There isn’t enough mystery in heavy metal any longer as we know everything, and we can find any detail we want in about three seconds with the proper Google search. But coming across something seemingly alien or a product of something that exists on another plane is not something we experience all that often, so as long as a weird entity has the goods, it elevates the intrigue.

So, along come Egregore, a band shrouded in at least a semblance of mystery, and their indescribable debut record “The Word of His Law.” Simply assigning the black metal tag would be not really pay the proper respect to what this band does here, and strange synth work and chants that feel like they unravel from time and space gone by add more spice to what’s already a tasty concoction. We don’t have your typical lineup notes here—their bio notes Essentia Collapse orchestrates Architactician and Strange-Sight, and Catastrophe Saturna summons the Inexhaustible Wellspring of Non-Euclidean Conjurations, whatever the fuck that means, and they add that honorary member Helios Thread is responsible for the bulk of vocals with additional work by Nukklear Superion and Doomscribe. Got all that? It doesn’t matter if you do, because the music and strange ambiance here are the reason you should have interest, and this album will slay you with mystery and terror.

“The Place and the Time” is a strange but fitting introduction to this record, built with noises coming apart, echoing drums, and synth strikes, whispering flowing into “Howling Premonition” and its dive-bombing guitars. Infernal hell awaits as growls hiss and slither, and the tempo absolutely punishes your psyche, slipping into spacious weirdness. Your mind wanders as the guitars spill and pick up heat before it comes to a bizarre end. “Exfiltrating the Triangle” unloads with zany guitars and a splattering approach, howls spat out with tension. The playing trudges and chugs as it spills into thrashy terrain, and then the guitars jolt with the mauling howls of, “The candlelight grows dim, the hourglass is nearly empty,” sending chills down your spine as the playing races away.

“Reborn as the Word of His Law” charges forward, exploding in burly terror, guitars churning and giving off noxious fumes. Things suddenly blow apart, bone chips exploding, the riffs charging into speedy misery. Out of that, the leads dominate as everything is engulfed by the raucous finish. “Libidinization of Will Azothic” starts with whispers and guitars aggravating, the steam rising as the mystery thickens. Vicious growls punish and hold you under, then eerie clean chants arise, feeling liturgical and spiritually darkening. The playing increases the pressure again as the fires spread, the chanting returns and haunts, and everything fades into the cosmos. Closer “An Address to Abraxas” is the longest track here at eight minutes, flowing with echoing guitars and clean warbles, fogs building and feeling dreary. Clouds increase as your flesh is chilled, ambiance whips up psychological strangeness, and warped speaking gets under your skin as the sounds simmer and fade.

“The Word of His Law” is a record that definitely will not wash away from your mind anytime soon, as Egregore craft a memorable debut that leaves long-lasting damages. It’s strange, spooky, and punishing, a record that feels like it was created by something inhuman, and maybe it was. This is a savage statement that should reverberate for ages, signaling a new force that has powers we can’t understand.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Egregore137

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/collections/egregore

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/