Review by Felix on June 5, 2026.

Since the end of February, the damned war between Russia and Ukraine is in its fifth (!) year. Therefore it is probably inappropriate to compare the here reviewed debut of a band from Kharkiv precisely with a Russian formation. I apologize. But in view of the controlled, mid-paced opener, the first name that comes to my mind when listening to "Kaoskarma" is Meister Leonhardt. Just like these guys, the line-up of this new Ukrainian project has written songs that commute between a stoic approach and more impulsive eruptions, both wrapped in a dark aura. Hopefully there will (as fast as possible) life after the war and maybe even black metal can bring a few people together.

However, I don't want to drift into a dimension much too big for me. Back to the basics, the promo says that The Circle Of The Elect is no project which is run by rookies. Indeed, the material reflects a proper degree of maturity. For example, the band uses the keyboards cleverly in "III". Yes, you have read that correctly: the name-giving of the songs is inspired by Mgła, to say it as polite as possible. It is a missed chance that the guys did not spend their pieces expressive titles. Thank God, sometimes the music speaks for itself. The sinister, mid-paced "IV" holds some dramatic moments. The Circle Of The Elect create an eerie, menacing atmosphere and the guitars weave a very dense web.

Is it more or less logical that the material also makes me think of Drudkh from time to time? Is the whole thing a side project of this Ukrainian legend that originates from Kharkiv as well? Who knows. What I can say is that the sound of the so-called full-length with an unfortunately ridiculous playtime of less than 27 minutes scores with density, depth and a good mix of clarity and opacity. Moreover, the handful of songs does not suffer from significant differences in quality. All of them surpass a solid level with great ease. "II" is just one of five good songs, but I like it due to its mix of strictly hammering high speed parts and a short Burzum reference due to a few surreal keyboards tones in its second half. Another discreet reminiscence is paid to Celtic Frost. We hear an "Ugh" from time to time.

All in all, this biggest (and almost only) mistake of "Kaoskarma" is the absence of a sixth and seventh song. But the raw vocals, the well-thought-out arrangements and the homogeneity of the material both in terms of style and quality make up for this. Thus, this album marks a promising start. I am happy that the war does not kill the creativity of the unbending Ukrainian musicians and the fact that the album has been produced in their homeland is a little patriotic statement. Too bad that criminals like Putin love aggression more than good music. If things were different, he would take pleasure in records like "Kaoskarma", rather than going through with his never-ending mega-event.

Rating: 8 out of 10