Israthoum – Channeling Death and Devil (Review)

Hailing from the Netherlands, this is the third album from black metallers Israthoum.

Israthoum’s 2012 album Black Poison and Shared Wounds was a notable release, birthed from the underground with bile and venom. 2015’s Antru Kald cemented their position as a band to pay close attention to, and with this in mind we have now been rewarded with a third full length from this engaging entity.

Raw and malevolent, this is the kind of scathing second wave-influenced black metal that it’s so easy to enjoy when it’s done as well as it is here.

Whether it’s classic rolling groove or thunderous blast beats, Israthoum clearly know what they’re doing. At this point in their career they have obviously refined their art to such a degree that they can produce these dark hymns with ease. These are well-crafted songs played by fanatics that know their genre inside out.

As well as the blistering blackened hatred that the band deliver so well, there are atmospheric elements on Channeling Death and Devil that make their arcane presence felt very effectively. The inclusion of atmospheric distortion, grim melodies, or of monastic chanting are just some such examples.

There are some extremely good and devastatingly effective riffs on this album. The vocal assault is varied and diverse, and when the band really wrench up the atmosphere they can produce some quite harrowing moments, (Drudges of Ruination is one such standout moment in this regard).

Overall as a collection of songs, Israthoum have really excelled here.

Channeling Death and Devil is an extremely enjoyable and massively satisfying release. Israthoum were already a strong and impressive band before this, but Channeling Death and Devil is their best work yet.

Very highly recommended.

Find out more here and here.