Review by SzejkElRopa on March 21, 2026.

Anyone who knows my taste in music knows I absolutely love the idea of combining black metal with themes of war or history. Bands such as Minenwerfer, Antrisch, or even in some part Imperium Dekadenz are prime examples of this. Another band that I have recently discovered that does exactly that is Swedish Lömsk, whose name (according to all-knowing Metal Archives) means "insidious" in Swedish. Their recent opus, "Act II - Of Iron And Blood," seeks to convey the tragedy of war through intense black metal.

While the Swedes don't take up the topic of any exact war or period of time, unlike the bands mentioned in the beginning, they certainly do their best to find a middle ground between the apparent, tragic glory of war and the black metal aggression. Fortunately, their efforts paid off. On the lighter side, several elements assure that the theme of this album is, indeed, war. For instance, opening drums to "Requiem Of Fire" sound as if taken from a war orchestra. Another example is that the title track ends with a speech by Warren G. Harding, one of the US presidents. As for the music itself, the most atmosphere is given by the subtle keyboards, which appear in tracks such as "Entropia" or "Stare Into The Void", as well as on the other tracks throughout the record, which gives a slight touch of war glory, and adds another layer to the album. There are also two instrumentals, which certainly enrich the album with the sounds of war, especially "The Silence Thereafter", which works as a good album closer. As I said before, some straightforward elements equalise the atmosphere. The full-length is mostly led by guitar riffs that are kept in a rather traditional, yet modern-sounding black metal style. One of the best examples is the whole song "Chimaera", which is full of great riffs. The beginning of the song is dynamic and vehement, which is followed by a very memorable and equally brutal chorus. On the other hand, the middle section slows the song and conveys the tragedy and nihilism extraordinarily well with its repetitiveness. Moreover, a certain amount of aggression can be found in the vocals, which are nothing less than quite standard black metal harsh vocals. Even though they are not extraordinary at all, the vocalist (and the bassist) gives a very convincing performance. This can be felt in songs such as "Furia", which is one of the more aggressive songs.

The album is certainly based on some amount of repetitiveness, which is obviously thanks to the riffs and choruses. The songs, fortunately, don't tend to become tedious due to that. Usually, they are quite balanced, maybe except for "Furia", which could last for a minute less. The riffs are predominantly played in tremolo style, resembling more modern bands such as Mgła or maybe Groza. As I said before, one of my favorite riffs were the ones on "Chimaera"; however, the whole album keeps a good level from start to end. Ranging from fast and vehement (usually in the choruses) to slower and more atmospheric in the middle sections, the riffs on the release are of at least good quality. Tremolo is also used in the opening of the longer songs, such as "Requiem Of Fire", building the tension with a headbanging riff. The vocals are convincing and brutal, although not special for the genre. Although there is little to no variation in the vocals, they at least don't become tedious in time, which is certainly a plus, taking this record's length into account. The drumming is one of the better parts of the album. The man behind the kit varies between blastbeats and carefully implemented drum fills. While The Captain isn't the best drummer I have encountered, the relatively small things, such as the mentioned before opening to "Requiem Of Fire", made me like the album more.

Lastly, one of the topics that is often discussed regarding Lömsk and this album is the similarity to Mgła. In my opinion, I can agree that this album is played in a similar style to Mgła's newer works, and the people behind Lömsk are very likely to have been inspired by the Polish band. However, as much as I love Mgła, I couldn't find any elements that could have been blatantly stolen or replayed stupidly. There were some similarities that I found in the lyrics, though. The chorus to "Furia" with the line "Per aspera ad astra" very much conjures up the ending song of Groza's latest album, which, as far as I remember, used the same Latin proverb. And lastly (take it with a grain of salt), after listening to the end of "Chimaera", I officially have heard "now I have become death, the destroyer of worlds" for the third time in my short life in the black metal scene. The first time I heard it was in Groza's "Nadir", and the second time I heard it was in Varnheim's "Void". Come up with more original additions, please! Jokes aside, this will not, obviously, affect the final score.

"Act II - Of Iron And Blood" was an enjoyable album that once again proves the fact that black metal and war are, indeed, a great mixture that can work together in a good way. The album wasn't the most original or groundbreaking that I have heard in my life; however, it was gripping enough to give this album a final score of 83%. Most of the songs are good, with a few well-crafted, emotive moments that make this album remarkable. Recommended for the fans of Mgła and, in general, modern black metal.

Rating: 8.3 out of 10