Humanity mostly is a blight on this planet. One day, when we’re done killing ourselves and this sphere, we will erase ourselves, and one day nature will take its hold again. But what if we (well, probably not we) could take care of that problem retroactively, saving Earth a fuck load of torture and decay?

“Answered Prayers” illuminates that idea, and as this latest The Mosaic Window record plays out, we slowly fade into the background like we were never here. Band creator Andrew Steven “Skeletonhammer” Brown (he handles all instruments and vocals, while Dmitry Kim provides session drums) imagines a way in which humans could vanish from the earth before the Industrial Revolution ever took place. Using primal and furious black metal as his torch, Skeletonhammer tears humanity from existence, preventing a thriving Earth from feeling our poison touch. The anger is palpable and understandable.

“Premonition of the Prophecy” in an intro cut that’s a jarring wakeup, the playing gallop as melodies gather, heading into “The Fog Carries Plague” that’s a black metal rush from the start. The playing storms with a fury, the vocals scraping, the leads flush with energy, a hammering force weighing down on you, speed and spaciousness creating an interesting picture as the drumming mauls you to the ground. “Serpentine” engulfs as the guitars bend, the playing igniting and creating volatile excitement. Guitars slash and thrash, ravaging as the energy bubbles, bleeding to a colorful end. “Lightning Be Thy Guide” gushes, the howls echo, and the leads tangle, everything feeling airy and spontaneous, shrieks ripping flesh from bone. Leads lather as the emotion kicks into higher gear, the melodies rise fast like a tidal wave, and an infectious finish keeps smothering with fury. “What Sage Could Not Cleanse” has leads spilling over the edge, a punchier pace, and the vocals echoing, igniting as your insides catch fire. A storming fury hits the ground as Maiden-like guitars take the lead, the last moments submitting to elegant devastation.

“Blood and Chains” feels ominous before it consumes everything whole, vocals echoing as the playing splatters, slowing into black metal heat and a stinging retribution. The center rips open and torches, screams smash your senses, a sense of regality spreads, and the power stretches, pulling you to your limit. “Unsheathing the Fall of Man” tangles as the madness add interesting colors, the intensity mashes your spine, and the screams echo maddeningly. Screams smash and tornadic guitars shake the brain in your skull, flooding you with chaos before an abrupt end. “Crusader” hammers and immerses you in danger, the drums powering everything, your mind pounding over the thrashing you’re taking. The pace torpedoes, and the drums wreck buildings, flooding as the melodies savage. “Echoes of Answered Prayers” dawns with strong riffs, anguished wails, and leads swimming in battery acid, cavernous punishment wooshing recklessly. The vocals retch as the guitars search and speed combusts, sludging into cosmic rays that burn. Closer “Devotion to My Burning Desire” explodes with a channeled attack, throaty howls buzzing, the playing igniting and dicing organs. The pace hulks as the leads erupt, charging and spewing spatter, coming to a ferocious end.

“Answered Prayers” is a vile, destructive piece of black metal, but it also is reflective and sobering, creating a vision where humanity didn’t have a chance to wreck the world with its technology. The Mosaic Window’s force hits you right in the chest, leaving ribs stretched and you gasping to get oxygen. This is a punishing piece, one dripping in blackness and misfortune, forcing you to face a future where humanity already succumbed to hubris.

For more on the band, go here: https://themosaicwindow.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://linktr.ee/vesperian

For more on the label, go here: https://www.vesperian.world/