There’s always been a dark element to what black metal has been since the beginning. The two have become synonymous with each other for good reason, and it’s still well into today that we are able to bear witness to acts constantly show us just how much fruit such a partnership can still offer. Sure, it varies from one band to the next when it comes to the final product, but to witness an act come around and manage to bring real mysticism and menace with their brand of darkness? That’s a rare sight indeed.

Given the modern state of the underground and all that it has to offer, it’s only a matter of time before we’re able to come across a name that manages to deliver a semblance of otherworldly power born of true occultism such that the very soul of the work itself is black as the darkest night. Even then, however, such instances are few and far between with only the exceptional able to come about and over us something that we can really sink our teeth into. Having more than a little bit of previous experience in other acts, the magnitude and strength of the debut record from Eleventh Ray is not what surprises me, but its potency does. There is nothing about “Reviving Tehom” that isn’t supreme be it in presence, craftsmanship, or theme. Rather than relying on the more typically Satanic concepts that black metal is greatly familiar with, Eleventh Ray sought something in the swirling realms of mysticism, and whatever they found have worked to their advantage greatly! There isn’t a single inch of “Reviving Tehom” that isn’t oozing with the most tantalizing kind of darkness be it in ominous chants, intoxicating rhythms, or the influence of other styles to make this more than one-dimensional black metal hoping to gain some inkling of intensity along the way. Right from the beginning, Eleventh Ray knows what it’s doing and that makes the end result of “Reviving Tehom” all that more diabolical in its spiritual awakening.

This is menace and darkness made with real intent, focus, and amazing directive. The sort of music that is seldom made but many of us hope to hear. What Eleventh Ray taps into throughout the whole of this work is something that people are sure to flock towards once they realize what kind of intensity we’re dealing in. For all that’s dared and delivered within “Reviving Tehom”, it demands to be made clear from the very beginning that Eleventh Ray is not playing around for so much as a moment with the final result of this creation something that is sure to leave its impact branded into your mind.

“Reviving Tehom” releases on May 16th via Dark Descent Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Reviving Tehom” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Eleventh Ray on Facebook here.