Review by Felix on October 15, 2025.

Back in the oppressive years of real existing socialism, jokes circulated about a fictional radio station "Radio Eriwan" (or in English: Yerevan). From 1922 to 1991, this city was not the capital of an independent state, but part of the Soviet Union and the lack of many things in everyday life was mocked with questions to the radio station and its answers. The answers of Armjanskoje Radio (its Russian name) followed the same structure again and again. For example: Do you have bananas in the socialistic society? - In principle, yes. They are just not yellow. And they aren't crooked. They taste somewhat special. We call them potatoes.

So now let me ask: Does Armenia have a black metal scene? In principle, no. But there is a rising force called Ildaruni. It is already active since eight years and its debut was released in 2021. The digipak of "Beyond Unseen Gateways" is decorated with a stylish artwork and a fine booklet. This kind of visual integrity corresponds with the musical content. What we get is more or less melodic black metal, never toothless, but slowly starting and with the most vehement tracks almost hidden on the later positions. The clear and clean production also does not add any kind of filth – the Armenian guys like their music free from dirt, cobwebs or fog. That's okay, in objective terms there is nothing wrong with this kind of mix. Only with respect to the basic ideas of the black subgenre, I think they should have preferred a slightly less polished sound.

Without being distractingly progressive, the regular songs after the emotional intro do not follow the traditional verse-chorus-verse scheme. Everything is meticulously arranged, surprisingly adult and mature for a debut. Maybe this approach is at the expense of spontaneity from time to time, but it is never annoying. The use of whistles and bagpipes speaks for the intention of creating something extraordinary as well, but Ildaruni do not penetrate the listener with these only rarely integrated instruments.

Fortunately, it can be said that the band and its main composer Robert do not get lost in details. The respective song itself is always in the focus of their creative work and "Perpetual Vigil" marks the first hit. It rises from a dark Caucasian region, mirrors both tragedy and repression and scores with its profound musical depth. The following, pretty fast-paced "Boundless Numen: Gardens Of Ardini" gives lead vocalist Artak the possibility to strain his vocal cords and indeed, he is getting close to last exit called hoarseness. Anyway, he performs solid and variable over the entire distance of the album.

Ildaruni's pieces have a length of six to eight minutes and this alone may give you a feeling for the monumental, majestic and epic structures of their debut. Thankfully, they do not drown in their own larger-than-life emotions. There is always the necessary harshness which can be understood as a characteristic feature of the material. Whenever the bands reveals its affinity for high velocity, the guys create a dynamic aura. This is even true when they combine speedy rhythms with a melody of a whistle and sacral vocals like they do in a short sequence of "Towards Subterranean Realms". Okay, generally speaking, the musical level of excitement could be a bit higher. On the other hand, I have a lot of respect for a band that releases a debut without any filler and this is the case here. With ten percent more pressure of the guitars and a few more merciless outbursts of high speed ("Arakha" and the great closer "Whence Ravenstone Beckons" deliver some of the best), the album would have been even better, but we can't have it all. At least not already with the first full-length. The second album of the band will be released next month. I have heard that it will be a killer. But maybe I should ask Armjanskoje Radio first in order to be certain.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10