Band:	Pact
Album:	The Dragon Lineage Of Satan
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	January 30, 2012
A review by:	Troy Killjoy

01. Litany To Satan
02. Into Heaven's Night
03. Dreamless Death
04. Ecstasy And Illumination
05. The Flowers Of Evil
06. The Middle Pillar
07. Ascension From The Fall
08. Terror Of The Lower Astral (The Journey)
09. Suicide Sigil
10. A Vast Eternity

There was a time when Satanic black metal projects were taken seriously, when the music sent chills down your spine and the corpsepaint-wearing arsonist behind the mic made you sleep with your light on. Pact seem to remember such a time, and they're here to remind those of us who weren't there to experience the murders and church burnings that we still have reason to fear.

The Dragon Lineage of Satan does an excellent job delivering that message.

The listener is instantly exposed to what will soon become a 45-minute express train to Hell: blasphemous blastbeats, razor-sharp riffs, vomitous vocals, and all the occult imagery you can shake a headless goat at. The lack of bass adds a sense of realism to the primitive compositions in typical pure black metal fashion, yet the hearty production makes each instrument discernible and powerful. The music nods anywhere from early Immortal to current Arckanum, taking influence from a wide variety of less atmospheric black metal bands and sticking to the more traditional black metal stylings of the second wave.

Each song has its own unique touch, but the lack of innovation overall won't keep the casual listeners' attention span for very long - especially considering the amount of time you'll be spending getting to the end of this release. Die-hard fans and those who look for straightforward, no-nonsense black metal will not only appreciate Pact for stepping up to the plate and delivering such a strong release, but the potential is there for some circles to refer to The Dragon Lineage of Satan as a modern-day black metal classic. The mature compositions and lack of filler make for a supremely engaging listen while the old school leanings will appease a large portion of the black metal community.