Redemption at the Puritan's Hand

Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand is a refreshingly original addition to the black metal canon by breaking from the genre’s blueprint. “No Grave Deep Enough” opens the Irish quartet’s seventh album by harkening back to pagan roots. The lyrics——which frontman A.A. Nemtheanga delivers with throaty growls and more traditional, druid-like chanting—are steeped in the lore of Celtic polytheism. “Lain at the Wolf” boasts galloping, adventure-rock rhythms under winding guitars that resonate like war sirens while Nemtheanga wails a fantastical narrative. The introductory guitars of “Bloodied yet Unbowed” chime and ring with folk-metal tones before blasting into a distorted dirge as Nemtheanga pleads for immortality, howling like a young James Hetfield. At six minutes and 19 seconds, “The Black Hundred” is the shortest song here, but it's easily the most powerful in its relentless attack and impassioned performance.