Published: July 22, 2020

Black metal is as diverse as regional accents. Some accents sound like an angel pouring honey into your ear, others sound like a dead zombie slug crawling out of it. Ov Shadows fall in the first category since they make really solid black metal. No keyboards or time-consuming interludes, just guitars, bass, drums and vocals and that's it. 

The band recorded, mastered and mixed 'I Djävulens Avbild' themselves, and they did an amazing job. You can hear every instrument, the vocals sound immensely dreadful and they all create this cohesive black metal spear once used by the gods but now in the hands of a pagan witch who's possessed by a demon (the artwork is done by Mister Snöpulse/Vandraren and the art represents the music perfectly).

No matter how many times you listen to his record, each time you hear it something new triggers your curiosity. A song like 'Blasfemiskt Crescendo' is an instant classic with its tremolo melodies and super-fast drums, but I underestimated a song like 'Under Dödens Vingar', which is a slower-paced song that eventually became so beautiful and cinematic. 

It’s comforting to hear that Ov Shadows know what their good at: creating great black metal records. 'I Djävulens Avbild' is a steadfast black metal album and it's sonically impeccable. 

Best songs: 'Blasfemiskt Crescendo', 'Under Dödens Vingar', 'I Djävulens Avbild'