Review by Jeger on October 11, 2026.

In times of War, in the frigid chill of battle, it's the olde ugly Bastard Swords and the olde faithful Hammers that win the day - the battle-tested and proven - not the flashy ceremonial steel. And much to the same effect can be said about the creation of Black Metal, of its engineering principles and practices. True Black Metal is generally of a stripped-down nature in regard to this phase of its formulation. Naturally, projects like Finnish warmongering Crusaders, Satanic Warmaster and Warmoon Lord, embrace this approach wholeheartedly, so too do they allow for some indulgence in clarity/texture. It all depends on the record and what each volume calls for. Both of the aforementioned Artists have released records recently. SW with his latest, "Drachenkreuz" LP and Warmoon Lord's newly released "Deófol-Cræft" EP, both crafted under the seal of Genre purity.

"Deófol-Cræft" is not raw. It is haphazard and renegade. It is dangerous and untamed. Something like Thunderbolt's "The Sons of the Darkness" or Watain's "Rabid Death's Curse" - just dripping with hazard like a gas pump spewing just next to a broken live utility line. It's Warmoon Lord, so expect lightning riffs and tremendous galloping rhythms at oft breakneck speeds but sounding completely different than WL's previous LP, "Sacrosanct Demonopathy", in regard to depth in production. The opening track, "Oratio Ad Draconem Rubrum", sets a grande wicked tone like blackened fanfare to ring in a series of olde fashioned hangings or perhaps the soundtrack to an evil Draconian ritual set to rouse from the pit Daemons of both grotesque and majestic variations. Blast-beat-driven, scaling tremolo riffs at rapid speeds, unexpected shifts in tempo and compositionally formidable like the aforementioned Satanic Warmaster's previous "Aamongandr" LP or Azaghal's most recent two albums in how complexly interwoven all passages are, only freezing and dry is the atmosphere as opposed to warm and saturated.

A substantial recording in its 22 minutes of runtime. No bullshit live cuts or unearthed demo tracks from teenage years, only all new material fit for connoisseurship, for rabid consumption or timely osmosis. The choice is yours… "Bloodsword" is recommended for anyone who may be uncertain as to Lord Vrǎjitor's talents, for anyone who appreciates just over two minutes worth of Assassin-like execution of Black Metal. Those time-shifts again, the melodic flow of the riffs, the aggression of the energy - all so vital, so deadly.

"Deófol-Cræft" is not an EP that will get lost in the discography among a hundred other recordings. It is a record to be remembered by. Not just because it's a little rougher than the others, but because it's the kind of album that commands the respect of any Man who values and understands Black Metal. The pieces all fit yet this duo continues to slip under the radar for many and so they stand as one of BM's most underrated projects. May we bask in the red hot spirit of war! Soak in every battle-intended album cut and execute our enemies with extreme prejudice. Suomi BM excellence every time…

Rating: 9 out of 10