Review by Jeger on March 6, 2026.

Thunderbolt, "De Mysteriis" era Mayhem and the earliest days of Behemoth have one thing in common and that is danger. Violence! Depravity and even murder. I was having a discussion with someone who is a reliable source, and he told me that Uldor from Thunderbolt actually disemboweled a Priest before torching his Church. Brutal… The most heinous of crimes overshadowed by Mayhem and their scourge over Norway. Talk about dedication…

Now, Wuldorgast and Sicarius: two USBM outfits who exude the same levels of danger and violence without having to kill people or burn Churches to the ground. It's in their sound and it's in their deep understanding of true Black Metal; the reality that true Black Metal is dangerous and so are its people. The latter of these bands formed in 2014, they have since released two LPs and have shared the stage with the likes of 1349, Vader and Marduk. Their latest crime, "Nex", is scheduled to be released on April 10 via Sicarius' new label, Adirondack Black Mass.

Any album that kicks off with a gunshot is usually the album for me… "Cold Death" - about the most aggressively violent opening track you could ask for. Total controlled chaos, sonic fucking warfare unleashed and setting a most destructive tone for the follower, "Open Obsidian Gateways". An equally violent endeavor. Soundtrack to your revenge, a sonic weapon to destroy anything and everyone in your path. Dying Fetus-level murder-sprees, calculated mass-killings and a little torture to get you chubbed for the kill.

How violent do you like it? Because this is some nasty fucking Black Metal… The essence of BM's maligned nature captured so profoundly. "Fuel injected suicide machine"? Keep going, I'm listening… "Crashing Into the Abyss" - just soaking in those Watain - "Rabid Deaths Curse" tones and making yourself comfortable amidst the chaos. A sojourn amidst the carnage and that feeling of pre-kill adrenaline building as you witness such beautiful mayhem.

"Daggers Down" displays a more melodic side to Sicarius, but not by much. Subtle melodies to merely accent an otherwise equally-as-destructive album cut. Influences range from some grimy Black & Roll to some full-range brutality a la Tsjuder or Urgehal. True fucking Black Metal to the bone. Bring back the fear! Make Black Metal dangerous again. All hail bands like Sicarius whose interests are in line with what is best for the genre. Dark Funeral and Dimmu Borgir ain't it. Those bands are okay as far as entry level connoisseurship is concerned, but for the seasoned vet, it's Sicarius all day. Satanic Warmaster! Kanvass! Ad Homimem! Fucking Sicarius! Taking back the genre with lethal force and with the worst of intentions. BM the way it is meant to be. Hail!

Rating: 9 out of 10