Over the years, we have seen a ton of new acts come about that comprise of simply one member with many of them finding homes within the depths of the atmospheric black metal realms and all that they encompass. Many have come up to the plate with their own renditions of the sound that can vary from masterful works of the sound to blatant rip-offs that don’t have much substance to call their own. By and large, Severoth is certainly of the former. It’s been a dominating force in the style whenever it dishes out new material, and that has yet to change with all that splendor, excellence, and baggage that comes with this massive new effort.

Still continuing the trend of putting out mammoth efforts that stretch over an hour long, “By the Way of Light” certainly seems par for the course when it comes to all that Severoth has become known for in over ten years of defining what top-tier atmospheric black metal can be. It was immediately after the release of 2020’s “Vsesvit” that Severoth began working on a follow-up that focused on light and the betterment of humanity as a whole, but it was the sound of explosions in the wee hours of the morning that sent Severoth, its country, and this record down a path no one was prepared for. After four long years, however, the rising of “By the Way of Light” is a sight that is damn near tear-inducing in concept and downright potent in execution. The final result is a gorgeous album born out of the darkest of times where the album’s title takes on a truly heavy meaning through and through as Severoth not only shows how to execute atmospheric black metal on such a level that leaves one dumbfounded but truly awestruck as the evocative nature of “By the Way of Light” quickly takes on a dazzling life of its own. This is when atmospheric black metal takes on a form that cannot be easily achieved otherwise with exceptional strife and passion being woven into the creation to make it far more than another performance even if it is noteworthy. Rather, what Severoth has accomplished here cannot be seen as anything less than a vision of what it means to overcome, prevail, and emerge victorious.

It’s only fitting that Severoth would deliver such an album of this caliber. The act has been synonymous with quality work of the style for years now without question, and to bear witness to what’s been dealt within “By the Way of Light” is to experience a soulful performance that’s as much hope for the future as it is dread from the past to make the work quickly an embodiment of what this style can become in its best moments.

“By the Way of Light” releases on March 22nd via Avantgarde Music!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “By the Way of Light” on Bandcamp here or via YouTube below.

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