Before me a shining black gate opens
A rift into the clouds, vast and empty
Obliteration urges me over the precipice
What is existence without ascension
Into the eye of the storm I leap
I give myself to the winds of chaos
In the forge of your design, I am clay
Curl of smoke, molten steel
Made into a point wrought for destruction
Show me the path, I will set the fires
In your distortion I shed the skin of man
I am the gauntlet raising the black flame
Great one guide me
Your eternal torch alight
In service of satan
The sword, the fallen
The album description mentions an “emotional apex.” That’s really the difference between Stare and the band’s previous albums. Ulcerate was always supremely technically proficient. I just didn’t care all that much. Their growth has come from making music you will feel. Metallurgical Fire
An outstanding Extreme doom death album, in the best tradition. The funerary atmosphere reminds of Evoken ('Centuries of ooze" bears striking similarities, for my delight). It is overall sharp, dark, hypnotic and unrelenting. One of those rare convincing new bands that hold proud the legacy of the biggest names. Bertrand Marchal
Nearly a decade after their last LP, the Chicago post-metal trio resurface with a punishing concept album set in an apocalyptic wasteland. Bandcamp New & Notable May 5, 2024
The metal’s band revelatory new record crosses genres and styles, effortlessly combining seemingly incompatible subgenres. Bandcamp Album of the Day Apr 26, 2024