Band:	Ascension
Album:	Consolamentum
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	December 2010

01. Open Hearts
02. Grey Light Sibling
03. Rebellion Flesh
04. Grant Me Light
05. Fire And Faith
06. Amok
07. Angel Of The Burning Sun
08. Consolamentum

According to the bandcamp page: "'Consolamentum' is a concept album, divided into 5 chapters, dealing with the spiritual journey and transformation of a human soul towards salvation." Out of context, this could be a description for some acoustic, hippy type stuff. I guess it could be...provided that hippy is Charles Manson. Make no mistake: this is some heavy shit both in content and music. From the captivating intro to the crushing, lengthy title track closer, Ascension have created one of my favorite black metal albums of the 2000's.

The production does a great job of providing enough dynamic and range to let all of the parts shine while maintaining a layer of grit and grime. Truly, Consolamentum is an unforgiving wall of guitar distortion, but never at the expense of melody. There is always a simple, catchy hook lurking in the shadows. These riffs range from the slow and doomy ("Grey Light Sibling") to relentless, almost melodeath, alternations and solos ("Amok"). Use of effects pedals further add to the dystopic landscapes built by the devastatingly destructive vocals.

Speaking of the vocals, V. Santura made enough impact on me that comparing other albums with Consolamentum has become my favorite way of denoting utter fury of lyrics and diction. Just listening to the Satanic prayer that is "Angel Of The Burning Son" should be evidence enough that there is no lacking of condemnation here. Paired with the inexorable, ever-changing drums and sparing use of atmospheric touches; Ascension have crafted something that is incredibly engaging despite its fairly straight-forward approach.

The rest is better left unsaid. If you are into black metal in the vein of Gorgoroth, chances are you will like this quite a bit. While it may not be the most innovative album around, it has enough unique touches, consistent songwriting, and raw energy to make my top 5 post-90's BM. Those looking for something more avant garde will disagree, but I've always been more Immortal than Deathspell Omega. Don't forget your pentagram.