Review by Raphaël on October 24, 2025.

It's been three years since the world has been blessed by the creative genius of Jon S. Krieger aka Sgah'gahsowáh (a Mohawk name meaning "the witch hawk") and his project Blackbraid. Three years, three albums, that have propelled Jon to the top of the American and worldwide metal scene. I've been a massive day one fan and I'm so happy to see his well-deserved success. His third album is everything I wished his first and second album was. Blackbraid I was a nice introduction to his sonic world but was too short, Blackbraid II was much longer, perhaps a bit too long, and saw him experiment a bit with different styles, to varying degrees of success and now, I feel like he almost reached perfection with Blackbraid III. The fact that all this evolution happened in just three years is mind-blowing!

The album begins with a short instrumental, setting the mood with a soft acoustic guitar picking, over the sound of a fire, that ends with distortion kicking in leading to the next song. A fast blastbeat, a sadness filled riff, and his savage scream combine and send chills down my spine. The track follows a familiar structure, cleverly combining lyrics and music, to create a whole experience. While striking the toms rhythmically, he screams with passion: "The imminence of fate on the horizon, The drums of war on the wind". The track ends with a fast solo and a long, epic scream, summoning the eagles to rise and carry us to the silence of death.

"The Dying Breath of a Sacred Stag" softly enters with a sad, acoustic guitar melody, that transforms with distortion and drums slowly kicking in, getting progressively faster and then, from the sacred forest of the ancestors, comes a powerful scream accompanied by a short tapping riff that cracks up the energy to 11. The song being kind of long, 7 min 45 sec, it is constructed in such a way that there are enough repetitions, making the melody get planted in your head and has a good meditative quality, it's surprisingly relaxing. It ends on a fade out, just as it began, with that sad melody on acoustic guitar. Speaking of sadness, I would say it is the main theme of this album, the melodies, the lyrics, it combines to leave us reflecting on our own mortality.

"The Earth is Weeping" is an interlude beginning with the simple sound of rain, gradually building up with a simple acoustic guitar picking and the magical sound of loons, (my absolute favourite bird chant). It instantly brings images of a tranquil lake in the twilight.

I think "God of Black Blood" might be my favorite song, although it can change depending on the day. Every song has its own life and mood, but the simple blackened, stomping rhythm, combined with his powerful voice always pumps me up! And in the middle of this brutality, the soft and soothing sound of a traditional flute appears, as if sent from the heavens to heal our hearts. But it only makes a quick appearance, and the cold brutality comes back. Towards the end, he drops an incredible shredding solo, just because he can!

To continue the structure of one song, one interlude, "Traversing the Forest of Eternal Dusk" is an interesting one. It opens with the sounds of crickets quickly joined by a beautiful acoustic guitar picking making you feel you are listening to it on a warm summer night and then, that mystical traditional flute enters and adds such beauty. After the flute, you hear that wailing electric guitar coming in, culminating in a fire solo.

"Tears of the Dawn" is a classic Blackbraid, long atmospheric black song with dynamic songwriting, that makes its 9 min and 18 sec passe in what feels like an instant. Again, interwoven music and lyrics in such a seamless way, as he screams the words: "Dolor, Sorrow, Contrition, Spurred by the wind" the melody, with a simple tremolo picking, pierces your soul with sadness. And towards the end, to add to the weight of sadness, everything slows down for an almost doom section, where he alternates low growls and piercing screams.

After a beautiful interlude of acoustic guitar over the sound of birds and a stream, what acts as the final song in the story of the protagonist death's, "And He Became the Burning Stars…" an almost 10 min epic, that feel pretty sad in the beginning, but evolves in an almost hopeful melody towards the end, always accompanied by lyrics that paints beautiful images: "Relinquish my bones to the silence of sorrows, Burning beneath celestial pine, A whisper of flesh in a womb of stars, My spirit unbound in the effulgence of the light of the moon". It shows that even in death, beauty can be found, it's the never-ending cycle, where death is forever intertwined with life.

Unfortunately for me, the album doesn't end there, a Lord Belial cover closes this incredible album, and I must say, it's the first and last criticism I have for this majestic piece of art so, all in all, a nearly perfect album! And again, the fact he reached near perfection with three albums, in three years, is a testament of the artist Jon is. Plus, the beautiful Adam Burke cover, with border art by Adrian Baxter makes for, hands down, the best album cover of the year! And with Neil Schneider handling the recording, mixing and mastering, everything sounds balanced, polished but organic.

Blackbraid's ascension to the top of the black and general metal scene is an inspiring sight, the resilience, after surviving some of the worst crimes humanity has committed, being still here, with a burning desire to live and I feel so lucky to be able to witness it. Speaking of crimes against humanity, I'll end with an obligatory Free Palestine and never lose hope!

Rating: 9.9 out of 10