This Russian black metal outfit plays a no-frills, back to basics version of the genre. No choirs, no classical music, no synths or keys, no acoustic interludes or Viking themes or mouth harps or crackly atmospheric ambience. Just straight up buzzy black metal in the vein of early Gorgoroth.

Compositions are strong, with melodies throughout a bit more dissonant and twisted than your usual frosty melodic Dissection/Naglfar whirlwind. In fact, some of this reminds me more of the unique melodies of USBM acts like Leviathan, minus the experimental elements. Key cuts include “Weaved of Worms,” “Awakening in Sin,” and “Return to Mother Night.” The album does tend to become a bit stale after awhile though, as tempos and execution are largely the same throughout.

Production-wise, this is pretty conventional stuff, with ghostly rasped vocals mixed below the guitars and steady drumming throughout. Bass is mostly relegated to the far background, although occasionally an accompanying melody may crop up, as on “Steps for Hell.”

Although there’s nothing new here, it is a respectable example of the genre. If Storming Darkness uses the strengths of Sin-Thesis as a foundation and pushes their creative and compositional boundaries further for the next release, I’d be interested to hear it.

[Visit the band's website]

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