Band:	Advent Sorrow
Album:	Kali Yuga Crown
Style:	Atmospheric black metal, Depressive black metal
Release date:	May 2019

01. Verminblood
02. Wolf & Weapon
03. Spearhead
04. Kali Yuga Crown
05. Pestilence Shall Come
06. Caesar
07. Wells Of Poison Water
08. Majesty Enshrined
09. With Conviction
10. Death In Magic Antagonism

Listening to an Advent Sorrow album is agreeing to travel a desolate path of apocalyptic destruction, but that's exactly what you came here for.

With the release of As All Light Leaves Her back in 2015 -- a dismal foray into the psyche of the morbidly deranged and mentally unhinged -- this indie outfit from Australia captured the attention of black metal fans across the spectrum. It marked a significant deviation in terms of style, all but abandoning their symphonic origins in favor of a self-described torturous approach, blending soulful, raw riffs with a harrowing and smothering atmosphere. Its dark and suffocating tone overwhelmed the senses while beautiful, sweeping melodies carried you off into delusional self-loathing nightmares of isolation and regret. Kali Yuga Crown is a continuation of that foundation, expanding on the overall theme of dread and dismay with independent compositions pulling from all sorts of external influences. As we near the end of the final stage in the cycle of yugas, Advent Sorrow plan to leave us with a soundtrack of our doom.

Not only is this album rife with some brilliant, epic melodies that would make Amon Amarth jealous, its eerie buildups rival that of early Katatonia, though both are cloaked in the typical black metal shroud. Vocalist Rhys King does his best Kvarforth impression at times (without all the gimmicky awkwardness and silly ranting and raving) and brings with him an added tool of incredibly beastly growls. It's a rather sobering experience given it's grounded in this emotionally-charged place, which is a credit to their songwriting prowess, as they keep all hints of their direction on the sidelines in order to keep you guessing what follows next. It's quite clever in comparison to the conventionally standard black metal fodder floating around everywhere these days.

There's an obvious cohesion across this release but every song manages to stand on its own two feet, with varying tempos, moods, and accessibility. It all fits together like a puzzle of a winter morning, the sun rising above leafless trees surrounding a frozen pond -- all unique pictures on their own, but establishing a more significant level of depth when combined. At no point does it feel disjointed despite the fact it bounces around and between direct ugliness and melancholic grandeur. The keyboard segments and piano backdrops make their appearances felt and are careful not to overstay their welcome, instead dropping in to add some poignancy when the blasting kicks and daunting riffs start to feel too burdensome. They know when to unleash and when to relent, which is something sorely lacking in the scene.

It's rare to come across a black metal album that takes up the gauntlet and covers elements from its wide array of sub-categories, but that's exactly what Advent Sorrow have done here without sacrificing their over-arching depressive theme. As we near toward the end of 2019, it would be in any black metal fan's best interest to experience this before labeling anything "album of the year."