Russian black metal institution Blackdeath was formed by brothers Para Bellum and Abysslooker in 1998. Well, at least 1998 is when they became Blackdeath. From 1995 through 1996 the band was known as Draugwath and between 1998 and 1998 the band was known as Black Draugwath. In 1998 the band switched to their Blackdeath moniker and hasn?t looked back. Blackdeath has had a rather storied history, including splits with the prolific Finnish act Bloodhammer and French band Mortifera, but chances are if you?ve heard their name before it?s because of their split releases with Horna and Leviathan in 2005. The current incantation of Blackdeath shows Para Bellum on bass and vocals, Abysslooker on guitars and Maya on drums, who joined the band in 2007. 2013 saw the release of the band?s seventh full length album, Phobos. Most of the band?s career has showed the band playing raw, lo-fi black metal in the vein of Clandestine Blaze and Krieg. Moving almost hand in hand with Blackdeath?s transition into German language, the band has been steadily increasing the oddball, avant-garde factor in their music. While Blackdeath has always sported of the most interesting vocal styles in black metal, it really didn?t fall over the edge until the German lyrics became a focus. The vocal style on Phobos focuses on frenetic, snarled rasps mixed with a clear and hollow mid-range vocal style that focuses on the rolled ?R?s? and guttural vocal patterns of the German language. The vocals aren?t the only thing that?s off-kilter with Blackdeath, though, as the music of Phobos guides you through a mind altering landscape of raw black metal, psychedelic song structures and just plain weirdness. The result is a difficult, complex yet ENORMOUSLY rewarding black metal album. Voivod playing black? Absolutely fitting.