The guys in Finnish black metal band Azaghal certainly don't waste any time these days, following up their 2008 release Omega with an equally sizzling platter of mayhem called Teraphim. Moribund Records certainly has a talented act on their hands here, as Azaghal deliver punishingly brutal black metal with none of the trimmings. That's right, don't expect tons of clean vocals here or layers of orchestral keyboards (though there are some smatterings of both here and there), instead, this is massive extreme metal full of piss & vinegar, a hateful collection of 9 songs that are as heavy as anything you are going to hear in the genre, but with a surprising amount of melody woven in at the same time.
The great thing about the songs on Teraphim is the variety. A tune like "Filosofi" is a mid-paced number with lots of layers (sort of like early Enslaved) while other songs such as "XI Omega" and the title track bristle with ravenous intensity. " Elilum - Suuri Tyhjyys" is one of the more brutal pieces on the CD, while "Hänen Musta Liekkinsä" is just a great example of crushingly heavy, atmospheric black metal. If you want raw, maniacal black metal, look no further than "Helvetin Ikuisessa Loistossa" and " Uhrattu", and there's even a slice of majestic, Dark Funeral inspired mayhem on the epic number "Pimeyden Kutsu", complete with those familiar symphonic tremelo picked guitar riffs and thunderous blast beats.
Hard to find fault with anything here-the down and dirty is if you have a penchant for classic acts of the genre like Emperor, Enslaved, Dark Funeral, and Gorgoroth, you'll need to check this one out.
Track Listing
01. Elilum - Suuri Tyhjyys
02. XI Omega
03. Filosofi
04. Teraphim - Puhdistava Tuli
05. Hänen Musta Liekkinsä
06. Helvetin Ikuisessa Loistossa
07. Uhrattu
08. Pimeyden Kutsu
09. Samaelin Kuiskaus
10. Kyy
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