Blaze of Perdition – Upharsin (Review)

This is the sixth album from Polish black metallers Blaze of Perdition.

I enjoyed 2015’s Near Death Revelations, 2017’s Conscious Darkness, and 2020’s The Harrowing of Hearts, so was pleased when Upharsin appeared. Across its 41-minute duration Blaze of Perdition create a withering storm of hostile black metal and ceremonial atmosphere.

Upharsin finds Blaze of Perdition delving deeper into the sea of old-school black metal, but without sacrificing their own personality and still ripe with the inimitable flavour of the Polish style. Upharsin‘s largely traditional approach is rooted in dark riffs, blackened melodies, sinister atmosphere, and searing aggression. Within this lies a range of textures to explore, including burning moody heaviness, esoteric psychedelia, ritualistic depth, and harsh expansive soundscapes.

The songs are well-written and have good presence, showcasing Blaze of Perdition’s skill at crafting black metal that manifests their own brand of malevolent fury. The blackened ferocity of the music is brutal and threatening, but not without its hooks. This is a band who know how to enrich their fiery delivery with melodic colour and memorable songwriting, helping them to stand out from the black metal hordes as something notable.

Although Upharsin has many assets, I’ll highlight a few key ones for me. Firstly, I like that you can really discern the bass and the role it plays. The overall production of the album helps make this possible, giving the music a clear and powerful platform to launch its attack from. The melodies are a strong point, enhancing everything they encounter as they twist, soar, and wind across the dark vistas of the songs. Lastly, the vocals; these are absolutely corrosive. They sound like they’re melting through the music with a caustic venom that’s lethal.

There is something hypnotic about Upharsin. It’s easy to listen to again and again, with a tight running time and no superfluous intros/interludes/etc. Blaze of Perdition have burst back into the blackened underworld with potent murderous passion, and Upharsin is armed and dangerous.