For all the stylistic diversity within black metal (and it’s certainly a wide-ranging genre), sometimes it’s well-worth some retrospection into the foundations of the genre to see why it’s such a fantastic realm of music in the first place. When a musician doing this just so happens to be one of the finest and most prolific in the RABM scene, it makes the look back even more enjoyable. Ardor for Black Mastery is the second full-length from Auriferous Flame, a newer project from none other than Greek phenom Ayloss, who has already proven himself to be a master of both black metal and beyond. While more straightforward than some of his other work it’s anything but generic, and serves as a perfect reminder of what makes the genre we know and love so great.

Anyone familiar with Ayloss’ work with his banner bands Spectral Lore and Mystras will recognize many of the musical traits of Ardor for Black Mastery; frenetic, technical riffing, soaring atmospheric guitar leads, programmed drums (that get better and better mixed as time goes on), and more. But what sets Auriferous Flame apart from the aforementioned acts in particular — other than the near absence of folk melodies, acoustic guitar passages, and ambient sections — is that this album simply doesn’t let up. Other than two short interlude tracks (bass guitar-focused “Ophidian Hallways” being a nice surprise), this is 50 minutes of nonstop blackened fury. There are flourishes of keys and clean vocals that wouldn’t be out of place on a Mystras release, but those elements are never at the forefront of the music. The focus is rather on blistering and ever-changing riffage, accompanied by persistent blasts and vocals that hark back to the early days when black metal was just starting to emerge from the more extreme end of the thrash spectrum.

Thrash elements are not just present in the vocals either, but are a through-line in many of the riffs as well — take the tension-building in outstanding opener “Wielders of Secrets” or the opening chugs of “Beyond Light, Beyond Reason” as examples. Yet given the intrinsic sensibilities of the man behind the music here, you can guess that these riffs are far more technically proficient than anything early pioneers in black metal could’ve dreamed of. The title track is another standout, slowing things down a bit with Bathory-esque triumph before building up once more to blast-driven fury.

As the title so nearly states, this album is ardor for black metal. There’s nods to the genre’s thrash-influenced beginnings, non-circular songwriting, and overall aggression, yet these are all infused with Ayloss’ signature mastery of instrument and songwriting. In line with his own well-known views, the lyrics on Ardor for Black Mastery reflect not the individualism and isolation associated with classic black metal, but rather a call to arms, to stand together against those who would oppress. Auriferous Flame looks to the past to light a blazing path forward into the future, and we’re all the better for being able to experience its power and glory.

— Colin

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Ardor for Black Mastery will be available October 6 through True Cult Records and Stellar Auditorium Productions. For more information on Auriferous Flame, check out their Facebook page.