Litany of Ruinous Entities

I streamed this album once, then immediately bought the mp3s.

The vocals are different and take a bit of getting used to with a kind of throaty phlegmy quality, kind of like the fade-in of Kathaarian Life Code when he says "we are a Blaze in the Northern Sky".

The music itself is excellent, this is a long album over an hour and I wouldn't have it any shorter. The riffs are melodic and dreamy, with the introspective aura you want in good black metal. This American band is primarily influenced by Darkthrone, my initial thought upon first listen was that it sounds like a purely black Blaze, without any of the leftover death influence. There's obvious nods to Funeral Moon as well - especially on Litany III and IV.

The beginning, middle and end are marked with lengthy pieces breaking up the metal. There's a dark ambient intro track that really sets the mood and definitely sounds like a "Litany", like a journey into the depths of sadness and personal loss. There's a second ambient track with a high pitched young woman whispering, and it's really creepy. Lastly the album closes with a bizarre piano piece accented by the sounds of the tide and gulls, with wind blowing hard and fuzzing the mic. Like playing a piano on a cloudy gray beach.

I'm very impressed with this album and would recommend it to anyone who likes black metal.