Few are the black metal bands whose claim to the throne of the underground scene is as strong as Germany's Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult. They have come to exemplify the genre's finest virtues in their music, which continues to express a seething hatred for humanity in a cold and brutal fashion.

Nocturnal March could well be the soundtrack to the apocalypse. I have rarely heard such fire and raw passion in black metal since the demos of Emperor, and this is in no small way due to the bloodthirsty vocals of Onielar. The guitar, bass and drum tracks create a chilling thunder that is all pure Slaughtercult, and each song is a merciless barrage of violence, interspersed with passages of dark ambient terror.

"Scaffold Salvation" is one of the band’s finest tracks, made all the more effective by the dark ambient track "Whispers of Arcane Cimonar" that follows. "The Dead Hate the Living" is equally impressive, mixing hyperspeed blasts with 5/4 shuffle and nice double bass drum assaults.

The battle for the album's best track however, would have to between the infernal magnificence of "Through Rotting Stench" and 'Nocturnal March," an anthem for the armies of darkness. Trust me, if you only buy ONE black metal album this year... (9.5/10)