ILL OMEN (OZ) – ‘The Grande Usurper’ MCD Digipack

A prolific force within the Australian black metal underground, ILL OMEN has built a canon of enviably massive proportions – and not just ‘massive’ in size, but rather in the heights/depths to which mainman IV aims. Much like he has in his death metal-oriented vehicle TEMPLE NIGHTSIDE, IV scours the murk with single-minded intent, but with ILL OMEN, he pursues a vision of black metal that’s ceremonial and sinuous, often slowly drifting like fog lingering across an empty grave.