Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Averse Sefira Advent Parallax Company: Candlelight Records Release: 2008 Reviewer: Grim Gaijin Genre: Black

Rating 3.5

One of the rising stars of the US Black Metal scene

The Black Metal genre has presented us metal fans quite an interesting history. From the arguable roots of Bathory, Venom and Celtic Frost, to the rise and seamless fall of the Norwegian Black Metal Underground. Sure some of the veteran acts such as Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, and Gehenna are still churning out blasphemous music, but the impact of these bands on the current metal scene are dismal compared to their hate-filled beginnings of the early 90's. Another milestone is the current surge of American Black Metal bands. Acts such as Xasthur, Leviathan, Wolves In The Thone Room are opening the doors to a growing class in this controversial metal genre. However, if there is one band that has lived through all the ups-and-downs of Black metal, it is Texas-based Averse Sefira. With a career already spanning 12 plus years, Averse Sefira is once again stirring up commotion with their fourth release (first with Candlelight) of mayhem inspired metal.

Wasting no time with filler intros, Descension blazes through like a summer tornado in Kansas with intense blast beats and speedy discordant riffs. While the vocal upheaval is similar to Angel Corpses' Pete Helmkamp, the presents an Immortal influenced sonic charge. The second song, Seance In A Warrior's Memory, presents more of a modern Darkthrone influence with its pseudo-punk like riffs and ultra fast tempo. With tempo change-ups that would make Blut Aus Nord proud, Averse Sefira keeps it interesting during this 8 minute opus. The best song on the CD, Viral Kinesis, follows in hot pursuit with more blazing riffs and constant tempo changes. Next comes Cognition of Rebirth. Although it starts off slightly slower than the previous songs, it is no less brutal as a good mix of both black metal and death metal style riffs complete this all-out metal assault. The fifth song, Serpent Recoil, presents a more melodic side of Averse Sefira - as more present on their Battle's Clarion (2001) album. A Shower Of Idols starts with an aggressive, more accessible riff, but soon molds into your typical black metal power riff - duplicated by many bands on the scene. The 9 minute long Refractions Of An Unexploded Singularity begins with a slower riff then suddenly blasts through like a Panzer Division Marduk-era style riff with blistering precision. The album closer is Vomitorium Angelis - a departure of sorts, when compared to the rest of the album. After a short intro, a punk-style riff fills the air and retracts some of the hatred that was felt while listening to the previous 7 tracks. Minor tempo changes and a mediocre riff leave a lot to be desired for this album closer, which is unfortunate considering the consistency up to this point.

Although not the perfect Black Metal album, Averse Sefira's Advent Parallax is quite good. In spots, the style and riff seem redundant - especially considering the average song length is over 7 minutes long. However, longevity in the genre and their persistence and dedication to metal are reasons why this album delivers! Having toured with such acts as 1349, Rotting Christ and Immolation, there is no doubt that Averse Sefira are one of the rising stars of the US Black Metal scene.