Black is the brand new album from Ablaze My Sorrow, and comes fourteen years after their last full-length release, Anger, Hate And Fury, following their reformation in 2013. Has it been worth the wait? Of course it has! What’s great about Black is that whilst it follows on quite nicely from their last release, it also serves as a good starting point for new fans just discovering the band, as it’s quite an accessible album that can very easily draw you in.
For the most part, Black is a pretty full-on release that definitely leans on the ‘heavier’ side of melodic death metal, but there’s plenty of good melodic moments to sink your teeth into and a definite highlight comes quite early on in the album in the form of third track Tvåenighet. It starts off in a fairly ‘usual’ manner, with fast-paced drums and wonderfully punctuated harsh vocals taking centre stage, but the chorus is something different and features clean operatic vocals that are absolutely stunning, and give the song a special sparkle.
At times, the album does fall victim to songs sounding a little similar to one another, but despite this there’s still enough variety to keep you satisfied and engaged for the whole duration on this album. And hopefully, with this album under their belts, the future is once again bright for this talented Swedish band.
8/10
