The second sign that this is no ordinary black metal record, is when fittingly extraterrestrial opener Korppi submerges you immediately in reverberating, spacey whistles and hypnotic, ticking-clock drumming. This is not satanic blasting or depressive murk; this is progressive music soaked in deeply-layered, ambient textures. An agitated voice similar to the vocal delivery on Ajattara’s Noitumaa quasi-raps, and we alternate restlessly between this creepy chasm of sound and a steaming blown head-gasket of cavernous post-black wailing. The very un-metal pulsating, psychedelic rhythms that propel this album throughout are hereby established.

One obvious comparison- the brooding ambient prog meets black metal combo- is, of course, Nachtmystium's Black Meddle. But damn, this puts that in its place. Where that record alternated between Pink Floyd-worship and more “conventional” black metal, allowing each to come to the fore at different times whilst generally being delineated, here all those influences are a living, breathing whole. Danjon Nolla’s monkey-in-a-spaceship crawl through mesmerising noise merges spectacularly into furious tremolo sections straight out of Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk; achingly immense.

The album draws on a particularly diverse range of influences. Kangastus 1968 is shuffling post-apocalyptic saloon-jazz. Poinging noises float about like alien communications, reminding me of Blur’s 13, of all records. Then we shift up a gear as a spidery metal guitar line staggers across this disconcerting aural picture. Myöhempien Aikojen Pyhien Teatterin Rukoilijasirkka is the most straightforward blaster on this, with truly riotous drumming and an inhuman, mechanised feel to the riffs reminding me of more recent Black Funeral. There is even a sinister dub epic lurking within the track listing.

I guess it’s fair to say that this isn’t really black metal at all, not even experimental black metal, overall. It has too much rhythmic pulse to the extent that it is almost danceable at points; on occasion closer to an electronic or trip-hop group like Massive Attack. Nevertheless, black metal is one of the central elements in a sound that is difficult to pin down. The album is surprisingly accessible, catchy even, despite its progressive approach. An inventive and addictive record.