I remember myself writing a review for Setherial’s Endtime Divine a couple of years ago. The band just signed to Swedish Regain Records and with a revamped line-up they were sticking to the Scandinavian black metal roots almost dogmatically. Grim atmosphere perpetuated through incessant blastbeat, tremolo guitars and shrieking vocals. Little to no melody, superfast playing and very little deviation from that norm. Three years later the scary war/corpse paint received a touchup and the line-up has undergone another quick reshuffle (Setherial bandmembers are probably some of the most versatile, easily switching in between instruments). Following the track of Endtime Divine we now have Death Triumphant, also on Regain released in the US through the Candlelight Cult Series.

Setherial is not a band about the change. With this troupe the more things change, in fact, the more they stay the same. Representing and appealing to some of the most conservative black metal crowd, Death Triumphant shows practically no change from Endtime Divine. Indeed, I have done a little trick, putting both discs on the “shuffle” in my player to play them in random sequence. Honestly, the only way to distinguish the two is probably more muscular, more bass heavy production of Death Triumphant. I am not going to say if Setherial needs more ideas with their music, it is their credo to decide, but for these ears their music is getting to be quite repetitive.

Among the endless blastbeat and blurred tremolo riffing one can recognize the hook in the chorus of the opener Limbo of Insanity and a few instrumental passages leaving a little breathing room. Heroic riffs of the title track do reach home with their staunch melody and atmosphere. With Veins Wide Open does slow down a bit throwing a little grime on this warring blastbeat machine of a band. However, variety is not the name of the game on Death Triumphant, a few doomy acoustic parts on Relinquishment from the Unlighted Chambers and melody in Devilry, Wickedness and Scorn not really changing the equation. If you are engulfed in the moment and need to spill all the blackness out of your soul, Setherial is a soundtrack, no question, but there is little that makes me want to play this album again and again.

Trapped with Marduk approach and early Immortal vestiges, Setherial is trying not to step on the road where Dark Funeral and Gorgoroth are trying to, at least partially, diversify. Technically strong and full of appropriate black metal atmosphere, Death Triumphant is enormously monotonous making it the art for the very limited group of fans. I almost feel sorry my review is very short, but Setherial honestly did not provide with any material to elaborate upon.