The Lore of the Cloaked Assembly

The UK Black Metal scene seems to be trending upward, as it wasn't long ago when you barely heard any Black Metal from the islands, but now there seem to be more and more bands popping up. Helvellyn (not to be confused with another UK band who play NWOBHM) are an outfit from Cumbria whose members seem to have a lot of experience, with a lot of other bands in their resumes, and almost all of them being members of sludge band Volition.

This has a good sound and good riffs, even if the songwriting is not exactly going to set you on fire. The playing is tight, and the riffs have a lot of bite and layers to them at the same time. This is highly orthodox second-wave stuff, but it kicks ass.