Mara Comes and Darkness Shall Reign is heavy in the sense of the weight it carries when listening to it. It’s a dense pummeling black metal album that threads multiple subgenres together, mixing second wave, pagan, post black metal, melodic, atmospheric and even an element of folk with its acoustic sections.

The songs are often in the 7-8 minute range with diverse vocals featuring gutturals, melodic clean singing, and shriekingly painful singing. The layers of ambient keyboards and guitars Schreigarm uses create a space that makes the album feel best listened to when the sun is down.

In addition to the usual metal band instrument line up the album has a jew’s harp, occasional female vocals and other pagan elements as well. By combining the different shades of black metal the album stands out in its own heavy style. From the somber or despairing vocals to the shroud of guitar work the album is diverse within its main genre.

The more I listen to it the more I like it, and if you’re a fan of black metal then you’ll find something to enjoy in this album as well. Ultimately I will add a few songs to my black metal playlist, but the album as a whole is good listening. When the rain is pouring, it’s late at night, and I’m alone this will be the perfect music for that moment.

Would I see them live? Yes, definitely.