Band – Lhaäd
Album – Below
Country of Origin – Belgium
Genre – Industrial Black Metal
Release Date – December 10, 2021
Label – Fólkvangr Records/Extraconscious Records/Babylon Doom Cult Records
Author – Hayduke X
When I see any one of those labels involved with a project, I know something good is coming. When I see all three together? Well, I expect something next-level. What I didn’t expect is to be grabbed bodily by my spine and dragged down into the furthest depths of oceanic trenches. I’ve seen the word “suffocating” used to describe Below. Though I can’t think of a more relevant word, it still seems insufficient. This debut album sucks all the air out of your lungs and holds you under for the entirety of its forty minute run-time.
Though this is a debut release, and a solo release, it is a far from inexperienced release. Lykormas has been making music at least as far back as 2003 according to Metal Archives. His talent at weaving together the disparate strands of instruments, electronics, and vocals seem to come from literal decades of experience. On Below, he shows himself to be a master of the craft.
Though tagged as Industrial Black Metal, Lhaäd is black metal first and foremost. The intense riffing, the howls and yells, the aggressive drumming all create a pitch black extreme sound. The industrial elements can be heard, but are clearly nuance. They are the side dishes to accent the main course. Below is an exploration in sound of the furthest depths of the ocean. Many black metal projects have taken to exploring the cosmos, but few (that I’m aware of) explore the deepest reaches undersea. Perhaps more should, as this is intensely cold, utterly pitch black, and exceptionally visceral.
Dive deep!
Biography: Hayduke X has been writing for MoshPitNation since June of 2016. He is also a contributor to The Metal Wanderlust. Prior to joining the MoshPitNation team, Hayduke published reviews on his own blog Rage and Frustration. In addition, he has DJ’ed an online metal radio show of the same name as his blog, written for TOmetal.com, done interviews for Metal Rules, and collaborated with The Art of B Productions to create video interviews with a wide variety of bands.
