Of all the stigmas that are placed on metal music as a whole, the concept of it being inherently evil and Satanic is an idea that has been around for decades and has little sign of dissipating in certain circles. Now, we know for the most part that’s not true as while a lot of music isn’t exactly emotionally lifting in lyrical theme or anything you’d hear on the radio, but sometimes it feels oh so good to just say fuck it all and go all in by making some of the most intense, evil, haunting, spirit-sapping material metal can spawn. Enter Devil Worshipper whose name alone is a sign of the black wave to come.
By the band name and the album’s name by themselves, you can tell that this is not going to be a nice album, and that’s putting it incredibly bluntly. But the fact that this act is helmed by the ever-provocative Matron Thorn (Ævangelist, Death Fetishist, Præternatura) brings this to another level entirely right off the bat, and then you dive into the ever-expanding abyss of pure black that “Music for the Endtimes” has carved from the very souls of the damned whose howls wreath this album gloriously. There’s not one single track of what Devil Worshipper has created here that can’t be described as purely blasphemous and even soul-scarring as this bands takes the most occult taboos and morphs them into ten insidious enchantments that naught but the blackest night could visually represent. There’s a persistent ferocity that’s happening within “Music for the Endtimes” in many forms that Devil Worshipper do no less than command expertly as this blackened script proceeds from one track to the next. And sure, you’re probably thinking of many evil black metal records that fit these descriptions perfectly and I believe you, but it’s the unrelenting nature and a sound that continues to top itself time after time that makes “Music for the Endtimes” such a challenge to overcome even if you’re used to the black abyss that this record calls home. And should you be able to conquer this massive peak of darkness, a shining dark flame will show itself to you, and Devil Worshipper are the very heralds of that black flame.
There are plenty of records within the vast world of black metal that are far from nice and even go as far to be as blasphemous as possible, but no other band has made it feel as natural for themselves as Devil Worshipper has with this upcoming record. In every form, “Music for the Endtimes” is far from a record for the uninitiated and if you choose to embark on this menacing journey then good luck, and don’t get lost in the dark.
“Music for the Endtimes” releases on December 14th via I, Voidhanger Records!
LISTEN to an advanced track from “Music for the Endtimes” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Devil Worshipper on Facebook here.
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