AVSKY

The question is whether you like BURZUM. If you do, then you will probably like Sweden's AVSKY and the fittingly titled "Malignant". Hey, it ain't brain surgery, as Jim Gaffigan would surely tell you if the subject of underground "kvlt" black metal came up at a cocktail party. Guitarist/bassist/screamer AE and lead vocalist/drummer TO aren't here to fancy up the place. The duo do not come up with a single original thought, instead going for what they know: hideous, stripped down black metal grooves, blasting when necessary, and a touch of black 'n' roll, all painted in candy apple gray colors.

A more important question might be "how well do they do it?" And the answer would be "pretty darn well" or perhaps "almost as good as vintage BURZUM did it." The album's eight tracks aren't quite the one trick pony one might be inclined to assume though, as some degree of compositional variety is found across these eight tracks. Obsidian groove meets blasting malevolence on a song like the (one again) fittingly titled "Fuck Your Values, Fuck Your Beliefs", while "False Heavens" largely follows suit, albeit with more emphasis on a mid-tempo groove. "Cleanse the World" is without a doubt the album's home run, the lengthy song packing a rolling groove, gritty riffs, and a slew of successful changeups. The pair has harnessed that all-important feeling of dread too.

Sometimes it's about controlled tempo misery marches (the title track and "The Filth") and sometimes it's about hellfire riffing and breakneck speed ("Like Poison"),but never is it about white picket plastic pleasantries or family photo albums. Oh yeah, it's about BURZUM worship too. You do the math.