What a decade we’re living through, huh? Global pandemic, massive war, genocide, now attempted presidential assassinations, and the looming specter of an uncertain climate — one both political and environmental. Tumultuous times deserve an appropriate soundtrack, and one-man black metal act Uprising delivers just that with latest offering III. Taking contemporary black metal and inflecting it with a healthy amount of melody and driven by a stellar session drum performance by Austin Lunn, this is easily the best album from the project yet.

Uprising is the solo project of one W. (aka Jan van Berlekom of Waldgeflüster fame), serving as a more straightforward black metal vehicle when compared to the atmospheric/folk tendencies of his primary act — and with a heaping dose of angry social and political commentary to complete the package. Whereas previous albums I and II often used medieval class struggle as a proxy for the present, III focuses more overtly on current sources of popular anger; the tremendous upward transfer of wealth during COVID (“Eternal Mantra”) and climate change (“While the World Is Burning”) being just two of the topics covered. Coupled with the emphasis on contemporary topics is a much more polished production that gives greater weight to the lyrical themes — look no further than the deliciously heavy chugs in “Uprise III” to hear just how hard black metal hits when it decides to emphasize beefy guitar riffs.

Musically III exists in a similar vein to some other current bands such as Spectral Wound, Dödsrit, and Trespasser as what I’d tentatively call “semi-melodic” black metal, with these melodic elements typically taking shape in the form of harmonized trem-picking as opposed to the more dynamic riffing heard in classic bands like Sacramentum or Windir, for instance. “Raise a Glass” takes the listener right back to the ’90s with some ascending tri-tones that belong right alongside some of the great riffs of that decade, and “A Message to the Hypocrites” is a furious assault of blasts and d-beats courtesy of friend and frequent collaborator Austin Lunn. His predictably stellar drumming is the cherry on top that completes the Uprising sound, and I really hope that his services are utilized on any future releases from this project — the frequent transitions from blasts to more rocking rhythms feels effortless, and serves to make the music feel that much more vigorous.

III is an angry, hard-hitting album that’s all-too necessary for the times we’re currently living through; you may not find any answers to the innumerable problems plaguing the globe within, but the catharsis provided through the themes of Uprising’s black metal is the perfect antidote to all the despair seen on our screens every day. The closing track leaves us with the words “Brace yourself for what’s to come / You will know sorrow before this is done”; this certainly will be the case, but with music like this to accompany us into the future I hope we won’t forget to go down without a fight.

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III will be available July 19 via AOP Records. For more information on Uprising, check out their Facebook and Instagram pages.