It’s already an impressive feat to go against the grain and find a foothold that you can really capitalize off of to allow yourself to explore something interesting and fresh in your own way, but it’s another thing altogether to really make your performance your own in virtually every aspect. The writhing underground of metal has no shortage of bands that are trying to achieve such a respectable accomplishment, yet, as you might imagine, it’s something that isn’t all that common. Every now and then we’re given an act that delivers a fitting performance which defies plenty of logic and holds nothing back in its vast creativity. Tzevaot delivered that in heaps with its debut.

There’s always something magnificent to be said about an act that really goes for it. Allowing your imagination and creative urges to take over while never once compromising your artistic vision for the sake of accessibility or easier understanding for any potential listeners is a task not many are able to deliver in such a way that feels organic, satisfying, and mature. I knew not what to expect from the nine tracks of “The Hermetic Way”, but it’s now obvious to me that Tzevaot is anything but a name that doesn’t know what it’s doing or compromises its sound in any possible form. This isn’t just a creation that seeks to twist metal music into something different, “The Hermetic Way” transmutes it to something else altogether despite never losing its distinct core of black metal that is the propellant for much of the intensity that’s to be found throughout these fifty-eight minutes. Bringing together so many different styles and exploring the schism between Abrahamic teachings and the archaic understanding of the ancient natural world, what Tzevaot has brought forth here is the definition of fascinating. A collection of cascading rhythms, hypnotic folk cues that drag you ever further into a past that is ever so close yet still extremely distance, and impeccable songwriting that has you crawling back for just one more lecture of how to do excellence of this sort in a way that isn’t overproduced nor executed poorly. Rather, “The Hermetic Way” knows precisely what it is and basks in its own glory.

It takes real vision and aptitude to deliver an experience like this and not have it fall apart in even once instance. What Tzevaot has accomplished here should be considered an absolute win from all angles and something that the act should be immeasurably proud of. Doing far more than just tapping into the latent potential that’s to be found across much of the metal underground, it’s the entirety of “The Hermetic Way” that transports the listener into a unique realm that’s as fascinating to become lost within as it is vicious in its execution.

“The Hermetic Way” releases on November 14th via I, Voidhanger Records!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “The Hermetic Way” on Bandcamp here, or via YouTube below.

LIKE Tzevaot on Facebook here.