This is the debut album from Norwegian black metallers Avmakt.
Satanic Inversion Of… contains 46 minutes of old-school second wave 90s black metal worship. Avmakt’s music uses the Darkthrone template extensively, yet somehow manages to avoid coming off as a cheap knockoff. How? Basically, it’s just a damn good album.
Let an ocean of pure Norwegian black metal darkness wash over you in grim waves of hate and sharpened knives. Your tolerance for this sort of thing will depend entirely on your like/dislike of this iconic style, so I can easily imagine many people completely disliking this. Me? I’ve gone the other way entirely.
Satanic Inversion Of… is classic in form, feeling, and recording. It’s faithful to the early 90s style, delivering an authentic slice of primitive groove, blackened thunder, and cold merciless atmosphere. It’s also Darkthrone-approved too, which merely adds weight to its joyously atavistic impact.
The music may be raw, frozen, and misanthropic, but Satanic Inversion Of… is just so good I can’t help but have a giant smile on my face listening to the thing. It’s a black metal happy place for those that love the early 90s, and it’s such a fun and satisfying album to listen to. Of course, this may not have been the vibe that Avmakt were going for it, but it is what it is. What can I say – having grown up with this sort of record, Satanic Inversion Of… fills me with nostalgia, but also just a happiness to be alive that I can so readily immerse myself in old-school black metal like this.
Avmakt feel like they have stepped straight out of a time machine. It’s unashamedly influenced by old-school Darkthrone, but when it’s this good and this authentically done, it matters not one jot. If you love the classic Norwegian style, then Satanic Inversion Of… is not an album you should miss out on. Effortlessly easy to listen to and enjoy, Avmakt’s music hits the spot and covers it in ice.
Wonderbox Metal 