Review by Felix on November 10, 2024.

Six reviews with an average of 96%, a Finnish band, a great, nearly iconic artwork, and only positive words from my musically interested friends about the album: there are a lot of reasons to lend an ear or two to “Let The Devil In”. The one that gave me the final motivation to listen closely to it was that a true insider who sent me the list of his essential black metal albums a few days ago – and “Let the Devil In” was listed there. So, devil, I let you in if you let me in, too. It is surely boring in heaven.

The first thing I realize and cherish is the dense, not overly transparent, nuances-killing, foggy yet simultaneously stormy and full production. It’s a great mix for the genre because it does not send any rays of light and creates an atmosphere of permanent discomfort. In other words, as soon as the first notes ring out, the listener fulfills the mission: she or he lets the devil in, because the diabolic mood of the album cannot be ignored. But it goes without saying that the large number of words of praise I have heard before diving deeply into the output do not focus on the production but on the song material. And I fully understand the more or less enthusiastic reactions. The full-length offers violent outbursts like the opener “Empire of Suffering”, viscous lava in sonic form like “Nocturnal Revelation” – and everything in between. The never-ending, uncompromising guitar lines send the listener into a tunnel of dark emotions. Even less violent titles like the almost thoughtful “From the Black Coffin Lair” show no way out of it. But my highlight of the album’s first half is “Burning Voice of Adoration”. Its guitars herald and celebrate sinister triumphs which are carried by the constant passion of the operating culprits and outstanding melodies.

It is correct that Sargeist were not among the very first bands from Finland. Units like Horna or Azaghal began with their evil activities a few years earlier. Nevertheless, due to the great performance on “Let the Devil In” and the fact that the album sounds Suomi as f**k, we can count Sargeist to be the style-defining actors in and from the land of the thousand lakes. Followers like Shadow’s Mortuary have inhaled this sound and tried to copy it (with a more or less individual note, of course), but despite some good ideas they have yet not proved their competence to record a similarly awesome work. “Let the Devil In” is free from fractures, its flow deserves a lot of attention and applause and the quality of the song material is simply amazing.

Let’s get to the songs of the album’s second half. The truly devilish chorus of the title track with its twice powerfully spat out four words sounds like a banishment to eternal damnation. This is the first detail that kept sticking in my brain, but naturally, the five songs have more exciting moments in their portfolio. The cruel melancholy of “Twilight Breath of Satan”, which is expressed by the combination of the sad guitar lines and the extremely raw vocals, can leave the listener shaken. This title has an enormous depth which opens up a huge resonance space where the listener can get lost. But it hardly makes sense to talk about single songs, because all of them provide the audience with an expressive, infernal experience and it is no significant difference whether one selects the devastating power of “Sanguine Rituals” or the high dynamic of the closer “As Darkness Tears the World Apart”. So yes, I do have not many new findings concerning these ten tracks to offer, but honestly speaking, I would have been surprised if it had been me of all people who is the one seeing through the hype. Believe me, there is no hype at all when it comes to “Let the Devil In”. It’s just a fantastic album that catches the misanthropic spirit of black metal excellently.

Rating: 9.3 out of 10

Review by Nathan on October 2, 2021.

When you get down to it, "black metal" can mostly be defined by a feeling - something otherworldly, mystical, dangerous as it is alluring. Some artists seem to harness this effortlessly, while others spend years (and even decades) in its pursuit but never create something that captures the spirit.

Pestilential Shadows have spent a majority of their career in obscurity (even by black metal standards), often overlooked for flashier, edgier bands in their area - Woods of Desolation, Austere, Destroyer 666 and even Drowning The Light get mentioned more frequently in conversations than this group of Aussies ever does. Want proof? Pestilential Shadows formed in 2003, and this is their sixth full-length album since then. Bet you didn't know that. Another little known fact is that they're a part of what appears to be a loose association between black metal artists in Australia (known as the Order of the Black Serpent). The least known fact of all, though, is that Pestilential Shadows are leagues better than any other music that came out of that collective - and I know this without having heard half the bands associated with it.

It does make sense that this band isn't especially hyped: they're not flashy. Pestilential Shadows aren't big on walking guitar leads, cacophonous intensity, or extending the scope of black metal into bizarre, avant-garde areas. They like uncomplicated but effective songs, with riffs that have just enough going on to evoke imagery, carrying the song forward as much as they need to. On the surface, this is just another black metal album with some distant sonic connection to the more depressive side of things a la Woods of Desolation. Then, you notice how the rhythm section in particular is really clean, and how its tasteful groove gives this a completely different impact.

I haven't heard this kind of almost...bouncy cadence to black metal before, but it evokes the true black metal vibe almost effortlessly. This doesn't sound anything like a second wave band, but the end feeling is the same if that makes sense. Revenant taps into that small area at the base of your spine that makes you tingle, grabs a firm hold and stays right there through the rise and fall of several tracks. Though the riffs are simple, there isn't a single boring part and even the most minimal moments on this release are carefully crafted. The bass tone is absolutely perfect. You can't even understand how much bass gets neglected in this style until you hear the harmony in 'Procession Of Souls' when the mid paced part kicks in. It rounds out the melodies to give them the impact they need, carrying them to even further heights by grounding them with a warm tone. Without fail, that part gives me frisson and gets my head nodding every time, and there's several more moments like that throughout Revenant to enjoy.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10