Black Flame Altar - Ritual I

I appreciate modern Black Metal such as Akhlys and Trivax, but I do not love it for some reason, and that is okay. I need more than a cool riff, emotional concepts or storytelling, or intense and angry sounding production. There has to be an ethereal or spiritual level to the band and music, and the high level songwriters prioritise that more than the actual sound. Black Metal should not be outcome based. I do not want to be taught something in order to feel something.

A band can be modern though and sound traditional. A main trigger point is usually the production values, and essentially how much is poured into a fuller sound with more tracks, as opposed to a raw, organic sound. For me, it does not have to sound like it was recorded in a plastic bag underground, but it does need grit, vitality and a through line to the essence of what made Black Metal. Maybe it is just me, but other than playing a game of degrees of separation, I can not place many modern sounding Black Metal bands on a family tree with Bathory and Darkthrone and Burzum.

Black Flame Altar (Karl Haikara & Drugoth) has that traditional edge, clearly influenced by the scene in the 1990s and early 2000s also. I hear Burzum sprinkled all over this, particularly with the guitar tone. Listening to this 25 minute EP (4 songs), I feel like I am tied to the base of a tree, the moonlight is weak and things are happening around me that are ungodly and dangerous. Lyrically, this is the essence of Black Metal, with plenty of imagery pointing towards sacrificial acts and rituals, the sky and moon, forests, flames and carved souls. The lyrics were written by both Karl and Drugoth.

Drugoth’s drumming is consistent rather than predictable -  there is a difference. Style is crucial to him, and his is quite simple: timing, measure, energy and confidence are always at the forefront of his model of drumming. His cymbal work is always spot on. He more often than not joins in with the riff. His style suits Black Metal very well. More importantly, it is authentically evil and nasty sounding, as are Karl’s vocals.

The small things matter to Karl and Drugoth, whether it is a small guitar lead,  alteration in a riff, small snippets of feedback, drum accent or the keyboards. The songwriting is handled with care, and a genuine love for the tradition and authenticity of Black Metal.

Pacing has also been well considered with “Night Winds” and “With Breath of Cold” being more mid-paced, balancing the faster (not throttling) “Of Ash and Blood” and “Dark Light of Eternity.” The EP is also bookended by sinister gothic keyboards, adding a very Victorian era feel.

The only issue I have with this is that I wanted it to be a full length. It is one of the best Black Metal releases of 2025. High level songwriting here, and I shouldn’t have been surprised given that the songwriters genuinely care for the genre they are contributing to.

KILLER!