ALBUM REVIEW: Blackbraid III – Blackbraid

Like its predecessors, the latest BLACKBRAID album is a near-hypnotic experience. The atmosphere conjured here is arguably its strongest component; the combination of ragged, melancholic black metal with folk music and indigenous folklore is handled beautifully and makes for a spellbinding listen. Close your eyes while playing it and you’ll be transported to the dense forests of North America, centuries before the coming of the white man. And that won’t change even when the dissonant guitar riffs surge into life.

As the name suggests, this is their third full-length and it’s a worthy follow-up to their breakthrough second album. Blackbraid II was met with near-universal critical acclaim back in 2023, and while we’d argue that Blackbraid III isn’t quite as good, it is nonetheless an exceptional record. It walks a similar path and alternates between blistering heaviness and eerie melodicism, with acoustic guitars, pan flutes and blast beats interweaved together. It’s very much a continuation of what they’ve already done, but that’s not a drawback. BLACKBRAID are at a comparatively early point in their career and their music is still fresh and inviting.

That’s mainly because of how deeply evocative they are, even when spattered with blood. Tracks like God Of Black Blood are as violent as dismembering a deer carcass with a hatchet, but there’s an aching sadness to them as well. One moment, there’s a spiralling, spite-laden guitar solo playing over a backdrop of tribal drumbeats, and the next there’s a melancholic passage with generations of pain etched into it. The lyrics are hard to decipher, but you may still find yourself shedding a tear or two.

Now, at this point we understand entirely if this sounds like a load of pretentious, hipster guff. But while there is serious depth to BLACKBRAID, they also get the job done and are more than capable of delivering pure, ass-kicking heavy metal. Wardrums At Dawn On The Day Of My Death is a furious, bang-head-constantly opener with an almost blackened thrash vibe, while Tears Of The Dawn is utterly ruthless. At over nine minutes in length, this one seems custom made to punish neck muscles and root out clout-chasers at the same time.

In other words, this is BLACKBRAID doing BLACKBRAID things and doing them very well. It’s reminiscent of bands like WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM with a Native spin, delivered with a passion and skill that’s enviable. The songs are impressive enough to make the climactic LORD BELIAL cover seem like an afterthought, and there are plenty of little intricacies to reward repeat plays. The last few years have seen main man Sgah’gahsowáh become a minor icon of American black metal, and while this won’t silence the grumbles of genre purists, Blackbraid III is exceptional. It’s textured, heavy, spine-chilling, well-written, and conclusive proof that you don’t need to be worshipping Satan in the depths of a Scandinavian winter to make high quality black metal.

Rating: 9/10

Blackboard III is out now via self release.

Follow BLACKBRAID on Instagram.