While it was only yesterday that I sat here making the claim that the union of death metal and sludge are amongst the seldom seen styles throughout the underground, there is certainly one combination that is even more so rarely seen in a singular vessel: black and heavy metal. At best, it’s maybe once or twice a year that we see an offering from that swirling cauldron of madness that actually taps into what can be done with such a concoction, but not nearly enough bands come around and fully access what the sound has to offer. In the occasions that we do find success, we need to take a moment and respect what we have before us. With their second full-length album, Majak has presented us with just such a glorious offering.

Despite getting their start in some of the more thrash-oriented corners of black metal, the transition that Majak has made with this album is, in every possible way, everything this sound could ever want. A blistering performance that is hypnotic from the very beginning and nothing short of enchanting for its entirety without compromising the core ideals of such a sound, “Restless Wicked” is the kind of dark magic that many of us have been craving and wishing for in recent years. It has been far too long since a band like Majak has come around with the raw euphoria of coming upon such a find precisely what the underground has always been about. Overflowing with riffs, ripping guitars, tons of personality, enough diversity to make each track undeniably its own without exception, and more than a little bit of dark psychedelia as if this record needed any more in such a delicious pot, “Restless Wicked” almost defies logic and scratches an itch that seldom gets the attention that it so rightfully deserves. Where the very entirety of the cosmos stretches before their eyes, Majak leapt and seized the opportunity for all that it can be! This is what it means to deliver an experience that incredibly few others can with every given facet of “Restless Wicked” a constant stream of excellence that becomes impossible to remove yourself from once you’re entrenched in its splendor, and why would you ever want to leave the presence of such magnificence in the first place?

Niche sounds always have inherent potential, and creations such as this are why the niche and specific can so easily become a hyper-fixation for those looking for more of that exact strain of deliciousness. From the beginning, Majak taps into that wonder with each passing minute of these eight tracks having some real magic within the notes that are just impossible to pin down. With all that it has to offer and all that it dares to be, “Restless Wicked” is destined to become a real gem of the underground that deserves a cult following for years to come.

LISTEN to “Restless Wicked” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Majak on Facebook here.