(Black Metal) [CD] Gorgoroth - Instinctus Bestialis - 2015, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Infernus and the gang are back with this new album, Instinctus Bestialis. This is an album that has been postponed, delayed, and pushed back for 6 years, even though the songwriting itself began back in 2010. This left many of us wondering whether or not the album would even come out or not. Gorgoroth made us wait for a very long time, and now, I honestly have to say that entire wait was worth it. This album is absolutely flawless, raw and stripped down, yet so neatly polished and perfectly done. One of the first things you'll notice about this album is the production. Many of us were disappointed with the thin, stale production of Quantos Possunt (that snare drum was horrible) and similarly with the...um....not up to par remake of Under The Sign of Hell. That problem is fixed here. The guitars are a lot fuller sounding, the bass commands the low end of the spectrum, and the snare drum sound isn't that awful trigger used in the last release. The production is very, very clean and well done, while not falling into the over-polished category that you would see in an album by say, Dimmu Borgir. Everything is mixed just right, and the sound of everything is absolutely fucking great.
Now onto the actual music on the album: The album opens with a brilliant Infernus signature black metal riff that just screams plain evil. This goes into a pummeling assault of the new vocalist, Atteringer (whose performance on this album is excellent) repeating "Hail Satan!" over a brutal, yes brutal as in death metal brutal chugging riff. Going forward, track number 3 Ad Omnipotens Aeterne Diabolus is a very very melodic piece that will instantly become a live staple, with Atteringer's countless hails and praises to Satan over a harmonizing riff that is absolutely killer. Tracks 5 and 6 both have lead guitars, which add a new breath of fresh air to Gorgoroth's black metal rage (pun intended). Next on the album, Kala Brahman, is a masterpiece of black metal, an absolutely genius song with a start-stop riff that simply could not have been done better. By the end of the album, any listener should be thoroughly satisfied with enough hails to Satan to be put on the WBCs "God Hates You" list before the end of your first listen. On second listen of the album, you'll be chanting along during Ad Omnipotens Aeterne Diabolus with all your heart.
Overall, this album is nonstop fury from start to finish. With this album, Infernus has effectively made himself the reigning king of black metal, and definitely shows that his fire will not be extinguished any time soon. This album is, by far, Gorgoroth's most sophisticated and mature work so far. Comparing it to the first 3 albums is difficult, as the band has changed and progressed quite a lot since then, however, Infernus' genius songwriting was still at its very beginnings back in the early-mid 90s, and now I think more than ever Infernus has shown us his true natural gift and talent for writing music, and creating a work that will leave all black metal fans in awe after listening to this album. This album is how modern black metal should be done and sets the bar very, very high for the rest of the year 2015 in heavy metal.

Infernus Guitars
Bøddel Bass
Tomas Asklund Drums
Atterigner Vocals