Odz Manouk: Odz Manouk (2010)

While Odz Manouk is yet another of the Black Twilight Circle bands, their name is a bit more unusual in that it is a reference to Armenian mythology.  Specifically, Odz Manouk is the name of a son of a king that was born as a serpent then later fell in love with a girl that was supposed to be fed to him and became a human.

As loud and noisy as Arizmenda was yesterday, Odz Manouk likely has that band beat.  This is an extremely caustic and violent brand of black metal with grinding riffs and pounding drums.  The bass too can be heard fairly well for the style and is just as manic.  It calls to mind some of the masters of the second wave Norwegian black metal scene, channeling Darkthrone, Burzum and even Mayhem.  This is extremely raw and hateful black metal, but with a surprisingly ethereal atmosphere, like watching a malevolent spirit through the fog and being afraid to reach out for fear that it may grab you.  And just when it seems that the band has no more surprises, a beautiful, eerie melody takes over, for just a short amount of time, before plunging back into the depths of chaos.

This is easily one of the most impressive recordings of a Black Twilight Circle band I have yet heard.  I have heard a number of great releases, but this is so far one of my favorites.  Everything about this release fits in well together, from the lo-fi production, to the reverb-soaked riffs, to the spine-tingling melodies, to the grotesque vocals.  This is an incredible trip through truly primal black metal.