This obscure black metal band only issued a handful of releases from 2008-2011, before shunning Christian lyrical themes for their final release in 2014. “Howls of Worship” is taken from their self-titled EP and also appears on the full-length To Known Hell (what is it with extreme metal’s deliberate use of incorrect grammar?), and is a full-on black metal worship anthem:
Come let us worship and bow down
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker
Come let us worship and bow down to our maker
While it’s awesome to have a full-on worship song in the extreme metal format, that is not the track’s sole accomplishment. Despite my close ties to the band (the mystery members are very dear friends of mine and I even wrote some of the band’s lyrics, though not this track), objectively speaking “Howls of Worship” is probably the finest example of atmospheric black metal ever created. From the irregular 7/4 time signatured, shoegaze intro to the the blastbeats and nasty-sounding guitar riffs, to the literal howls, it’s an absolute masterpiece!