From the shadows this Finnish Black Metal act emerges, not a single hint on who’s playing in this band can be found in the info sheet and of course that’s done with intent. Fortunately, who dares to check out this mysterious outfit is in for a really pleasant surprise since “Beastificate” is a nicely diverse and dynamic opus worshipping the good ol’ Satan with a massive amount of conviction, musical class and vicious atmosphere. Just imagine Sweden’s TRIUMPHATOR or a slightly more “organized” version of FUNERAL MIST united with razorsharp riffs, a couple of dark melodies, a nice mix between blasting fury and actually really f**king heavy mid-tempo parts and you’ll have an idea of what VALOTON sounds like. Especially the vocals have a strong reference to the insane snarl of Mr Mortuus and immediately succeeded in grabbing my attention. VALOTON even dare to integrate some stunning female vocals by IkiHorros (Musta Kappeli) on two songs, which sound eerie and gloomy and not cheesy at all. Further guest vocals are done by Molestor Kadotus and on session drums Tuomo Latvala (Demigod, Torture Killer) delivers a massive punch that gives this Satanic Black Metal piece the necessary storming attack. Production-wise the album is absolutely top-notch, crispy and powerful sounding and differs heavily from your traditional underground rehearsal room affair. The song-writing is pretty catchy and effective, now and then some interesting rhythmical breaks occur (the mid-paced section in ‘Avatar’ is bloody fantastic!), details like chants, acoustic guitar parts or samples keep the listener wide awake and once you hear the epic, slow paced closing track ‘Reborn In Flames’, again garnered with a captivating passage sung by IkiHorros, you will be glad you’ve spent time with this record. All mystery aside – “Beastificate” should not remain a secret! Get this unholy gospel from www.hammer-of-hate.com!