Carry On, Carrion!

Few places live the day to day nightmare that results from American foreign policy like the Middle East. Other Middle Eastern bands have taken up the black metal torch, but none hit as hard as Ayat.

Scandinavian bands rebelled against the Christian establishment in the early 90s. Embracing a Satanic ethos can lead down many paths - the Satanic church is really just an organized group that celebrates logic and the self, there's the Jon Nodveidt / Arckanum mastermind vision of chao-gnosticism (which I don't really understand but appreciate their aesthetic), insufferable Nazism (which really has nothing to do with the cathartic individualism I believe metal ultimately came from), and others. But in reality, Scandinavia is one of the most progressive places on earth. The Middle East is a completely different story.

Ayat bludgeon with their music. There is atmosphere, yes, but this comes from the noisy (but by no means unintelligible) production and, most importantly, the variety showcased by each track. A completely unique (but ultimately brutal) vocal delivery by Rev. Filthy Fuck joins Sadogoat's fantastic instrumentation, which includes grinding black metal, rollicking thrashy numbers, eerie and atmospheric doom, and tasteful samples. Although dynamic, the album is very well composed, unified by the fact that whatever you want to call it, this music is undeniably METAL as fuck. There isn't a shred of cheese anywhere to be found on this blasphemous offering - this is some straight up angry shit.

Jerusalem I deserves to be mentioned separately. Foreboding drums and a terrifying guitar riff make up the backbone of this song. The double bass sounds like machine gun fire but it's a very slow paced track. There are no vocals - it's made up of various samples from talking heads giving their two cents on the state of Israel. It's a deeply powerful track that exposes Zionism as the racist and fascist political force it is.

This is black metal art from the front lines of present day colonialism. Essential listening.