Review by Dominik on August 24, 2026.

Provocation, not the physical kind, thankfully, tends to foster debate. So let me provoke you by introducing a few of my own "unwritten laws" of black metal and see how well they survive contact with "MetaForm", the third album from the Bulgarian black metal horde Dimholt.

Let's start with a few basics. One: the more impressive the visual aesthetics, the more impressive the musical content is likely to be, especially when a band has the courage to open with the title track. Two: a band photo containing more trees than band members automatically increases credibility by 37%. Three, the holy number: if an album title contains "darkness", "abyss", "eternity", "void", "death" or "Satan", then originality is presumed innocent until proven guilty. And, of course, the grand ultimate law to end all laws: a black metal album may be atmospheric, aggressive, melodic, dissonant, symphonic or just plain primitive. But it must never sound as if it is trying too hard to be liked.

So let me guide you through what "MetaForm" has to say about my infallible legislation. The first thing that struck me was, indeed, the visual presentation. The cover is a genuine eye-catcher. There may well be a little AI wizardry hiding somewhere in there. However, regardless of who or what did the heavy lifting, it creates exactly the kind of atmosphere one expects from a black metal release. My CD version comes in an A5 digipak, too, which leaves little doubt that considerable effort went into the overall presentation. A first listen reveals that the same meticulous approach has been applied to the music. The 51 minutes pass without a note, scream, break or melody feeling like an accidental passenger. Everything appears carefully placed and executed. Now, I have expressed some reservations about this approach in previous reviews, particularly when discussing the last album by French veterans Seth. There is a certain risk in leaving absolutely nothing to chance. Too much planning can kill spontaneity, and at times some of the unruly, raw and chaotic emotion that makes black metal so entertaining in the first place. Which raises the inevitable question, at what point does black metal stop being black metal and become just a fastidiously arranged succession of notes and riffs? Before I call the undertaker to bury the album, however, let's examine the evidence to arrive at a final verdict.

There are, roughly speaking, three kinds of songs on "MetaForm". There is "stunning", there is "it sucks a bit", and then there is the much more common sweet spot in between, where gripping sections alternate with passages that make you think, "Well... this could have been slightly less meh.". The title track and opener belongs to the latter category. It is good, and fortunately not the best song on the album. Dimholt wisely refrain from firing all their ammunition during the opening salvo. Like some of the other middle-ground tracks, it takes a little too long to properly take off. Once it does, powerfully produced up-tempo, driven by melodic guitar lines, dominates the song. The frontman contributes with a similarly controlled and measured performance. Importantly, he doesn't try to be the dominant part of the track. He knows when to let the music breathe, which I appreciate. Some intermittent choral passages add a touch of mystique and serve the atmosphere rather nicely. A decent opening, then. But Dimholt can do a lot better.

"Totem" is one of two outstanding examples of perfectly executed modern black metal. After the first minute of tension-building, the song rewards the listener with controlled velocity and aggression revolving around two or three recurring riffs. The band understands exactly, for how long a theme can be repeated before it crosses the thin line separating hypnotic repetition from "perhaps we should move on now". And then comes "Tomb Of Molten Stars", which wastes absolutely no time flattening you with the angriest performance on "MetaForm". It works so well precisely because Dimholt sound more spontaneous here. The song is still carefully constructed and executed, but the objective seems to have been different. No overthinking. No unnecessary frills. Just the unbridled energy that black metal is supposed to deliver when it remembers that it is, in fact, allowed to behave badly. Stunning. And rather cleverly placed, because this brings us to the closer.

"Tapestry Of Shapeless Eternity" follows this highlight and couldn't be more different. It starts reasonably well, and initially suggests that it might be heading somewhere rather interesting. Unfortunately, that initial energy dissipates quickly. At more than ten minutes, the song fails to meet the basic requirements of the ten-minute-song law: there should either be a genuinely compelling journey or, failing that, at least enough atmospheric noodling to convince the listener that all of this was absolutely necessary for "immersion". I admit that here I'm not convinced. The atmospheric passages toward the end don't quite justify the journey that preceded them. The song isn't disastrous, but it is the most obvious example of where Dimholt's meticulous approach works against them. Still, all in all, I believe my first law survives reasonably intact.

Law number two, unfortunately, cannot be tested. Dimholt have apparently refused to provide the required photographic evidence of themselves standing in a forest. So the verdict remains open. As for law number three, things become interesting. The album title doesn't contain any of my suspicious trigger words. No darkness. No abyss. No Satan. Not even a conveniently placed death. However, the band claims that the lyrics deal with metaphysics, the cosmos and the void. Yes, the void! I am therefore partially forced to withdraw my objection. Originality remains an officially recognized part of the Dimholt universe.

Which brings me to the final and most important law. Black metal isn't necessarily about sounding evil. I think that it is more about making the listener believe that whatever the hell is happening was absolutely meant to happen. And in that respect, Dimholt succeed. "MetaForm" is perfectly planned, carefully constructed and impressively executed. Yes, that approach occasionally removes some of the unpredictability and raw spontaneity I would like to hear more of. So where does that leave us? Somewhere between "I like it" and "I like it because it was composed to be liked". Which, upon reflection, may be the most dangerous territory of all. Still, law proven. Case closed.

Rating: 8 out of 10, because "MetaForm" shows that even black metal can sometimes be too well behaved. On the other hand, Dimholt occasionally remind us that a little chaos is good for the soul.