Review by Alex on November 12, 2019.

Listening to Havohej is like stepping into a cavern somewhere lost to time. With each step taken, the weight of a foreboding sensation builds heavier as your instincts begin to scream at you implying something really messed up went down and still lingers. Take Beherit, apply the hand of gravity to slow the monster, strip away its bestial garments till nothing but a desecrated shell is left to startle the eyes of the beholder and you have Havohej. What a return following Purple Cloak and successor to 2009’s the Kembatinan Premaster composed by legendary drummer/vocalist of Profanatica Paul Ledney. His more cautious hand at indecency is at work on Table of Uncreation as he dissects essences of the enemy’s existence and extract their components with success. So many bands try to pull you in with tag lines of ‘haunting atmospheres’ and 'brute force', etc, however, not many of them truly live up to those standards. Any familiarity with Paul Ledney's works as a musician automatically implies quality, thus you should believe the hype. All light is shunned with this record, nothing escapes the claws of darkness and doom, Havohej continues to walk the downward path guided by the mighty flame of black/death/doom, the unholy trinity of metal.

Nothing fancy about Table of Uncreation, just cold and maleficent through its desolate echoes and almost lifeless drum snare; plus you'll have to dig to find the guitars here if any even exist, hence, the record could be categorized as something not for the average metalhead, I'm afraid this goes far beyond the borders of what most are accustomed to and would even turn some away; good. ‘God of All Constellation’, 'The Black King' 'Impossible Force' and 'Table of Uncreation' evince some of the bleakest and most unfriendly atmospheres you could imagine, truly playing to the darker sights of metal with a tormenting tone. It’s with this kind of recording you're able to identify from where bands like Grave Upheaval and Encoffination were nurtured.

Havohej is able to find success here because there lies the understanding that a hostile hue can still drip from the paintbrush without the aid of fast pummeling drums, riffs and vocals; instead a milieu as ominous or in some instances, darker, could be formed through the use of direct opposites. Drone is utilized as a template to build the architectural image; hence it becomes noticeable that all other aspects assort themselves orderly enough to act in coherence with the foundation set. There's no rush for most of the album's duration apart from the up-tempo ‘Holy Blood Holy Grail’ and ‘Seven Jinn’ pushing the speed for short intervals before returning to the hypnotic-like drift in lo-fi droning still tied to Profanatica, the gasping whispers provide good measure to the droning and keyboard driven atmosphere to complete the music heard on Table of Uncreation. It’s great Paul Ledney can take the same tools to a different war and still execute marksman-esque level shots. Therefore, I say if you're familiar with any of Profanatica’s material specifically as of late "Rotting Incarnation of God" or "Altar of the Virgin Whore" you will notice Table of Uncreation is a raw and slower echo of the visions channeled through those ceremonies.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10