KOMMODUS – A FOETAL WOLF IN STAINED GLASS (GoatowaRex)

And now for something completely different… Well, for sure Kommodus is not your everyday Black Metal act. And let’s be honest – there are far too many of those stinking the place out these days. In a time and place where interchangeable uninspired mediocrity has become the norm and is seemingly more celebrated the deeper the depths of tedium plummeted, it’s always refreshing to hear something new from the luxuriant lair of lone wolf Lepidus Plague.

The complex mind behind Kommodus has been executing trademark unapologetically ambitious and accomplished raw Black Metal art into the starving underground for eight years now and has in a decidedly short space of time achieved cult status due to the immensity, quality and distinctiveness of his rather extraordinary output. Embracing a multitude of non-traditional (by Black Metal standards) ideas, instruments and soundfields, Kommodus is the rarest of phenomena – a Black Metal ‘band’ that sounds like no other.

The discography prior to now was close to flawless and lo and behold third full-length ‘A Foetal Wolf In Stained Glass’ succeeds in bringing the elite status already secured to a whole new tier. This dozen-strong anthology of supernatural terrors is everything a Black Metal album can and should be – deceptively dynamic, filled with fury yet somehow elevating emotionally as it infuses in the listener a triumphant message or unconscious feeling. It’s anything but sweetness and light or naïve positivity but any art that promotes strength of body, mind and psyche when so many struggle in the face of a cruel world is to be lauded.

Still, there’s darkness and madness everywhere as Lepidus and his trusty band of acolytes unflinchingly deliver the shivers in spades. At over an hour long, there’s so much here to absorb. The album commands time and attention but pays off in abundance. It’s rare that raw Black Metal is graced with creativity and musicianship that soars to such a high level and every twisted tale on ‘A Foetal Wolf In Stained Glass’ is worthy of investigation but special word has to go to the stunning masterwork that is ‘The Mountain Of Past Lives’ – a spirit-ascending offering that encapsulates and emits the ancient energy and otherworldliness of prime Black Metal but very much (at the risk of repeating myself … again) in Kommodus’ own inimitable style.

Evilometer: 666/666