Hailing from the hotbed of Finland and with all the great (or otherwise) scenes there, we have a new culprit in the mix of things. UHRILAHJA is a fairly new band with two demos and a couple of albums to their name. This is the third full-length, and judging by the titles, it seems to be a concept / story of sorts. After a suitably dark and nefarious intro, ‘The Invocation Of Demons’, the listener is assailed with just that on the lead-off track. Vocalist ‘Necto’ puts forth a scream that conjures images of just said demons. Quite cool, also, he does have an interesting visual presence with what seems to be a crown of animal skulls. Between his voice and the slight melancholic riffing similar to BURZUM, these to me are the main draw factors. There is also a bit of SARGEIST in the mix. With those names mentioned, you will understand right away that this is not a DARK FUNERAL or MARDUK blastfest. No, what we have here is prime second wave Black Metal, with a semi-lo-fi feel in the production. Listen to that guitar solo in the track ‘Recon The Power’, doesn’t that evoke an aura of BATHORY? Another song of note, with its mildly acoustic intro and also scattered throughout the track ‘A Requiem For Yersinia Pestis’ offers an intriguing vocal performance that will draw you in and also get you thinking of the Count (Grishnackh). The slow, drawn-out repetitive riffing accentuates this fact. I feel it’s a good change of pace and also a perfect setup for the ambient interlude that follows. We all can understand that the wheel is not being reinvented here, but we can look and take heart that those bands still bring the aura and overall feel of the days of yore. There are plenty of moments and tasty morsels for you to sink your teeth into, and not judge too harshly for their derivative sound. Which can be a slight negative. At a 45-minute run time, which is not too long, I feel the overall production, presentation and songwriting as well, make it both interesting and a welcome foray into the Finnish horde of Black Metal bands. Delve into their story and check things out for yourselves. www.facebook.com/uhrilahja, www.facebook.com/morbidchapelrecords