The blades have been sharpened and the crosses have been inverted, the time is right for the Swedish delinquents VANMAKT to rape your senses with their fresh assault "Ad Luciferi Regnum".

The clean production and melodic touches places this release firmly amongst the modern wave of Black Metal, played with crushing speed and viciousness for good measure. There is no shortage of blasphemies and hatred here, and the break-neck speed is seldomly abandoned, but VANMAKT has also found room for a few quirks, most notably some odd-sounding female vocals. Fans of technically proficient fast and brutal Black Metal will find plenty to satisfy their hunger here, and the melodic touches will be a treat for fans of the more modern sound of bands like KEEP OF KALESSIN.

In the long run, there isn't much to set VANMAKT apart from the pack, but for such a young band there is a lot of potential to go around. While originality can only go so far before it becomes a gimmick, these guys stick to a well-tried formula that actually works well, and the result is a somewhat one-dimensional but hard-hitting album that will probably get a lot less attention than it deserves.

(Online May 31, 2009)