Band:	Volahn / Arizmenda / Shataan
Album:	Desert Dances And Serpent Sermons
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	July 20, 2015
Guest review by:	Marcus

01. Volahn - Chamalcan
02. Shataan - Caminando Del Destino / Desert Smoke / Wells Run Dry
03. Arizmenda - Ropeburn Mutilation On The Outskirts Of Life
04. Kallathon - Falling Into The Horizon, Burning Into The Black Twilight

There's a new sheriff in town, and its name is Black Twilight Circle. The Southern California black metal collective are back with a new compilation, Desert Dances And Serpent Sermons, a 44 minute tribute to the west. Forget about Northern Darkness, snow covered mountains, wolves, Satan, and every other trve black metal cliché. They've been replaced by twilight over an empty desert, coyotes howling in the night, and the indigenous peoples who live through it all. This ain't your grandpa's west, however. Instead of John Ford and John Wayne's PG rated vision, Desert Dances And Serpent Sermons follows in the vein of Sam Peckinpah and Cormac McCarthy, presenting a west of violence and terror, pummeling us through the duration.

Volahn leads off with "Chamalcan," the album's true highlight. It begins with a slow meander, building into a galloping western riff before breaking loose into all out black metal, showing off Volahn's compositional talent. Along with Shataan's follow-up, the two songs offer the best marriage of western themed guitar lines mixed with raw, but melodic, black metal. Shataan even gets into folk territories, using flutes and harmonicas throughout, the only downside being his rather lackluster vocals.

Arizmenda follows, and "Ropeburn?" signals a tonal shift in the compilation; the western themes largely fall away and are replaced with his familiar maddening atmosphere. The track works alone, in a vacuum, but doesn't fit with the other tracks given the compilations the. The atmosphere that Murdunbad creates so well in Arizmenda's full lengths is lost in the greater context of Desert Dances And Serpent Sermons. Kallathon rights course, blazing the same trail of Volahn and Shataan, though the song can't do more than stay in their shadow.

Desert Dances And Serpent Sermons ends up an incredibly effective compilation, showcasing the variety and strength of Black Twilight Circle's artists. Shataan and Kallathon, relative newcomers, perform admirably alongside great pieces by heavyweights Volahn and Arizmenda and look to have some great promise ahead.

Come, listen to the serpent sermon and join the desert dance.