Gaerea's first release of "Unsettling Whispers" was in 2018, and since, they dared define a "black metal" niche of their own, they dared to walk a new path and stir shit up a bit in the realm of BM, this album is a masterpiece and a milestone proving that it can be done, provided the band can pull it off, and they did, oh they did! Gloomy, dark, post-BM sludgy whatever, it's Gaerea, and this one belongs in my BC collection, the end. sachavonkarl74
The first 30 seconds of "Revenge by Fire" convinced me to get the whole album! It is a face-melting blend of speed and black metal, reminiscent of Hellripper! KVAEN is a Swedish solo project much like Hellripper but many known guest musicians helped J. Björnfot in his endeavor. Altogether it is really a solid debut album, I loved the melodies and the pace changes in the second half too, ending with a "calm" instrumental one. Well-done!! sachavonkarl74
I love this particular niche of modern black metal. Crisp, biting production and clear, cutting riffs. Imperialist are among the best there is right now. Brett (Lascaille's Shroud / Soulmass)
Pretty much the best Black/Speed Metal I've listened to since I learned about Evil Invaders and Vulture. Everything you'd love to be reminded of about this musical era is there. The influences are what you'd expect too: Motörhead, Venom, Bathory, early Slayer, Celtic Frost; aggressive vocals, tortured guitar solos, pounding drums; everything is fast, clear and still a little grimy, but without reverb cranked up to the max. Amazing band, amazing album. Odiumediae