Year of release: 2021
Label: Primitive Reaction
Rating: 8,3 / 10
I feel awkward, admitting that the new album of the legendary Finnish boozers became my first acquaintance with them, since I had never heard AZAZEL before. No prejudice, I just had no time for it. From this album, I expected something similar to the band itself - sloppy, crooked, drunk, zero-fucks-give, and, ultimately, unwaveringly right. But it turned to be almost Norwegian Black Metal, no more, no less. Although “Aegrum…” is entirely dedicated to the horns of Satan and the rotting penis of Christ, its sound strongly reeks of the Scandinavian forests and the primitive darkness that reigns there. The Finnish approach is also felt, but for the time being there is much more Scandinavian. Only towards the end does the music begin to tilt towards SATANIC WARMASTER, imbued with a malicious raunchousness which, in truth, I expected to hear from the start. This is where the unholy adultery depicted on the cover begins to take place. The first half of the album is covered with dark melancholy, which is created by melodic guitar riffs.
Technically, the album is surprisingly clean and smooth. I will say absurd thing now, but it feels as if they were recording it while being sober. Of course, this cannot be true, but “Aegrum…” is really somewhere on the level of “Fimbulwinter”: the dirt is only where it is needed, and in general everything is perfectly audible. With such a sell-out sound, AZAZEL will again be invited to some Finnish show - at least for Satanachia to amuse the audience by shitting his pants or vomiting into a copper pipe, like Phil Donahue! Joking aside, the album is great, honest and unwaveringly right. This is Northern Black Metal as it should be.
English (UK) 
Крыўская