Überchriist don’t mess about with trivialities like intro tracks. There is no self-indulgent noodling or atmospheric mood setting at the start of Dæmonic Apotheosis. Überchriist just get straight to the fucking point and start slapping you around like a red-headed stepchild, with the opening track, Anti-Phoenix Descent.

It’s refreshing. For far too long, black metal has relied on the tired formula of tacking on some random piece of ambient filler to kick off an album or EP. Seeing a band flip that the middle finger and get straight to the point makes an old hand like me very happy.

In fact, this whole album puts a smile on my face like a meth head who’s just won the National Lottery. It does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s black metal. Fucking good black metal at that, but it isn’t as simple as: here’s the blueprint, let’s follow step one, two, and three.

There’s more to Überchriist than meets the eye. Ear. You know what I mean.

There are hints of old-school metal throughout the album’s near 40-minute runtime, mainly in the way the riffs flow and work. There are keyboards. What sounds like a choral backing choir. Hell, I’m pretty sure I even caught some Oi! punk buried in the background.

The production plays a huge part in Dæmonic Apotheosis‘s huge sound. This isn’t lo-fi, warts-and-all black metal, which is important, because Überchriist aren’t afraid of melody. They’re trying to tell a story here, and if the sound was muddied and confused, that story would get completely lost in the mix.

The concept behind the record is simple: transformation through absolute destruction. “Apotheosis” usually means rising to something holy, but Überchriist take that idea, kick its teeth in, and drag it straight down into the dirt.

Instead of ascending, the story forces you into a cocoon while your mortal self rots away to make room for whatever nightmare is coming next. You get dragged through subterranean tombs, demonic rituals, and empty voids well below ground level. It’s a proper downward descent into hell, and the production actually lets you hear every stage of the rotting process.

Which is nice and not at all disturbing.

Dæmonic Apotheosis is a hell of a statement. Where most bands struggle to follow up their debut, Überchriist make it look simple. Though, to be fair, they’ve had the best part of 15 years to do so.

Yet, it is obvious that decade and a half hasn’t been wasted. Überchriist are the real deal. A black metal outfit who aren’t content to just stay in their lane and are willing to give their music whatever it needs to make it even more devastating. Whether that be old-school metal riffs, vocals like a bloke gargling paint stripper, or melodies that catch you completely by surprise, if Dæmonic Apotheosis is anything to go by, Überchriist might just be the next big thing to come out of the American black metal scene.

Dæmonic Apotheosis is out September 25th.