Artist: Selenite Scrolls
Country: Belgium
Label: Medieval Prophecy Records
Formats: CD
Year: 2026
Black Metal fans now know that Belgium is finally and unequivocally a force to be reckoned with when it comes to delivering quality. It’s no longer just about Ancient Rites and Enthroned (and even then, really only their 90s legacy). Especially if you prefer the slightly less conventional or Norwegian-inspired Black Metal, you’ll find plenty to enjoy in the Belgian scene. Although most of the attention is focused on bands such as Forbidden Temple and, previously, Moenen Of Xezbeth and Perverted Ceremony, the less prolific bands are also more than worth checking out. Coincidence or not, two of the acts that operate somewhat more in the shadows are releasing their debut albums at the same time. I covered Mischievous Wraith a few days ago; now it’s Selenite Scrolls’ turn.
To get straight to the point, ‘Channeling The Egregore’ is without a doubt one of the best Black Metal releases ever to come out of Belgium and, as such, one of the most impressive releases from the already excellent Medieval Prophecy Records label. Although I must admit that, in my view, the label has had a few ‘misses’ over the last two years, the latest few releases have drawn me right back into the ‘fan camp’. ‘Channeling The Egregore’ is typically the sort of release that made the label so special at the end of the 2010s; it felt like the end of the Raw Black Metal craze in which labels such as Perverse Homage and Black Gangrene Productions ruled the roost, but above all it felt like a breath of fresh air in the Black Metal scene. It offered Black Metal with depth and a deeply rooted occult atmosphere, partly based on Beherit, Demoncy, Mystifier and Varathron, as well as the somewhat more obscure bands, mainly from Brazil and Poland.
And to be specific, Selenite Scrolls sits right in the middle. The music is driven by thick layers of sinister-sounding keyboards, which inevitably invites comparisons with such bands. The label itself, incidentally, mentions similarities with Moonblood, Bekhira and Judas Iscariot; I actually hear that to a lesser extent, but whatever you take from the music yourself, it’s abundantly clear that it’s all about that authentic, ancient and mystical atmosphere. This is Black Metal that isn’t about breakneck tempos or a rocking Hellhammer-esque style; Selenite Scrolls clearly has more in common with Gehenna than with Venom. However, the band’s sure instinct for gripping compositions and the enchanting atmosphere, which is at times enhanced by surprising guitar work, as in the closing track ‘Bizarre Saturnalia’, mean that Selenite Scrolls is much more than the sum of its sources of inspiration. With ‘Channeling Of The Egregore’, the band has proven that it has become an entity in its own right; one that pays a grateful nod to the past, yet now stands entirely on its own two feet.
Anyone who has listened to both demo tapes, released in 2020 and 2022, will be amazed by the progress the band has made on ‘Channeling The Egregore’. Both demos, ‘Spectral Dirges from An Eerie Past’ and ‘Through Gnarled Woods And Glowing Haze…’ respectively, already offered a clear glimpse of what the band stands for, but, as it now turns out, that was actually more of a foretaste of the magnificent work these gentlemen have produced here. Whether this debut album will pull the band out of obscurity remains to be seen, but it is already clear that it will go down in the annals of connoisseurs as a contemporary little masterpiece.
