Individualism is the fifth release from Brazilian black metallers Patria and to say it does justice to the genre is an understatement.
It takes a special kind of album to grab your interest with the introduction alone, but that’s exactly what Individualism does with the title track. It’s almost like you know it’s going to be an excellent listen from the haunting choral section and it feels like all hell is unleashed with the following track Blood Storm Prophecy, with snarling vocals and relentlessly aggressive instrumentation.
As Individualism progresses, it doesn’t let up the pace at all, and the fifth track, Orphan Of Emptiness, is perhaps one of the strongest of the entire release with excellent guitar-work and just the right amount of melody thrown into the chaotic mix. It’s a massively memorable song for all the right reasons, and will surely make you want to bang your head and move about in time to it.
The album ends on a high with Requiem For The Ego, with lush and calm instrumentation to wind things down, and it’s a satisfying end to a satisfying album. If you like your black metal then look no further than here – Patria look set to take the black metal community by storm!
9/10
