Review by Felix on December 16, 2020.

A long time ago, I began to listen to hard rock and metal (Kiss, "Talk to Me", slightly embarrassing, and AC/DC "Back in Black", much better) at the beginning of the eighties. Afterwards, I saw the first wave of thrash metal come and go. Then I witnessed the Norwegians and further dark creatures who filled the gap that the Bay Area left with the second wave of black metal. And now I just meander around, never knowing what comes next. Yet two things are for sure. Firstly, I have become very old and wrinkled. Secondly, sometimes it's a great pleasure to rediscover an almost forgotten album of times gone by.

So let's put the focus on Thy Primordial's full-length from 2000. These guys were not lazy, it was their fourth release during four years and perhaps this explains why the group acted like a well-oiled battle tank. The Heresy of an Age of Reason sounds fiery, deadly, a little bit rumbling but still all-terrain. Only ignorant fools do not realize in a matter of minutes that the protagonists originate from Sweden, because the black vehemence is combined with these typical Dissection melodies and vibes that one also finds in the fascinating art of Necrophobic, Setherial or (partly) Dark Funeral. There seems to be a unique chromosome in the DNA of Swedish black metal musicians. No matter how intense, brutal and negative it gets, a pinch of dark, capturing melodies is always included. Thy Primordial takes this specific feature to heart. This means that their relatively complex songs are - compared with those of their compatriots - not overly original, but they score with this devilish elegance I like.

Some special sections shine through the everlasting wall of sound. 'Ex Opere Operatu' offers an introduction that reflects desperate sadness, 'Disguised as Beings of Light' holds large-size, majestic lines and 'Tyrannize' delivers the best riff of the album, catchy and aggressive at the same time. All these elements are welcome, but, even better, the album works as a whole. Although the band has nothing in common with Mercyful Fate, the more or less occult artwork visualizes the music very well. Pure black metal spreads like incandescent lava, an unstoppable, natural force. Maybe the band should have shortened one or two tunes. Moreover, a few number of tracks is not easily accessible, but this is no big deal. The main thing is that integrity and homogeneity go hand in hand here and the result is a mostly furious black metal album which features, inter alia, the typical guttural vocals. The performance of the lead singer deserves the same description as the entire group and album: not pioneering, but passionate and simply good.

Swedish metal albums hardly suffer from a weak production and The Heresy of an Age of Reason joins the long row of powerful and brawny works. Even the very fast parts of the album do not sound blurred or unclean, but the recordings also do not show any signs of sterility. It's a pity that this band closed its rehearsal room forever after six records, because the dudes did not make many mistakes. Maybe the surplus supply of comparable formations sealed the fate of the here presented horde. Anyway, if you are interested in dexterously performed Swedish blackness, you will probably share my preference for Thy Primordial.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by Alex on December 28, 2018.

Cavernous, obliterating, ravishing and relentless are some of the words that came to mind upon hearing this monstrous call from Lykhaeon on the first instance. This unfriendly bunch hails from Switzerland, and they play a very abrasive and multi-headed, frenzied, riff-driven form of black/death metal that has a suffocating funeral death/doom touch. Upon hearing Ominous Eradication of Anguished Souls I immediately wanted to own every musical effort by Lykhaeon. Paying much attention to detail Lykhaeon approaches each element of the music with uncompromising fidelity, thus giving each section its own identity and moment of sparkle.

The overall atmosphere is chaotic but can be followed easily due to how well the band manages to move from one form of black metal to the next. Lykhaeon uses a form of effective groove laden patterns that gradually pick up in pace and/or progressively slows when transitioning between and amongst different models of the genre. There is so much happening on Ominous Eradication of Anguished Souls that it's difficult to keep up sometimes. For example, on the opening track 'Chthonios I', Lykhaeon goes from cavernous sounding death/black metal to funeral black/doom to a short splash of crazed drumming that then crosses over into 2nd wave black metal drumming and riffing mixed with all sorts of screams and a flurry of howling echoes for vocals; almost similar to the kind of you would hear on a Grave Upheaval record. Not to be mistaken, Lykhaeon has their own sound that rides on lo-fi black metal tremolo-picking and landscapes that are both tampered with ever so often by the intervention of unorthodox and sudden changes in technique and speed.

For a record that is so violent and aggressive, the last thing that one may expect is trance, however; Lykhaeon confidently builds an atmosphere that immerses the listener. This is most potent at the 5 minute mark of 'Chthonics II', where the band blends epic doom metal instrumentation with barbaric yet slightly melancholic notes. The way this influence was introduced, so unexpectedly at first listen, did not afflict the band's sound nor primary theme. The compositions are very thoughtful and implemented in such a way that the band made certain of not interrupting the enjoyment begotten. The 26 minutes go by fast, you don't even realize it until the record ends; that serves as a testament to the concentration Lykhaeon put into creating this fine piece.

I had listened to Lykhaeon's 2015 full length debut Tanz Der Entleibten, initially I thought of it as being above average by most measures but Ominous Eradication of Anguished Souls is so far ahead of their 2015 debut, it can't be categorized with Tanz Der Entleibten. The new sound the band has developed has made them vastly more intense than previous. I hope this is the template Lykhaeon keeps and expands on for future offerings to come given its successful implementation.

Rating: 8.6 out of 10