Band:	Onheil
Album:	In Black Ashes
Style:	Melodic black metal, Blackened death metal
Release date:	June 2023

01. Night Terror
02. In Black Ashes
03. Like Shadows In The Night
04. Void
05. Beneath A Steel Sky
06. Bloodthirst
07. Master Of Disease

Whatever Onheil have presented to us here with In Black Ashes, whether it's melodeath, meloblack, or blackened thrash, there's one thing I know for sure: the album is just as overwhelmingly ferocious as the scene its cover art depicts. Just add some quality headbanging melody into the equation, and what you have here is a true metalhead's delight.

Onheil are a thrash metal band (or at least they were) that formed in the Netherlands back in 1999. Now, when I refer to this band as being a thrash metal band, what I really mean to say is thrash was generally the primary focus in their style and approach throughout the band's first two releases, those being the 2009 debut Razor, and 2014's Storm Is Coming. Now, let's set our attention towards their third and latest output, In Black Ashes.

Yes, there is still that element of thrash present, however unorthodox and technical it may seem, but let's just say that thrash is no longer the primary focus behind this band's new style, as their latest output In Black Ashes clearly demonstrates to us. How Onheil approach things differently on this latest album from their last two releases is by introducing a variety of genres from the extreme end of the metal scale, with melodeath and meloblack now being the most noticeable, and perhaps main, two genres present. Now, you could say this change in style is most likely due to significant alterations in the band's line-up.

The first striking feature of the album is the introduction of not one, nor two, but three guitarists to the mix. Each guitarist here brings with them a tremendous amount of skill and breathtaking relentless energy, which they manage to keep up from beginning to end. Whether it's through their highly memorable and wonderfully melodic riffs, overlapping from one riff to the next, or the powerfully striking melodic lead guitar work, it's clear that Onheil have made significant changes in this department, and for the better. The second striking feature the album offers is the dual vocal style between bassist Waanzin, and founding member and guitarist Amok. Both vocalists are harsh in style, mainly focusing on blackened shrieks and death growls (to a lesser extent). Each vocalist accompanies the other really well throughout each track, and the vox between the two vocalists sometimes even vary to the point where they sing together in a choir-like, harmonic fashion, which is what you hear on the track "Beneath A Steel Sky".

"Night Terror" opens the album strongly, to say the least. The track is simply a relentless barrage of high-octane riffs, that vary from spicy blackened tremolos, to melodeath and thrash-like riff patterns, beginning with a classic Slayer-style riff made heavier. The drumming patterns flow back and forth between furious pounding blast beats and complex rhythmic beats. The track, however, is not overly technical structurally; its approach is highly melodic, and the songwriting remains catchy and enjoyable throughout. One important factor they have spot on is the quality of the production, this means you can hear the bass lines clearly throughout, and the twin guitar riffs and guitar leads are also very well mixed, despite the dense layering.

The album continues to swing by this way and that, alternating between the styles of blackened thrash, meloblack, and melodeath (with melodeath elements particularly featuring more so on the track "Void"), with each song having its own identity and structure, whilst retaining all of that ferocious energy and relentless tempo. However, there's one track that does stand out for me, and that is "Bloodthirst". This is a song that begins with a very short, but distinctive synth intro, and the cyber/techno synth presence, although minute, remains a striking feature that occasionally presents itself throughout parts of the track. "Bloodthirst" is also one of the more varied songs on the album, in terms of tempo and rhythmic changes, and with the striking lead guitar work also standing out more so on here than elsewhere on the record. However, it's the final track, "Master Of Disease", that captivates me most. I certainly find its masterfully addictive main riff melody exhilarating; in fact, the track as a whole has some of the finest moments the album has to offer, in terms of songwriting and overall performance.

All-in-all, Onheil are a Dutch metal band you may have never even heard of, but if that's not the case, and you happen to be familiar with their two releases prior to In Black Ashes, then the band delving into the melodeath/meloblack territory will perhaps come as a surprise to you. Or, perhaps you've been a metalhead long enough now to expect the unexpected. Band styles change; it's a sign of progress, and that can sometimes be a good thing, believe me.