Review by Sonny for Sühnopfer - Hic regnant borbonii manes (2019)

First off, you've really got to admire Ardraos' technical ability, as he far surpasses the competency of your average black metal solo project. His songwriting is ambitious, to say the least, involving an interesting and complex interplay between the various instruments, particularly the guitar and drums. However, this level of complexity can often be difficult to reign in and the songs start to unravel as songs per se and become more like a technical exercise, or even worse, a case of over-indulgence and chronic Yngwie-Malmsteen-Syndrome. To be fair, only occasionally on this release does this happen and the overall impression is very positive, but the warning does need heeding, as I think Sühnopfer has a great album in him if he reigns it in a little (but not too much!)