The sheer terror that black metal can bring to the table is something that is not easily tamped down. It’s a concept that has been intertwined with the finest intricacies of the genre for decades now, and it’s perpetuation by acts new and old show us just how much the genre still leans on an element of dark intimidation and debauchery, but it’s not often enough that we get to witness it come in such a raw form yet feel so calculated in every move it makes. The underground is a constantly fluctuating realm that holds many secrets, and, with their second album, Hexerei is quickly becoming one of the underground’s best kept.

It can be an immensely tricky thing to try and make your impact known in the vast and oftentimes overwhelming darkness that legions upon legions of bands find themselves in as they take their first steps forward as a unit. Plenty of times we’re faced with an act that can be caustic and raw in some form or another, yet to see that and more brought together in a single package that never loses and iota of its power while still managing a distinct performance… that’s a rare sight, indeed. Hexerei delivered that with their first album four years ago, but it’s now with the horrors of “Realms…..” that we’re given a far more mature, and thus sinister, portrayal of their particular creed of black metal that accomplishes more than a mere tendency for mild menace. Rather, it’s throughout the whole of these five tracks that the light of the universe itself is given no quarter. A voracious, unyielding, and uncompromising delivery that offers no reprieve in its constant assault upon the mind, “Realms…..” is a slithering beast that is more than at home in its pits of writhing darkness. Dense songwriting alongside an undeniably dark fire at the core of the creation, Hexerei dug deep to make their sophomore effort a cold-hearted effort that seeks naught but to tear at the confines of reality even at the cost of its own being.

This is scathing black metal! Black metal that holds nothing back and never misses an opportunity to offer the listener an uncompromising experience that many try to deliver in the ever-shifting underground, yet few can ever hope to come anywhere close to achieving. It’s straightforward in its concepts but it’s in the nuanced delivery of it all that Hexerei puts forth an eye-catching display of power that should not be missed by any who consider themselves any sort of black metal connoisseur. Where darkness impenetrable abounds, “Realms…..” lurks in its deepest reaches waiting for unsuspecting victims.

“Realms…..” releases on May 23rd via Sentient Ruin Laboratories!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Realms…..” on Bandcamp here, or via YouTube here.