Holy shit. I had doubts, and was unwilling to pre-order this. It's as if Blaze of Perdition sensed my hesitation and opened Upharsin with a raging "DO YOU DARE TO QUESTION US??!!" I'm knocked back from my speakers and forced to listen intently, my own thoughts retreating to silence. The vocals are harsher, the riffs are more aggressive (those uniquely BoP melodic leads seem to have mostly disappeared, or have migrated directly into the main tremolo riffing). This is no doubt a highlight of 2024.

This is metal is which is METAL. Mostly black metal - particularly in the melodies that fill the riff-driven songs, as well as the vocals. And while I have a hard time using the "death metal" descriptor for this, I do get the same sense that there is something more from the wider world of extreme metal that has seeped into The Swords of Dajjal. There's an edge of attitude that is different here. As with the album cover, this is sick yet slick - but you also probably don't want to fuck with it.

I tend to gravitate toward jazz that is piano-led, and jazz that has a prominent drum/rhythm presence, so it's no surprise that this is an easy win for me, those being two of The Thousandth Scholar's most distinctive features. The percussionist in addition to drummer is just so much fun. But it's not that simple: the tunes are excellent. The opener sets a great tone and the variety throughout keeps it all fresh. One note to Reggie though, from an amateur listener: I always want more drum solos!

My initial impression was that this is excellent, just as expected from Madder Mortem. Even so, I rate it higher and higher with each listen. Desiderata can never be dethroned as #1 for me, but this is already making a serious case as post-Desiderata #1. Cold Hard Rain at their doomiest, Things I'll Never Do at their catchiest, Master Tongue at their fiercest, and Here and Now at their gentlest, led by vocals that are at once all of those things. Old greatness returning with new greatness.

For me, if you play this sub-sub-genre of music you're either Darkspace or you're not. But now I am forced to admit a third possibility... you are Voidsphere. Each 20 minute track infects and inflicts with continuous forward energy, eventually led by a fuzzy but clear and prominent guitar melody. Guitar chugging is occasional but assists with momentum, while screams are a sparse but complimentary part of the journey, almost as if they are happening in fixed spaces, while we as listeners fly by.

It may sound like a pig squeal that kicks this album off, but this is not a brutal death/slam album. If only you were so lucky. No, you are on a friendly, guided tour of your worst nightmare. Your host is featured on the album cover. The haunting but lovely melodies that overwhelm your senses might come from guitars, or they might be out of control air raid sirens. Either way, they will remind you of Akhlys. You might recommend this to your friends, and feel pride when they are not up for it.

There's nothing groundbreaking about this album, except for the fact that it is built of the finest pieces the black metal genre has to offer, constructing a beast that is more than the sum of its parts, one with the power to crack the ground it rests upon, if it were one to ever rest. Therizo's songs are heavy and dynamic, vocals are deep, but the simple yet perfect black metal guitar melody that punctuates each song is what elevates this to a level above the rest.

This is my #4 album of 2023.

The first track is a bit of an outlier, perhaps connecting back to earlier albums where jazz foundations lead the way, before going all out berserk with the beats, beats, and beats. Bass and electronics are now the mainstays over the hip-hop influenced rhythms. But the horns are still layered back in with style. I initially passed this over, but the Szlam / Ścieki tracks blew my socks off and in desperation for more, I was led back to this. I can't wait to see where Błoto go next.

Damn do these tracks slam! Damn are they sick! Or actually... they szlam! And they are ścieki! Okay sorry, I don't speak the language, it's just that these inspire me to move and dance and to have a good time. This is like Kwasy I Zasady - more electronic and beat focused than jazzy - but polished up, amped up, and basically taken to a whole other level all around. A full album like this would be an absolute beast. I just can't get over that groove in Ścieki. Damn is it filthy!

I hate the hype, don't like bandwagons, and didn't much enjoy the first three albums, so it took me a while to get over my ego and admit that I really dig The Enduring Spirit. Simply put, this is a really solid slab of progressive death metal. Key to success in this genre is that the death metal be actual death metal. Check. The one-note death vocals are an important part of the thumbs-up factor. The guitars sound great whether they're shredding or noodling or headbanging.