Band:	Benighted In Sodom
Album:	Reverse Baptism
Style:	Atmospheric black metal
Release date:	March 31, 2011
A review by:	Troy Killjoy

01. Sweetness Depraved
02. Chains Of Bliss
03. Try To Forget Us
04. Flauros
05. Ocean I
06. Ocean II
07. Reverse Baptism

Matron Thorn, perhaps the busiest depressive black metal musician aside from Kim Carlsson, is at it again with Reverse Baptism. Of course Benighted In Sodom isn't really comparable to Hypothermia (or Lifelover for that matter), as BIS is a more melodic vehicle of expression and the average album isn't "mired" by extremely raw production values, but it's a fact both musicians are responsible for releasing a ton of albums in a relatively short time (10 full-lengths in 4 years, for instance).

Quantity in this case doesn't necessarily relate to poor quality. In fact, Thorn's consistency is something to marvel at: having toyed with atmospheres and emotions, he has managed to avoid stagnation. The sound itself on this album isn't unlike anything Benighted In Sodom have released before; however, it still offers enough variety to keep the average listener interested - at least, if you're the worthless, self-pitying scum-of-the-earth kind of person this genre makes you feel like you need to be in order to appreciate it in the first place.

Typical lyrical content (themes of hate, self-loathing, and suicide) is overshadowed by some truly murky guitar melodies, as the album makes a slow crawl for the finish line, stopping momentarily for some blastbeat mayhem and venomous self-loathing. Thorn's focus on creating an almost soothing atmosphere somewhat contradicts his truly vulgar vocal performance, but overall the pseudo-ethereal ambience makes for a less hostile album. This could of course result in a backlash from some of the true crusaders, but there are enough satisfactory by-the-number black metal elements that should keep most of the vultures at bay.

Realistically this album will likely fly under the black metal radar for 2011, but as a primarily atmospheric depressive black metal release, Reverse Baptism will definitely please fans of the style and keep Thorn's reputation as a workaholic alive.