Black Metallers JERUZALEM have taken their time. Formed in 2006, they’ve kept a low profile for nearly two decades now, releasing only a demo and an EP before finally releasing their debut full-length. “Utrpení, Oběti A Kati Celibáti”. This album doesn’t sound like a late arrival, actually, it sounds more like something that has been boiling for years, waiting for the right moment to explode. Here, JERUZALEM circles back to that rougher Black / Death Metal energy that they had on their 2007 demo “On Half Way To Bethlehem”. Compared to the colder, more Black Metal approach of 2014’s “Underground” EP, this album goes deeper into the atmosphere. At moments, spoken passages and ambient fragments go in and out, building a certain tension, creating a feeling of ritual across the album. I would say that here, compared to their demo and their EP, with “Utrpení, Oběti A Kati Celibáti”, JERUZALEM seems more focused on mood than complexity, and they succeed I think in making the album feel strongly cohesive. And it’s fair to say that some moments fade into each other a bit too easily. You won’t find a standout anthem here, but you will find a consistency that holds the whole thing together. “Utrpení, Oběti A Kati Celibáti” feels like a band growing and evolving into something darker and written with ash and blood. JERUZALEM might not make much noise in the broader Black Metal scene, but they have built their own space, rooted in Czech history, bitterness, and defiance. Find more info here: https://jeruzalem.bandcamp.com, http://www.bandzone.cz/jeruzalem