Arise New Army

It is clear from one listen to this EP that Enshrouding mean some serious business - this is black/death that will throttle the hell out of you. Arriving in a time when the Christian black metal scene has begun to really think twice about being melodic in any sense anymore, Enshrouding has arrived on the battlefield with the likes of other brutal black metal acts such as Wintersoul, War Frozen, Dying Blaze, and A Hill To Die Upon in order to bolster the unblack scene's defenses against satanic assault from the secular scene.

Ditching the more purist elements of other brutal unblack bands such as War Frozen, Enshrouding has much more in common with the technical black/death of Dying Blaze, along with the deep black vocals and technical riffing of Deathspell Omega. The music on this EP pulls no punches, doesn't screw around with any keyboards, and musically plunges straight into hell to take satan by the throat.

All the instruments are handled by "X", and are played with the utmost talent. Drumming is varied and technical, slowing things down at the right times before descending into rapid-fire assaults again. Guitars are very death metal-like, but played with a black metal feel - throughout the album, there is a sense within the blazing riffage of thunderous war. Vocals, as I said, have much in common in with Deathspell Omega's - deep, booming black metal growls are par for the course here, though X sometimes throws in the occasional higher-pitched snarl.

Overall, the music is ominous, pounding, and HEAVY - for black/death, it's fantastic and promising stuff, and a welcome change from some of the lighter, more keyboard-based bands. Highlight track is "Eradicate the Aggression", with its almost Slayer-esque riffing and Darkthrone-style drumming.

Looking forward to hearing more from this band.