Nuclear War Now! has sparked, if not a revival per se, then a renewed wave of interest in the bestial end of the death/black spectrum. Atop my list of NWN! favourites proudly sits Embrace of Thorns, whose Atonement Ritual album has become the byword in dark, brooding but utterly ferocious occult chaos.

Perhaps not to the same standard as Atonement Ritual, but still classy artwork

Anticipation ran high when I learned that Praying for Absolution was due just in time to see out 2011, and I think it’s fair to say that it builds appreciably on its predecessor – the blackened elements are blacker, the death elements more deathly, with added fuckin’ DOOM. Praying for Absolution features utterly cavernous riffing sections reminiscent of, say, Grave Miasma, but with an inherent barbarism and savagery found in few other places; malevolent lead riffs teeter on the precipice before falling hopelessly into the abyss. Album opener proper ‘Ancient Waters Speak’ demonstrates this in awesome fashion, a typically depraved riff giving way to a wall of slower, macabre pounding beneath a lead guitar part that simply bellows hopelessness, before lurching back into the feral intensity for which they are renown.

Perhaps one of the more impressive elements of the album is that it manages some variety without ever feeling varied or lacking in focus. The title track, for example, features a vaguely grinding refrain, truly one of the high points of the album; a frantic, Carcass-esque groove that’s all the more effective for being totally unique to this song. Some of the tracks – such as ‘A Mass for Fiends Forlorn’ – feature a more martial beat, conjuring images of unspeakable horrors dragging themselves from the Styx and amassing as one before the convocations of some execrable leader, lurching – charging – at the gates of Hell, forcing them open and running amok. Songs change tempo and focus dramatically but comfortably. It’s a technique rendered all the more effective by the unsettling, almost tribal nature of the interludes, evoking some ancient shamanic rite as the hordes assemble. And of course, some of them are pretty straight-down-the-middle blasters.

Interludes have become something of a cliché over the past couple of years. Taken to maddening extremes by the likes of Necros Christos, they are thankfully used more sparingly here and achieve that rare feat of actually adding to the atmosphere, resetting the fury and helping to build the tension back up again. There’s a powerful sense of the occult about this album, to which these interludes certainly play a part — that being said, it’s a bit of a shame that the closer should be such an interlude; it’s almost a strict adherence to the old adage that one should always leave one’s audience wanting more, but the album is crying out to end on a truly apocalyptic note, as opposed to the minute and a half of ritual ambience that rings out as the curtain falls. Failing that, I’d have preferred it to be a little longer; a little more time to dwell on the preceding assault would also have been welcome.

At the time of writing, the LP itself (die hard, naturally) has yet to arrive; a real shame since the artwork looks quite impressive. If time allows, I will update the review to include a section discussing it, and whether it enhances the album at all.

The truth is this album took a little while to reveal all of its secrets to me. Given that so many in this genre deliver little beyond this initial novelty, this is perhaps the highest praise I can give it, and Praying for Absolution is certainly their darkest album. Embrace of Thorns remain as savage and demented as ever — my personal favourite, the layered vocals, remain — and still more than capable of crushing you in their wake, only this time you’re a little less likely to see it coming.

The whole album is available to stream via Bandcamp.

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