Pseudogod

A debut full-length of Satanic, blackened death metal from Russia? Why, yes, we'll give that a listen. First thing that happens is a totally intense, full, clean yet raw production sound delivering these completely blasting tunes through whatever sound system the avid black metal fan who has sought this out is playing it on. Seriously, this sounds great. The band play a form of blackened death, or death-informed black, that recalls straight-up blasters like Marduk or Emperor at their most intense and primitive. And while the music may be a fully one-dimensional, full-throttle race to the finish line, if super-intense, death-tinged, no-frills black with no nuance or subtlety is your bag, Pseudogod will do the trick just fine. In fact, they've proved on this debut that they're already up there with the major players of black metal.