DEMONIC SLAUGHTER – Haunted

The album «Haunted» is my first encounter with the Polish horde named Demonic Slaughter, and I must say that I am quite pleased by what I am hearing here. Musically, the three members of the band perform traditional black metal harkening back to the early wave of Norwegian black metal, but the thing is that these guys have somehow managed to produce a raw, cold, grim, and atmospheric brew of black metal that sounds sincere and honest. There is a strong sense of melancholy present that is underlined by the vicious and strangely unsettling vocals. Even though this is traditional black metal devoid of any sense of originality, it actually rules due to the fact that it evokes an otherworldly and mysterious mood and simply because the songs are very well-written and nicely arranged. «Haunted» is comprised of nine cold tunes that reek of rotten forests, occult rituals, and old graves. Did I mention that the mellow ambient-like parts that come into play from time to time also work like a charm and add some variety to the whole thing? Well, they do.
Fans of old Darkthrone, Burzum, Mayhem, and the likes ought to check this album out as it is quality black metal. Traditional black metal…but quality black metal nonetheless!