Blackened death metal leviathan Proscription has returned with “Desolate Divine”. Hailing from Finland and formed in 2017 by leader ChristButcher, Proscription is a force to be reckoned with.
The album’s debut album “Conduit”, was unfortunately snubbed by the 2020 worldwide plague, but still made a buzz in the underground. With their sophomore album “Desolate Divine”, the band take back any momentum they might have lost & shoves a huge chunk of brutality in your ears you cannot ignore.
“Gleam of the Morningstar” is a great opening track, with its frantic pace of blast beats & thundering double kick & thick but angular guitar riffs that pierce your ears. ChristButcher’s deep guttural vocals work really well within the band’s sound. Where some black metal groups go for a more shrill sound, his deep, brooding tone stands out & adds a thicker layer of brutality to the band. With bassists Apep’s backing / second vocal having that higher tone gives a great dynamic to the band’s sound.
With its grand & epic feeling opening, like a pit into hell cracking from the ground, “Bleed the Whore Again” opening minute is a great piece of songwriting. As it grabs your attention straight away, when the band have you firmly in their grasp, they go in for the kill. A barrage of phenomenal drumming from M.K. gives you the aforementioned blast beats, but his simple high hat & snare blasting hits hard. With the use of great fills & cymbal texture. It stops this album from being one-dimensional & opens up the band’s sonics. At the bridge section of the song, the band add in these great dissonant sections that give the track these sinister but catchy sections.
With its apocalyptic opening, “Behold a Phosphorescent Dawn” uses thunderous tribal thudding drums to give a hard-hitting theme to the track. With fast-paced verse style sections before bringing the speed down on the chorus, waves of melodic guitars were over you & gave the track such a beautiful but still dark feel. Really playing around with sonic diversity, this track is a great halfway point & really mixes things up. A true standout track.
The closing two tracks, “The Great Deceiver” & “Not but Dust”, feel like the band’s grandest work to date. A over six-minute journey, “The Great Deceiver” opens beautifully with an extended instrumental section before the band begins the chaos that is about to ensue. This all-out assault on the senses features the best performance from the band, but most notably drummer M.K.’s nonstop impressive choices & the lead sections by guitarist Cruciatus are some of the most stunning & anguishing on the album. This track builds until it reaches its peak past the midway point, where the band brings in these heavy, groovy sections, which had me headbanging in my seat instantly. A great catchy huge riff & solo together is a great pairing. As the track begins to close out, the band brings the track to its perfect conclusion, which leaves you, the listener, so satisfied.
The final chapter of the album “Not but Dust” is a gorgeous instrumental classical-style piece that really encompasses the whole album’s dark beauty. A wonderful palette cleaner, but also it feels like a perfect bookend to the album & a classy way to draw the curtain on the album.
“Desolate Divine” is a superb album. Its whole sound has something for everyone, whether you like dark death metal, or your black metal with the side of death, or you are looking for something that blurs the lines of extreme metal completely, this album has it. Not only is the album’s sonics strong, but the band’s songwriting is some of the best I’ve heard this year. The song structures & touches the band add & overall labour of love, the album oozes hits you within the first track. This album is a true lesson in the darkly spiritual & will stay with you for a long time, that’s for sure.
Review: Joseph Mitchell
Desolate Divine is out via Dark Descent Records on 29th August 2025
Tracklist:
1. Gleam of the Morningstar
2. Bleed the Whore Again
3. Entreaty of the Very End
4. The Midnight God
5. Behold a Phosphorescent Dawn
6. Heave Ho Ye Igneous Leviathan
7. Desolate Divine
8. The Great Deceiver
9. Not but Dust
ChristButcher – Guitar/Vocals
Cruciatus – Lead Guitar
Apep – Bass/Vocals
M.K. – Drums
*Artwork depicted is of the vinyl artwork.
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