Band:	Baxaxaxa
Album:	De Vermis Mysteriis
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	September 2023

01. Seed Of Golgotha
02. De Vermis Mysteriis
03. Kiss Of Shame
04. Awaken, The Old Thing In The Ground
05. Above The Stellar Gateway
06. Decarnation Monument
07. Necrolatry Libation

I might not know what "Baxaxaxa" means, but now I know what it sounds like: an enjoyable concoction of raw, menacing black metal infused with a haunting, synth-based atmosphere.

The history of German band Baxaxaxa dates back to 1992, when drummer Condemptor and two other musicians released the demo Hellfire. However, soon after, the project went on a hiatus spanning several decades as Condemptor instead turned to focus on the band Ungod. The 1990s saw Ungod release several demos, one studio album, and one EP, burning through various guitarists and vocalists all the while, before breaking up in 2002. Ungod found revitalization as guitarist Cryptic Tormentor joined the band in 2009, followed by bassist Sulphur Irae in 2012. Since 2008, Ungod released two more albums, one EP, and numerous splits (their last split release Apocalyptic Mysticism with Greek black metal masters Varathron was recently featured in the "Jan-Jun 2022" issue of Metal Storm's Splitting Hairs / Hearing Splits series).

That takes us back to Baxaxaxa. Together with Cryptic Tormentor and Sulphur Irae, Condemptor returned to work on his project after a break of 25 years. Thus, De Vermis Mysteriis is officially only Baxaxaxa's sophomore album, even though the musicians behind the project have played together for over a decade.

On the surface, Baxaxaxa's musical approach is a clear continuation of the style displayed in their Ungod days, with their entertaining mix of menacing riffs and agonized wails from the vocalist. However, there are some notable improvements. While Ungod delivered raw black metal that was very straightforward, aggressive, and fast-paced, Baxaxaxa creates several slow, melodic moments to give the black metal fury some space to breathe. This is achieved through the inclusion of haunting keyboard playing by Antitron Desecratum W2J1L8 as well as more patient guitar-work that manages to instil a foreboding atmosphere. As a result, tracks 4, 5, and 7 sound impressively well-rounded. With a groovy, mid-tempo percussion and a background of epic synth-work, the songs take their time developing an enthralling black metal ambience, interspersed with faster, evil riffs.

My only slight complaint is the vocal performance, to which I have mixed feelings. At times I find it sounds rather average and unimpressive. But, other times, I find the slight accent in the delivery quite appealing. Vocalist Traumatic (who has previously performed in the blackened thrash bands Witchburner and Hellish Crossfire) provides here impassioned wails that remind me of a blending between Attila's vocals on Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (perhaps not a coincidence, considering the similarities of the album titles) and Ribeiro's rasps on Moonspell's Under The Moonspell. And, with the support of the eerie instrumentation, I can't help getting hyped by some of the vocals throughout the album such as during the simple yet extremely catchy chorus of the title track:

"Ea! Ea! Ba-xa-xa-xa-xa-xa-xa!"

In conclusion, Baxaxaxa display on their sophomore album an impressively mature performance. They expand on their previous raw and aggressive style by introducing prominent keyboard playing and slower, atmospheric sections. As a result, De Vermis Mysteriis is a nicely balanced product, demonstrating both catchy, menacing melodies and grander, haunting soundscapes.