Ntdd Strl

Debut from this Ecuadorian band whose members come from bands with names like Dungeon Steel and Wampyric Rites, so you know what kind of shit they are into. This is very much a mix between melodic '90s Black Metal like early Emperor with some dungeon synth sounds added in to help create a gloomy atmosphere. I do like that the riffs here are much more derived from Trad Metal than being the standard tremolo attack you expect from this kind of band. The murky, echoing recording job gives this just the right element of occultism to make it sound that much cooler. Overall, this is a novel combination of elements that manages to keep sounding fresh all the way through.