Strandhogg ‎"Ritualistic Plague (Evangelical Death Apotheosis)" CD Slipcase

Debut full-length album from the most relentless black metal band to emerge lately from depths of Poland’s underground – STRANDHOGG. Grim, hypnotic, cavernous and extremely violent in execution, “Ritualistic Plague (Evangelical Death Apotheosis” consists of eight death worshipping hymns of fear, death, suffering, pain and impenetrable black... Black Metal. Unrelenting violence, hatred, and contempt for the living world. The idea of STRANDHOGG is reality without hope, where all living beings co-exist with the Dead. The only strength and law is Death. Only Death Is Real! Through the theory of phantom's curse and mutilation mind fanaticism STRANDHOGG is neither religious nor political band. STRANDHOGG is pure orthodox Death worshipping cadaveric congregation.

Contrary to somewhat over-excited description in the archives, Strandhogg's debut full-length album presents no less than solid black metal, reminiscent of Setherial in its core, but refined with subtle keyboards and complex songwriting. Being far from what we would expect from a "brutal" black metal band, Strandhogg offers in return dozens of riffs and interesting passages, which is rarity in the genre. It seems, then, that these few years since the first demo release have made the band quite an extraordinary example of nowadays Polish black metal.
The key aspect of the album is, however, its ambiance. Despite heavy, almost death metal-like mounting, "Ritualistic Plauge" manages to keep the mood of classic black metal masterpieces. Whether it is "Grim, hypnotic, cavernous and extremely violent in execution" remains a matter of imagination, but the atmosphere is no worse than what we could ever expect.
While awful sound quality is a usual flaw of most black metal releases, Strandhogg does not neglect the production side of music, being able to combine both the "black" and the "metal". All of this makes it almost a perfect proof that it is possible to stay loyal to the genre, at the same time breaking the schemes once laid down by artists, who would not fit the reality of today. So does Strandhogg and hopefully it will be noticed widely.

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