The Ascendancy of Evil

Bläkken is a blackened death metal band from Poland. They formed in 2017, released a demo two years ago and an EP yesterday. Why am I telling you this? I'm telling you this because (had I not checked) I could have sworn those dates were wrong. Officially, the band formed two years ago, but they sound like they've been together for over twenty years! The chemistry between band members is unreal and their latest EP, The Ascendancy of Evil, proves this in every way possible.

While listening to the EP for the first time, I noticed a few things. The mix is great, the album art is beautiful and it all sounds really tight. These are all the perks of a hugely successful and professional band. I literally have to keep reminding myself that these guys aren't on Metal Blade Records! If you are looking for a shitty, low budget and messy EP, turn the other way because you won't find that here.

There is a wonderful evil atmosphere right from the start. I usually skip intros but this one had me hooked. It sounded like something off a Behemoth album. Though, I feel like the intro gives the listener the wrong idea; this sound doesn't really return. However, as soon as Body Farm starts, it no longer matters. This EP is a great collection of heavy songs. The riffs are crazy, the vocals are powerful and the songwriting is unreal for a band this young. They know when and where to place certain parts and have song structure all figured out. The riffs are mostly groove-oriented. No, not in a Pantera way, but a Bolt Thrower way; heavy riffs being carried by a slow drum beat. Like Bolt Thrower, most of the riffs sound like tanks rolling through fields of corpses. Now, there are also some faster, thrashier and evil riffs throughout, but it's those slow and brutal ones that stand out the most, in my opinion. I don't usually talk about specific songs too much, but House of Condemned is fucking amazing. Like any good album, the last song sums up everything and leaves the listener satisfied. House of Condemned does exactly that by mixing brutality and evil melodies together for the perfect sendoff.

If you have time, do yourself a favor and listen to this EP. It's a little over twenty minutes, therefore you have nothing to lose. If this EP were three times that length, you would still have nothing to lose; it's that good. I started this review by saying that the band sounds like they've been together for over twenty years. While they surely haven't, I'll be ready to support and listen to Bläkken for the next 20+ years if they continue to make quality content like this.