It’s been about a year since I reviewed the first album by Nine Covens; hooded and anonymous, apparently comprising leading lights on the British black metal scene. …On the Coming of Darkness was, in my view, a pretty middling release- a case of competent but ordinary. Its sequel- appropriately called On the Dawning of Light, is equally orthodox but I think considerably more effective. It has stronger riffs, and sharper ideas.

First track Origin of Light exudes pace and energy, replacing the sometimes lumpen mid-tempos that dogged the last record with a blasting fury reminiscent of earlier Marduk. Ratcheting up the tempos is a good move, but more important is the riffing itself, which speaks with a clarity I didn’t detect before. As Fire Consumes picks out deadly hooks that are both immediate and urgent. It lasts almost six minutes, but by switching into windswept, Dissection-like melodic ideas in its latter half, it justifies the length. Similarly, the cleverly structured riffing of Fog of Deceit is also strikingly effective.

Even the slower parts, which I complained about last time, work better here. the Mist of Death is based around a grimly militaristic drum hook, which might become dull if allowed to linger, but which instead serves as ominous interlude. The outlier on the album- and perhaps the bit that most obviously hints towards the ‘Light’ of the title- is the instrumental White Star Acception. Here, the band swerve somewhat incongruously into warmer, more melodious post-rock influences.

Aside from that, this is a entertainingly fast and to-the-point release. So on that note, let’s finish. Overall, I’m considerably more impressed by On the Dawning of Light than I was by ...On the Coming of Darkness. I look forward to On the Eating of Breakfast.