Sonic Reign

Black metal is a genre that has died down in the past decade, though some bands such as Satyricon, Emperor, and Enslaved are trying to keep it alive. Sonic Reign is another black metal band keeping the iron hot. Though the band consists only of two guys (Ben, vocals and strings; Sebastian, drums), it is unbelievable what they are able to accomplish.

Raw Dark Pure opens up with “Deceit Doctrine”. The vocals are bone chilling, and are remarkably similar to Chad Zimmerman’s (Year of Desolation). The instrumentation is superb as well: two impressive riffs are layered over each other. The recording quality is just as spectacular, if I might add.

My personal favorite is, of course, one of the heavier tracks on the album, “The Martyr Urge”. Ben’s screams actually made me jump the moment he uttered his low growl, issued directly from the bowels of Hell. The lyrics really spoke out to me, too. The majority of the song is about war and mankind; however, Ben mentions how people who bow on first act sometimes follow the wrong leader, and that we should all break free from this type of oppression—I agree entirely.

The album ends with the title track, “Raw Dark Pure”. The title says it all: this song is raw, dark, and pure—pure fucking black metal that is. This song again uses a similar lyrical theme as “The Martyr Urge”, but instead of breaking free from our so-called leaders, Ben states that we should all break free from all chains entirely, and march in our own directions. We should do what we want, not what others want: “The venomous call of the commander inside your chest.” Sometimes your heart can lead you in a direction that you shouldn’t go, but you listen anyway.

It has been about four years since I have heard a black metal band that actually plays real black metal riffs and utilizes black metal themes. Kudos!  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Deceit Doctrine
02. Fucked Up But Glorious
03. Reminiscence Of Imperial Wrath
04. The Martyr Urge
05. Salt
06. Tyrant Blessed
07. To Rebel And To Fail
08. Raw Dark Pure

Run Time: 40:23