Introduction
Australia – the land of the outback, deadly insects, and black metal. Although I’m not very familiar with the black metal scene there, I do know some bands that I like, such as Denouncement Pyre, a blackened death metal band, and Woods of Desolation, whose founder is also involved with Unfelled. Speaking of which, Unfelled recently released their debut album, “Pall of Endless Perdition.” The band is made up of three members: D, who also created Woods of Desolation; Vlad, the drummer of Drudkh; and Mitch, a member of Austere, a depressive black metal band from Australia.
The Album
Pall of Endless Perdition contains 7 tracks with a runtime of 36 minutes.
- An Epoch in Bloodshed
- The Opposer
- Wreathed Wings
- Veil of Perdition
- Transcendent Legacy
- Evanescent
- A Diadem Embattled
The album caught my attention when I saw the announcement for its premiere on the Black Metal Promotion YouTube channel, particularly the outstanding cover art created by Yag Mort.
The album features several quality tracks (which I will highlight below), and the overall package is of very high quality. The drums, vocals, guitars, and mix all come together seamlessly, creating a cohesive and impressive listening experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the album, and it’s definitely a contender for album of the year in my book.
Highlights
Let’s start with the highlights, beginning with the opening track, “An Epoch in Bloodshed.” The track starts off at a fairly slow pace, but once it picks up, it really takes off. Vlad’s drumming is remarkable, and the vocals are just the way I like them: cold, icy, and full of agony. Another bonus is that the lyrics are available on their Metal Archives page, and they’re all about war, death (hence the grim reaper on the album’s cover), and darkness.
As all falls silent and cold
Beneath the curtains
Severed by glaive
And folded within winter’s embrace
Onwards to the next one, which is titled “Wreathed Wings”. The track starts off with an onslaught of blast beats, which really sets a great mood. They do slow down when the icy vocals of D. kick in. For me, this is one of the best tracks of the album. Halfway in the song, the onslaught starts up again, and they obey you to head bang. You just can’t sit still with a track like this.
To conclude the highlights, last one mention and that’s of the last track “A Diadem Embattled”. This is the longest track on the album, clocking at a bit over 7 minutes long. This song has it all, it has some slow paced guitars, but also blazing fast drums. It’s a great showcase of what the band is capable of.
Yet twisted and burning in endless fervour
Illuminating a path few have wandered
Led by a crown wreathed in war
Wreathed in war!
All the tracks on the album are worth a listen too, but these are the highlights for me on the album.
Conclusion
As I mentioned earlier, I really enjoyed this album – in fact, I loved it. The band has created a stellar package with impressive drumming and strong vocals. I’m excited to see what they have in store for us in the coming years.
If you’re a fan of atmospheric black metal with a touch of rawness, you should definitely give this album a spin. You won’t be disappointed. You can listen to the album via the YouTube video below, and if you like it, don’t forget to support the artists by purchasing it on Bandcamp.
BMZ Score: 9 / 10
Links:
Band:
CD, LP, Shirt & Digital Album available here:
Pall of Endless Perdition | Unfelled items | Season of Mist (season-of-mist.com)
Pall Of Endless Perdition | Unfelled (bandcamp.com)
Unfelled, ‘Pall of Endless Perdition’ (orcd.co)
Facebook: Unfelled | Facebook
