PACT - Enigmata

Release date Apr 27/18 (Moribund)

Four years ago, I wrote a review for Pact's sophomore album The Infernal Hierarchies, Penetrating The Threshold Of Night stating that it's lack of subtlety and devotion to blitzkrieg would make it hard to consume for most listeners. Flash forward to today and the US black/death unit now present their follow-up full length which, if anything, is even more punishing and difficult to imbibe.

Starting with what sounds like Hell, people screaming in agony while the Goat of Mendez gurgles in approval, the music then leaps out in an uncompromising wall-of-sound that rarely lets up. Blast-beated, cantankerous and morally repugnant, Pact continue on their path of racket making that sets them amongst the elite of the USBM horde.

There's a subtle discordance to Pact's riffing that makes listening a little unsettling, something more evil sounding than many of their peers are capable of producing. When they speak of 'Stalking The Shadows' and 'Eternal Keepers Of The Black Flame', you tend to take them seriously. Approach with caution.

[7]