Ævangelist have long been one of the US underground black metal scene's premier hopes and one of the bands who have had the biggest impact on how this thing has unraveled in the scene over the past few years. There is a breadth to their sound and an almost swaggering confidence to their unforgiving execution that makes them a fascinating collective, no matter what the context. Now with their second record of 2018 (!) Matricide In The Temple Of Omega out on what is perhaps my favorite underground metal label, I, Voidhanger, the band shows once more that they are the cream of the crop and never to be fucked with.
Ultimately, Ævangelist should be revered and acknowledged as kings of the USBM scene who have been able to bring in a variety of thrilling sounds to craft something truly evil. This is black metal at its finest, forward-thinking, epic and at the end of the day, a little bit scary. If that doesn't draw you in, then this music is not for you.
From its first terrifying chords, there is a clear element of oppression and madness that define Matricide In The Temple Of Omega. The larger than life sounds of Ævangelist have pushed themselves to new extremes here and the more you sink your teeth into the ethereal sorcery of the band the more you realize that these guys are a cut above the rest. In terms of how massive their sound is, Ævangelist are perhaps best compared to Abyssal or Portal, but Matricide In The Temple Of Omega showcases something more of a demented tastefulness.
That is to say, though the record certainly has its moments of crushing and nihilistic brutality, it also hints at so much more. The sheer darkness that Ævangelist have managed to capture here is a head and shoulders beyond many of their past releases, and it seems to me at least that the band has reached bold new heights. The manic energy and sense of dissonance that dominate the listening experience here are going to leave you in awe, grasping at straws and begging for air.
As alienating as so much of this record might be it has an undeniable ability to fascinate. It's almost being stuck in a horror movie or getting lost deep in the woods at night. Despite any assurances you may give yourself, things are not going to be okay. Ævangelist force us to come face to face with the sheer misery of the human condition and then get even crazier still.
Matricide In The Temple Of Omega may at times be esoteric and over the top, but it is also frighteningly real, fucked up and prone to give you nightmares. There is nothing soothing or artsy fartsy about this music. This is the sound of a decadent race coming to die and doing so at their own hand. At the risk of getting lost up my own ass here, I might go so far as to say that the bitter prophecies of Ævangelist speak to a forbidden reality none of us wish to confront.
Score: 9.5/10
