Onheil - In Black Ashes

Angry Metal Guy 70

After almost a decade of utter fear that Onheil was no longer with us, “black metal’s Iron Maiden” are back with In Black Ashes. When Dok Grier was a mere infant in the AMG ranks (and not yet a household name that all praise), he stumbled upon Storm Is Coming and has been erect ever since. Even after all these years, he still gets on an Onheil kick and puts Razor and Storm Is Coming on repeat—to the neighbor’s dissatisfaction. With Amok still leading the charge on guitars and vocals, he’s surrounded himself with a new crew. Thankfully, the essence hasn’t changed, as the band utilizes three guitarists and an endless supply of riffs. And with nearly ten years of silence, you can bet your ass this Dutch quintet is out to surprise.

Onheil has shed many Amon Amarthy moments they displayed on Storm Is Coming but (thankfully) none of the attitude. Instead of using the catchiness of previous songs, “Self-Destruction Mode” and “The Omega Legions,” this new outing reaches far deeper than anything the band has done before. From thrash to black influences and everything in between, I’ve never heard a band incorporate so many styles into an album and pull it off. One moment, you are riding a wave of meloblack atmospheres. And, the next, sorrowful heavy metal guitar solos swirl and wrap around each other like snakes fucking. The band has also started exploring melodeath flavorings, challenging the intricacies and technicality of the mighty Mors Principium Est. If none of this excites you, you’re a vegetable and should be shot.

In Black Ashes by Onheil

First up is the vicious “Night Terror.” You can immediately sense the band’s efforts to be as tight as possible as they charge into a tasty, blistering-fast black/thrash lick. Unlike the rest of the album, this song focuses on delivering a crushing start that makes your head spin from all the guitar layers in its mere four-plus-minute runtime. Up next is perhaps the best song on the album. “In Black Ashes” is a rollercoaster that builds and falls constantly, only to come back stronger than before. After its melodic introduction, it settles into a Mors Prinicipium Est drive that combines melodeath elements with thrash tones. It’s a badass riff—sharp and perfectly performed. But that’s only one facet of the track, for there are atmospheric black metal builds, impressive guitar dueling, and a climactic finish that will cause spasms in your neck.

From here, we settle into a slew of melodic pieces that develop one mood here and another one there. “Like Shadows in the Night” shows off the tightness of the performances with its clever, jarring stop-start motions to begin a Wintersun-esque atmosphere of black metal and guitar leads. The guitar work throughout the song is indescribable, as each guitar plays a unique role in the layers created. Also, the passionate chorus is the best on the record. Then there’s “Void,” with its Mistur-like atmospheric tendencies and a combination of heart-breaking shrieks and heavy metal licks. But the awe-inspiring work comes in the back half. Similar to “Like Shadows in the Night,” the intertwining guitar leads and solos weave themselves into a canopy. At the end of this number, the repetitive chorus adds layer and layer until it concludes.

While the performances are incredible, the back-to-back melodic pieces tend to blur—no thanks to “Beneath a Steel Sky.” While it’s still a solid track, it just doesn’t have the oomph of the others and disappears among the rest. The robot vocals I bitched so much about on the last record return once more. But maybe I’m used to them, even if they are sometimes a bit cheesy. That said, this new album is an impressive (and sometimes dizzying) display of skill. For better or worse, every song is filled to the fucking brim—kitchen sink and all. While the master is decent, this kind of album screams for more dynamics. There is so much to explore on this album; having more dynamics would make it easier to hear everything. While I like their previous album a little better, for those looking for an album that reveals new secrets with each listen, this is for you.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Black Lion Records
Websites: onheilblacklion.bandcamp.com | onheil.com | facebook.com/onheilmusic
Releases Worldwide: June 23rd, 2023

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