Band:	Black Trinity
Album:	Demonic Pleasures
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	2005

01. Abysmal Abomination
02. Ebony Ablaze Thy Beloved Night Sky
03. Martyr Complex
04. Black Trinity
05. From Cold Dark Caverns
06. Demonic Pleasures
07. Oath Of Blood And Iniquity
08. Triumph In Blasphemy
09. Frozen North
10. Death Crush [Mayhem cover]

When I got in my hands the debut album of Black Trinity I knew what to expect, black metal. To tell the truth the cover prepared me negatively, it's something well-painted, but so cliché and not so pleasing to the eye, at least for me. There are "evil" covers that are portraits of pure Art, but the cover of "Demonic Pleasures" is definitely not one of them, sadly.

But let's move to the music. Despite the bad first impression I pressed the "play" button to realize that the band is in fact really good and I enjoyed the ride to Hell and back through the black metal soundscapes of Black Trinity. They are not something new for the scene and they are not going to open new musical horizons, but they definitely know how to play black metal, offering some really good compositions. Imagine early Emperor, the early works of Old Man's Child and a more black metal side of Dimmu Borgir, with only a very slight use of keyboard melodies just to strengthen the guitar-driven atmosphere, and you'll get how does this US band sounds like.

The guitars have a heavy metal oriented sound but don't expect them to be so shamefully heavy as on the latest Dimmu Borgir releases because here we're talking about black metal and only black metal. The heaviness of the guitars is present, sure, but the guitars don't rely on this specific part of expression, you'll find the renowned razorblade Norwegian black metal riffing many times through the whole duration of "Demonic Pleasures" adding another sense of unearthly and nightly approach in the already dreadful aesthetic of the band's sound. Sometimes they tend to sound more traditional concerning the black metal sound, something not bad for sure. On the contrary, these outbursts with the more traditional fiery guitar riffing are just awesome and escalate the dark emotional charge of the songs along with some solos here and there!

Damn, I think I said too much about the guitars, well, I think it was worth mentioning because I really liked the guitar work on "Demonic Pleasures". The drumming is ultra fast and well-executed, more accompanying and mid-tempo when it has to so as to pace with the tempo of the song and it seems almost flawless. As for the bass guitar you don't have to ask me, I didn't have the chance to bear witness of this specific instrument, but this is a general problem when it comes to black metal, the bass guitar is there and missing at the same time! The vocals are superb - unearthly and terrifying screams surround the listener from the very first until the very last second of the album keeping the interest of the audience to high levels.

I think the band has a lot more to give and I am really waiting for their next attempt in the world of black metal because they know how to offer some hellish compositions! After a few demos and hard work their debut album "Demonic Pleasures" is reality and Black Trinity deserve a chance.

Highlights: Triumph In Blasphemy, Abysmal Abomination, Ebony Ablaze Thy Beloved Night Sky, Demonic Pleasures (they did a good job on the Mayhem cover too).