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Poland’s Blaze Of Perdition encountered tragedy in 2013, with the band losing bassist 23 to a car accident, gaining a new perspective in the aftermath. 2015’s Near Death Revelations dealt with much of that period and for frontman Sonneillon it was a chance to reflect on what could have been. Conscious Darkness again brings to the fore the dark melodies that coloured BOP’s previous work, while also ramping up black metal’s essential components: hatred, coldness and death. Ashes Remain’s sonorous riffs work their way through the track while Sonneillon’s voice is beautifully raw, but it’s at the midway point of the track that the band truly step into their own. Gorgeous textures permeate the darkness and imbue the song with hints of melancholy feeding the shadows before the track pulls back into ferocious black metal territory and a fiery layered vocal that evokes power and strength.