Desolate Shrine - The Heart of the Netherworld (2015)^{Release ID: 5787}

Boasting an impressive line up consisting of members of Sargeist within the ranks, Finland's Desolate Shrine first grabbed my attention back in 2015 with this, their third release.  Exhibiting a blackened, death metal style the album is an assault of misanthropic occultism that lives up perfectly to the bands name.  With the added death/doom influence coupled with the odd burst of black 'n roll it is an album of variety also that commands attention on more than one level.

Beyond the extremity of the sound, the album is rooted on strong song writing.  Well-paced tracks build momentum without necessarily remaining staid for periods as they develop.  Just as you think a track has grown into a fixed level of darkness and intensity it kicks on some more or drops deep into murky waters; often diving from scathing heights.  The vocals of Roni Sahari and Markus Tuonenjoki are the main drivers to the album.  Cavernous and gruff, their style is more blackened overall than most other elements of the record but they work perfectly with the dark and leaden atmosphere of the instrumentation.  When the  music takes a more industrious pace the vocals seem to fit effortlessly with the changes in tempo without an alteration to pitch or delivery.

Lauri Laaksonen completes all instrumentation on the album and I am not sure why this is (perhaps other commitments kept the Sargeist duo occupied) and he does a great job.  Able to turn his hand to both lead/rhythm and bass guitar as well as drums, all his work feels present and accounted for in his own mix job without ever letting much of any one instrument dominate.  They all do sit in the shadow of the vocals in the main, which whilst not entirely a bad thing does make the record a bit one dimensional overall.  But it is full of consistent and tenebrous content all the same.