When your debut encompassed 500 copies on a young, albeit burgeoning and talented, underground label, who are those people who “highly anticipate” your second release? I wryly smile and imagine those 500 devotees, assuming all of the early adopters have been retained.

On their followup EP In Contemptuous Defiance German Fiat Nox continues their thoughtful and convoluted, death tinged black metal, although maybe due to the EP shorter duration the Germans have expensed away with all matters of atmospheric, intros and acoustic interludes. The songs on the EP are squarer, more straight to the point and shorter, especially Zealotry of Ruin and Amok Hymn. Zealotry of Ruin is pure burning fire, cruddy, crude, slicing blackened thrash. Call it war metal, especially if you factor in booming double bass drumming. Amok Hymn continues with zigzagy guitars flying around, blasting everything into prolific chaos. The return to more complex Fiat Nox appears to be happening with Unheiligkeitsklage, where an unexpected melody emerges with the wintry tremolo. The base drum and guitar tone will still cut you up in pieces, but the whole atmosphere is more heroic and atmospheric, with gang shouts now complementing the leading vocals which are always surprisingly cleaner than you expect them to be. Sometimes vocally Fiat Nox reminds me of Anthrax of all bands.

Those Shunned Hills closes with another proud Germanic metal display after a mystical occult entry. The triumphant galloping assault is set to racing blasts and reminded me of Rain upon the Impure The Ruins of Beverast or Verdunkeln. In Contemptuous Defiance is a very worthy listen, even if you can’t count yourself among those in the know and highly anticipating. There is always time to get on the bandwagon. The cover art is a play on Albreht Durer paintings and another point of attraction.