A lot can be accomplished over the course of ten years. Every band moves at its own pace, and there are certainly those that cannot be kept down for too long, for their creative energies are not so easily stemmed that the flow of time can restrict them for longer than a few years at most. When you’re that active, a lot of things can take place with growth not always a guarantee, even when firing on all cylinders, yet there are always exceptions that manage to beat expectations and show us what grandeur they can really bring to the table. With their fourth album, Outlaw shows us how it’s done in singularly tremendous fashion.

It’s a great thing to be active as a band. It’s fantastic to witness an act come about and show us they have real drive to get things done their way and make it all an enthralling performance with a distinct identity and daring vision. Sometimes, though, some bands move too quickly. They don’t give enough time for new prospects to cook and become fleshed out in such a way that feels truly complete when the work finally releases. Fortunately, Outlaw has yet to hit such a hurdle, and that continues to be the case in their fiery new album, “Opus Mortis”, that can easily be argued to be the band’s most mature and well-executed creation to date. Wasting no time, Outlaw’s personal brand of black metal that’s just as melodic as it is laced with elements of thrash thrives gorgeously throughout this creation. Undeniably organic and simply enthralling, there isn’t much about “Opus Mortis” that’s particularly out-of-the-box as far as black metal is concerned. Rather than relying on some brand new approach that blows black metal wide open, it’s again that Outlaw relies on the foundational pillars of the genre to guide their first movements while their own nuances, flavors, and personalities effortlessly allow the black metal to take shape in a form that’s captivating right from the very beginning.

Outlaw has known what they’ve been doing for years now. Here, they’ve furthered their craft to a magnificent extent without so much as a shred of compromise to be had in the entirety of the new record, speaking to the talent and vision that Outlaw has become known for. Black metal that isn’t ashamed to burn bright and run fast while looking damn good the entire time, “Opus Mortis” is the eviscerating experience the genre has been needing this year.

“Opus Mortis” releases on October 31st via AOP Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Opus Mortis” on Bandcamp here.

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