While there are throngs upon throngs of bands out there that are doing their damnedest to bring their finest material to the table, there are, of course, those that demonstrate a proficiency and tact that only a mere fraction of others are able to bring to the table and deliver glory on such a level that one cannot help but shudder before. A list of such names may vary from one person to the next, and out of the many that demand to be mentioned, Panzerfaust is absolutely one of them. With the conclusion of a tetralogy  that has been five years in the making, Panzerfaust shows of its strength at every possible turn.

To be even remotely familiar with Panzerfaust in recent years is likely to be familiar with “The Suns of Perdition”. For years now, it has been a beacon of maddening darkness that peels apart the most horrific layers of humanity to bring forth an aural experience that is the very definition of caustic without ever once lacking in finesse, aggression, complexity, and more than a little bit of unyielding talent. By all account, each entry thus far has been a force not to be underestimated with the fourth and final entry, “To Shadow Zion”, the ending such a series needed. A truly apocalyptic creation that sees the walls of society falling around us with the very presence of a god-blessed haven casting its refuse upon us without empathy and naught but contempt, Panzerfaust is at their peak throughout the whole of this performance. Never once missing an opportunity for a fiery brand of destruction, what’s been summoned forth here is simply unyielding, black metal at its most intense, and the very definition of raw. Pummeling the soul ever further into the earth while the machinations of life’s vicious cycles continue to wheel overhead even as the depths of humanity are rend asunder for all to bear witness to, “To Shadow Zion” is what it means to gaze into the darkness that lies at the very core of us all with there being no filter or mercy as Panzerfaust brings it all to light in all of its hideous manner. The damning evidence that is needed to ensure that the lies of light itself are brought to its knees and the chokehold of oblivion can finally take its toll, “To Shadow Zion” is a cataclysmic demonstration that serves to show us the futilities of this damned plane of existence with Panzerfaust the perfect vessel to deliver such harrowing visages.

Black metal the likes of which extremely few others are able to bring forth, Panzerfaust’s reputation is only elevated with everything that’s accomplished in these five tracks of cataclysmic proportion. “The Suns of Perdition” has been many things across its run to ravage the surface of the earth and mercilessly cull humanity’s pathetic stain, yet it’s with the concluding chapter of “To Shadow Zion” that this over-arching creation has earned the right to be boiled down to one phrase that only begins to tap into what is held therein: a masterpiece.

“The Suns of Perdition IV: To Shadow Zion” releases on November 22nd via Eisenwald!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “The Suns of Perdition IV: To Shadow Zion” on Bandcamp here.

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