To me, there are only two kinds of Black Metal; the kind that makes you want to kill and the kind that makes you want to die.

Hungarian act Vorkuta’s session drummer on their current release Into the Chasms of Lunacy is named Tom Nihilist. Just felt like mentioning the name; Tom Nihilist. That little bit of silliness aside, Into the Chasms of Lunacy offers up a stark, ugly dose of self loathing so minimal it approaches soul shattering emptiness in spots.

Vorkuta play morose Black Metal that’s high on treble, heavy on the acid-reflux-drenched howls, and more depressing than much of the current crop of contemporary Black Metal acts. Where as the popular sound of most Modern Black Metal has a "WAAAAAAAR!!!!" feel to it, Vorkuta instead opt for a more suicidal, lonely feel designed not only to express alienation, but to invoke alienation in the listener. The influences are fairly obvious; Celtic Frost (especially on the track "My Flaming Soul", which maybe the best unintentionally gay sounding song title of the year), Darkthrone, early Mayhem, but Vorkuta has a charm (for lack of a better term) that grants this release the ability to rise above mere carbon copy into something that, while not entirely original, is worthy of a listen and then some.

The album falters with the tracks "Warriors of Past", "Stardust", which are bland instrumental tracks that go nowhere, and the intro to "Vorkuta" sounds like fucking Candlebox before it kicks back into the hate. Those aside; Into the Chasms of Lunacy is one of the more beautifully miserable Black Metal albums you’ll hear all year. Take a listen.

Written By: Nick Benoitschwitz