Grimoires of Undead Power

As a follow-up to the band's self-titled, Grimoires of Undead Power is slightly underwhelming. Haunt can be genuinely unsettling to listen through, especially when alone at night (as one had ought to be when listening to black metal). Its obsessive focus on death and liberal employment of audio clips (including purported EVP) lends it an aura of authentic black necromancy.

Still, Grimoires is an exceptionally well-crafted raw black metal album, one fixated on death and the spirits of the dead. As can be expected from Haunt, this death worship is grim and real - just take a look at the cover art. That's no prop. A few of the songs, especially "Incarnate", run a little longer than they need to, but it never gets too drawn-out - hell, the album's only half an hour long. Tremolo riffs dominate the runtime, though the occasional power-chord riff keeps the guitar work from being too samey. The drumming is absolutely maniacal and fabulously untrained; if they were well-recorded (or even steadily in time) they would detract from the overall sound. The vocals, too, are excellent. They're somewhat more measured and trained than on the debut, but surprisingly this isn't a bad thing. If anything, it demonstrates Perthro's devotion to his craft. Regardless, they're the perfect conduit for his lyrics and they fit well with the sound and style of the album.

If you're a fan of safe, image-based black metal, turn back now. But if the rawness and sincerity of true underground Black Metal compels you, this album deserves a place on your shelf. Haunt is a band in the true spirit of the genre, aiming neither for success nor personal legend - just a musical outlet for genuine darkness and evil.