts that are core to the Catholic ideals of our world in such an exquisite form that it becomes damn near effortless to fall into the world that Faidra weaves with surprisingly mastery and utmost intricate detail to make for an overall performance that’s as powerful as it is potent to its deepest layers with Faidra showing us that it’s far more than a name that is bent on only perpetuating long-established black metal concepts that we’ve heard hundreds of times before. In one fell stroke, “Militant : Penitent : Triumphant” presents to us a multi-dimensional act that’s more than what I think many of us were bargaining for when it came around three years ago, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Such a shift is what good bands are oftentimes made of even if it isn’t executed in exemplary form if at all. For what Faidra has given us here, however, is nothing short of a tremendously swift and surprisingly graceful shift that is as welcome as it is tasteful in practically every given category. “Militant : Penitent : Triumphant” is surely not the step that many might have expected from Faidra, but I cannot implore you enough to travel down the path carved from the act’s diligent introspective journey just to see where it leads you.

“Militant : Penitent : Triumphant” releases on November 3rd via Northern Silence Productions!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Militant : Penitent : Triumphant” on Bandcamp here or via YouTube below.

LIKE Faidra on Facebook here.