Review by Felix on May 10, 2019.

One thing was for sure since 1999, the successor of Hell Eternal would have to flex its muscles or it would stand in the shadow of the aforementioned output eternally. Well, the artwork of Endtime Divine is rather inspired by "Hell Awaits" than by Hell Eternal, but the music itself lies in close proximity to that of its predecessor. Setherial still offer their unrelenting attacks with absolute belief and total authenticity and the result are murderous, venomous and totally black pieces of metal. Density meets brutality, but at the same time melodic elements coalesce with sadistic fury. In other words, Setherial embody many components of this typical Swedish style that is characterized by its perfect mix of 90% violence and 10% melodies. "Subterranean", one of the highlights, is, among other things, based on such an actually brutal riff which simultaneously creates, almost by chance, a devastating melody. Furthermore, it lends the chorus a certain catchiness. This number would do credit to bands like Dark Funeral or Naglfar as well, in terms of style and in terms of quality.

Setherial are not innovative, but they also do not swim with the trend. Their conviction shimmers through every composition of this uncompromising album. All more or less melodic parts cannot cloud the fact that this is still a radical kind of music due to its breakneck guitar lines, the powerful drumming and the throaty, totally non-melodic voice. The lead singer conveys the customary quantum of hatred and misanthropy. He does not sit in the driver's seat, he rather appears as a companion of the guitarists. However, this is no problem at all, because the dudes at the six strings know how to navigate through the barren landscapes of Setherial's black realm. They ensure the necessary number of breaks and different lines with the effect that the album never gets boring for genre freaks. Instead, maturely designed songs like "The Underworld" illustrate the entire glory of (Swedish) black metal.

I cannot deny that Setherial fail to deliver unique features. However, the compositions are not predictable, and no other band has the copyright on this kind of metal. The crucial thing is that the song-writing can be described as coherent, mighty and rigorous. Fortunately, the songs also profit from the profound production which underlines the dark atmosphere of the material. In view of this mood, it comes as no surprise that the aptly titled "The Night of All Nights" belongs to the best tracks, while a few numbers of decent pieces rather pass by without leaving a long-lasting impression. Given this fact, Endtime Divine is a little bit weaker than the formidable Hell Eternal, but it is still a strong work that avoids any external, non-black inspirations. Therefore, I can recommend the album to each and every black metal soldier who thinks that the periods between two Dark Funeral albums are too long.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Review by Chris Pratl on February 14, 2020.

Seriously and sadly overlooked most of the time, Italy produces some serious metal music from all genres and sub-genres alike. From the doomy / traditional efforts of Death SS, into the Venom-esque speed and degradation of Bulldozer, Schizo or Necrodeath, straight into the power metal elite of Luca Turilli, Italy has its wondrously colored flag deep in the roots of this musical medium. Adding to that coveted mix is the relatively “new” Exctinction, providing its own brand of death-thrash for the not-so-easily-enlightened among us. The band has been around since the mid-90's, producing a lone demo some 24-years ago, but with two albums under the studded belt in the last three years, I'd say the gears got kicked in rather nicely.

In what has to be one of the better intros to an album that I've heard in some years, Extinction cascades rather seamlessly into the large air of the room. The band's brand of heavy metal work manages to create a thick aura of tempestuousness around the music, something all too often reduced to shambles by the chorus riff of haphazard bridge. Such is not the case with the group's second offering, The Apocalypse Mark. The intro sets the tone for the first musical track on the album, titled “Subcutaneous Parasite” and “The Apocalypse Mark” respectively. While I certainly hear some death metal elements within the tracks, the overall style is one of heavier thrash in a slower, more melodic vein, but it's really an interesting recording overall. The thickness of the tone throughout is one that seems to gently suffocate rather than subjugate, which is always a good element to build upon with music of this particular mesh.

Guitar-driven and unusually stylistic by design, Extinction takes an otherwise stagnant area of metal music and caves in the cranium with its vicious, stultifying blanket of sound. Rather than relying on speed for its own sake or over-produced material disguised by bland hypnosis, The Apocalypse Mark delves deep into the murk of the saturated gene pool and offers not only interesting riffs but wonderfully vital time-changes in just the right areas of songs. This is where the more experienced thrash elements come effortlessly the surface. “No Crimes in Paradise” and “El diablo del norte” are prime candidates for the best songs on the album for me due to the total shameless reliance on style and memorable riffs over blind, pointless speed.

I also really enjoy the vocals; while nothing special or new, the throaty tone is clear and concise, with just a hint of wonderment as to which classification need be attached to this band (because we all know metal bands so need to be lumped into a sub-genre so minions can sleep well at night). That little rant aside, I do notice a certain element of guarded restraint in the vocal delivery; that is, the voice seems to flow nice and evenly over the music without benefit of added force or studio trickery, an all-too lost effort these days. Suffice it to say, the band fires on all open plugs throughout the album, and it's one I plan to visit again more than a few times in the next few days.

I can recommend Extinction to anyone out there not expecting a reboot or revamp of anything, but that can appreciate and embrace the rare band that comes along and creates a collective that impresses the weary traveler among us. Hit the band up on whatever social media platforms they provide and listen to some pretty fun tunes – always support the artists!

Rating: 9 out of 10