Since 2017, when Azelisassath crawled from the deepest recesses of hell with their demo Likpredikan, the band has steadily poisoned the ether. Three full-length albums later, last November saw the release of Ablazen Winds. The obvious question arises immediately: does this record surpass their now more than ten-year-old Total Desecration of Existence? More on that shortly.
Azelisassath is anything but a casual side project. The band consists of musicians with long-standing credentials within the Black Metal underground. Guitarist Azelisassath is also active in Bekëth Nexëhmü and Muvitium, drummer L.C. serves as the vocal tormentor in Häxanu, and vocalist Collier d’Ombre may be known to some from Garmsblod. These are seasoned individuals, deeply embedded in the scene, and their collective experience is clearly audible.
It took over a decade for Ablazen Winds to finally surface, with only a four-track EP in 2018 bridging the gap. Still, this album does not feel like a restart or reinvention. Azelisassath simply continues where they left off. Stylistically, the band remains firmly rooted in 1990s-inspired Scandinavian Black Metal, with Immortal and Darkthrone standing out as the primary reference points. At times, hints of Armagedda slip through the cracks, but never in a way that feels forced or derivative.
Is anything new happening here? No. And that is precisely the point.
What we get is exactly what is promised: a solid slab of Swedish-flavoured Black Metal with unmistakable Norwegian influences. No atmospheric indulgence, no convoluted song structures, no self-indulgent experimentation. And frankly, that was never the original intent of the second wave to begin with. Black Metal was not conceived as emotional introspection, environmental activism, or personal healing. While the genre has evolved over the past 35 years—and rightly so at times—that does not mean its core essence should be abandoned.
Black Metal is filthy, raw, hostile, and unapologetic. It is not meant for fragile sensibilities, even if some insist on listening to it anyway, only to complain afterwards on Reddit about feeling “unsafe.” This is music that grabs you by the throat and slams you into a concrete wall. I still hear it regularly from other metal fans: bad production, simplistic playing, hard to follow. And yet, that is exactly what drew me in 35 years ago—and what keeps me here to this day.
Back to Ablazen Winds. Does it break new ground? Absolutely not. Have we heard this before? Without question. But that does not diminish the album’s impact. This is a powerful release that delivers precisely what devotees of 1990s-era Black Metal are looking for. Sometimes, there is no need to reinvent the wheel.
Ablazen Winds is not a revolution, but it is a firm statement. Azelisassath remains loyal to the old laws of the genre, delivering their vision with conviction, experience, and unwavering fire.
80/100