Rising from the ashes, the polish black metal horde Sodality returns with their new sonic grimoire, “Benediction, Part II”, out now via Norma Evangelium Diaboli and available here: https://www.noevdia.com. “Benediction, Part II” cultivates the same derelict impulse first heard on Sodality’s 2020 debut, “Gothic”, and sharpened further on “…Part I”. This is black metal stripped of pretence, carrying all the hallmarks of esoteric warfare and devotion pushed to its breaking point. Five hymns for ruinous faith echo through a cathedral of spiritual collapse, upheld by the smothered breath of saints, the weight of silence, and the violence of belief. Guided by bursts of inspiration rather than deliberation, the material retains the immediacy of its creation. The riffs and melodies are swampy, evil, and suffocating, just like the Catholic sense of morality and the divine.

Sodality’s place within the NoEvDia catalogue traces back to the late Finnish artist Timo Ketola, editor of Dauthus – arguably the ultimate printed incarnation of the quintessential Death and Black Metal spirit. Dauthus also existed as a small but fiercely curated label, and it was in this capacity that Sodality were brought to our attention.

Timo’s steadfast conviction – that Sodality’s early material was a ‘self-inflicted gun wound, possibly even partly unintentional’ – paved the way for his label’s first music title since 2009, when Dauthus, NoEvDia, and The Ajna Offensive co-released Teitanblood’s debut.

After he completed the LP layout for “Gothic” but before it took physical form, Timo passed away – yet his impetus defined the trajectory which led to the ongoing “Benediction” cycle. “Benediction, Part II” follows that same line of transmission: stark, intuitive, and drawn from the same raw nerve Timo recognised at the beginning.

Tracklist:
1.Precious Blood 04:48
2.Confession 06:19
3.Heathen Angel II 08:57
4.Pure Light Shineth Through a Simple Servant 07:30
5.Blood on a Mirror 06:56

Delve into the ritual below: