Sermon of Flames - I Have Seen the Light, and It Was Repulsive (2021)

Let me just start this article by saying, I Have Seen The Light, And It Was Repulsive is one of the sickest names I've ever heard for a record. Sermon Of Flames knocked it out of the park there. They also knocked it out of the park with what is by all accounts an excellent offering, creatively fusing blackened death metal with flickers of industrial and harsh noise. The end result is a sound that is absolutely massive in scope and which continually seems to point towards darker futures and sounds that will leave listeners feeling as if their heads have been caved right in. Sermon Of Flames unleash the hate, and it is glorious.

I Have Seen The Light, And It Was Repulsive shines in the pitch black darkness that it revels in. Tracks like 'Seething Radiance' lie at a next level of heaviness, touching on elements of grindcore and cracking skulls with the high powered hate that fuels this band. The glimmering power of the more ambient moments, like on songs like 'Mephitic Seraph' provides a glistening reprieve from blast beats and tormented growls. It speaks to the excellence of the pacing of this record and the way that they craft sound worlds that leave you imagining what could be going on beyond that next hateful horizon. It's the sort of thing that entrances listeners and speaks to the wondrous internal darkness that makes this music so rewarding.

Sermon Of Flames have crafted something new and wondrously repulsive here. The blazing fury that defines this band continues to shine through and capture the imagination for the entire run time. It's a record that focuses on one upping itself and allowing listeners to really experience the bitter internal madness of a band who seek to fight the light and drag us all into the pits of tartarus. This is a devilish record and one whose raw heaviness is going to keep underground devotees like myself coming back in morbid fascination.