Artist: Blood Spirit
Country: Australia
Label: Dark Adversary
Formats: CD
Year: 2026
Just a couple of weeks after the release of the ‘Zeal For Blood’ demo tape, this Australian band is back again to present their debut full-length album. Composed of musicians who had already made their mark on the Australian Black Metal scene with bands like Drowning The Light, Tyrannic, and Nazxul, it came as no surprise that this line-up would deliver another top-notch Black Metal album.
The demo, released in early April already revealed a bit of what we were to expect from the band, it only contained two tracks, but the intention was more than clear. In the review for ‘Zeal For Blood’ I drew comparisons with such bands as Branikald and Drudkh. It turns out that the two tracks from the cassette tape made a reappearance on this debut album, so they gave a pretty good idea of what this follow-up would sound like: exactly the same, in other words.
But, to be honest, that’s not entirely accurate. Or at least, it didn’t quite capture the full essence of the album. When listening to ‘Granite Eternity’ in its entirety, it becomes clear that the pagan vibe and atmosphere are even more pronounced, and the album has an even stronger Eastern European character. Although as a whole, Blood Spirit sounds a bit sharper and heavier on the drum section, it feels closest to Graveland from from the mid-90s, after their wild pure Black Metal beginnings and before becoming full-on epic Bathory-ridden Pagan Black Metal. Whether intentional or not, even Azgorh’s rather atypical rasp sounds surprisingly like Rob Darken’s.
The atmospheric parts in the music, sometime merely soundscapes, acoustic strumming or long drawn-out and repetitive guitar riffs, do evoke much of the same intensity of that of the aforementioned bands from Eastern European or Russian origin. It is therefore highly recommended for people who are much into late 90s and early 00s raw Black Metal mystique and grandeur. Besides Graveland, Branikald and Drudkh, this also bears similarities with early Sear Bliss, Walknut, Old Wainds, Veles, Infernum, Forest and early Nokturnal Mortum. Excellent debut album!
