This is the latest EP from UK black metallers Ninkharsag.
This has been a long time coming. In a similar way to the recent Abduction album Existentialismus, I saw Ninkharsag play songs from this release live back in February 2024, but it’s only now seeing the light of day. Has it been worth the wait to hear Ninkharsag’s brand of melodic black metal once more?
Of course, as Ninkharsag are a band that know how to play this sort of material.
There are six tracks, (five songs), with a total duration of 23 minutes. The style is melodic black metal, in the vein of Dissection, and should appeal to fans of the same, along with acts such as Dark Funeral, Heathen Deity, Naglfar, Watain, etc. It’s high quality, and Ninkharsag deliver.
Most of the material is fast and aggressive, with a melodic veneer that’s infectious and easy to listen to. Ninkharsag do vary their attack mode on occasion though; slower sections occasionally make an appearance, and overall the use of dynamics and transitions are good, (The Serpent of the Void in particular). Additionally, the band also make good use of their atmospheric presence to achieve their diabolical goals, (The Grave Sworn Lords especially).
The band’s sharpened assault is sleek and effective. The blackened melodies cut deep as the dark screams assail your mind. The atmospheres are ancient and vast, and the songs are extremely moreish. This sort of stuff goes down so well, and so effortlessly, that before you know it the EP is over and you’re listening to it again.
Ninkharsag are very good at what they do. If you have a hunger for old-school second wave melodic Scandinavian black metal, then this will satiate you fully.
Highly enjoyable, and highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 