This must be the very first extreme Metal act I got from Bulgaria and to be honest, I had not so much expectations about them, but just playing this CD for the first time I got a very satisfactory impression. Orenda is not the ultimate Black Metal act or the most original one, but we can hear good ideas and a cold sound, in the way of Darkthrone (“Transilvanian Hunger” era) with some touches of Burzum and Immortal (mainly in the vocals). The only problem with this 6 track debut album is, we have the impression of being listening to the same track throughout its 45:18 minutes. Someone can say if Darkthrone did it why not these guys? Well, the difference is so obvious, but please don’t misunderstand me, this record is very catchy (what a wimpy word, hahahaha) and its monotony helps to create the right atmosphere of darkness and coldness, all crowned by a very grim sound. Yeah, I insist they sound so close to Darkthrone, and it’s great, surely they must be one of their best clones. I hope on the next record Orenda start to create their very own sound if they have the skills to re-create great riffs a la Darkthrone (it sounds so easy but I have heard tons of bands around trying to do it for years but without a correct result). As I said previously all the tracks are similar but I recommend the opening one ‘Hargan Devastation’ and the ending one, ‘Obscurantism’, because they show the best passages featured on “Back In The Grave”, mainly the ending one, the slowest and most varied one in the record. In summary, a very interesting debut album if you like grim keyboard-free Black Metal as it was done almost 13 years ago, but if you’re looking for some Dimmu Borgir clones, please keep away, we are not responsible for your sudden death or brain damage. www.myspace.com/orendabg, www.no-colours-records.de