The duo that birthed The Howling Wind have long held on to the vision of black metal as a pure and destructive force, allowing this essence of terror to course through the deeply unholy veins of Of Babalon.
A concept album if ever there was one, Of Babalon writhes with the influence of The Scarlet Woman (the titular Babalon found within the teachings of Aleister Crowley and his own system of Thelema) and the masters behind this project – guitarist/vocalist Ryan Lipynsky, also of Unearthly Trance, and drummer Tim Call – feed their caustic and commanding presences into each howl of horror.
Scaling The Walls breathes with a crafty little melody that burrows ever deeper into the subconscious as the song progresses and deftly retunes your neural networks to the force-lines of chaos. Gateways simmers with a sultry and unrelenting power while album closer Horus/Aggressor – a deliciously frantic Hellhammer cover – pounds with an inherently evil and bombastic energy.
With Of Babalon, The Howling Wind embrace the incredible, irrepressible power found in the dark side. So should you.
