For all the up-and-coming acts throughout the many different realms of black metal, it is arguably within the more atmospheric reaches of the sound that we’ve seen the most growth from in recent times. Plenty of acts have sprung from within that dense forest to offer us some truly spectacular works of both the vicious and exceedingly patient of the sound with everything in between filling that grand void. Olhava has been a name to know and respect for a long time in that world with their trajectory only seeming to take them upwards. Now, with their sixth full-length, Olhava is poised to deliver black metal greatness once again.

Creations like what we’ve been dealt with “Sacrifice” is, really, only to be expected when we’re presented with names like Olhava. Since before they gained notoriety thanks to “Ladoga”, Olhava has been a name to know and respect with their craft evolving over time to become something that’s just as formidable and dense as it is expansive and gorgeous to behold with few in the modern state of atmospheric black metal to come even close. With “Sacrifice”, we see that growth taken to a higher level than before with the expanses of Olhava’s mysticism nigh on compelling from the beginning and simply magical unto the very end. For every massive work of titanic albums of what can only be called blackgaze driven by melancholic themes of needing to relinquish one of their very self in order to be truly reborn where we can have peace where now there is but only conflict, Olhava binds with them extensive works of deep atmosphere to really emphasize that thematic importance of rising from the ashes as a phoenix stronger than it was before its death. “Sacrifice” takes its name literally as Olhava crafts a fantastically massive performance spread across an astounding 86-minute runtime with Olhava using every bit of their mastery over the craft to ensure that this ending point is also a beginning in many different forms.

A work that tackles the raw definition of what it means to be expansive and all-encompassing with their particular sound, Olhava has yet again achieved nothing but wild success in this deeply spiritual creation that is a threshold for a transformation the likes of which only a band like this can execute on such a level. An intimidating beast of an album from the outside looking in, the intricacies, spirit, meditative properties, and splendor of “Sacrifice” is something for those who want to see what it means to ascertain greatness in this vein of black metal.

“Sacrifice” releases on January 19th via Avantgarde Music!

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

LIKE Olhava on Facebook here.