Hailing from England, Exsequor are a two-piece Black Metal unit that devote themselves to a highly atmospheric interpretation of the genre. Although the instruments are all fairly audible, even bass most of the time, this is a traditional sound through and through. Programmed drums beat out a disciplined yet not mechanical beat, covered by the melancholic guitars and occasional keyboard. Vocals are typical snarls, but aren’t constant and so are more than bearable. The main thrust of Deeds comes from the guitars, fuzzy yet just about discernable riffs ploughing an atmospheric channel that’s not quite original but is a long way from the Darkthrone clones that once seemed like the future of the genre.

Of the three tracks present, Wrath and Corrupt are the standouts. Wrath grasps the ambience suggested in the title track and makes a real attempt at building an epic from it, mostly succeeding through clever usage of keyboards and a complex arrangement that reveals itself as surprisingly catchy after several listens, whilst Corrupt takes a more aggressive stance before mixed melodies and some slightly hammy clean vocals. For a debut demo from a Black Metal band, Deeds is pretty darn good, and suggests great things to come. England has no Black Metal scene to speak of – a few bands here and there that have formed their own styles aside (The Axis Of Perdition, Anaal Nathrakh, Benighted Leams…) all we have to offer in terms of big names are Cradle Of Filth. Give Exsequor time, and with luck that will be changed if this demo is anything to go by.