Icelandic black metal may be a trendy style in the underground and perhaps the few layers interspersed between it and the black metal “mainstream,” but it’s got good reason to be. Deftly balancing sweeping melodies with unsettling dissonance; focusing its propelling force on gnarly, expansive riffs and shimmering flourishes; and boiling blood with hoarse rasps and screeching wails, the style is vivacious and vicious in equal measure. Enter Sentries, a newly minted multinational black metal quartet not from Iceland but owing their sound to the tenets of that region’s style. Hailing from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Norway, Sentries’ debut LP Disciples of Void & Fire promises all of those shadowed terrors that black metal imprints on the soul, but can it live up to expectations?
Sadly, Sentries forgot the main thing that makes this particular subset of quasi-dissonant, quasi-melodic black metal work: songwriting. Stylistically, they nail the aesthetics, recalling genre stalwarts Sinmara and Misþyrming and aligning well with current upstarts like Vafurlogi. Scorching trem-picked walls of sound bend around writhing and warped melodies that teeter on the edge of dissonance and toy with eerie mischievousness. Hoarse roars barely intelligible calls from the depths, like some unseen otherworldly being. Percussive attack alternates between blasts and double-bass runs, with ample fills in between. On paper it should work, but in practice it lacks the same riotous energy and bristling restlessness that set this style apart. Consequently, Disciples feels generic, anemic, and lackluster compared to its compatriots.
A lack of variation and inventiveness doomed Disciples of Void & Fire from the start. Opener “Arise, Thou Who Dwelleth in the Deep” offers one decent multi-measure refrain but repeats it ad nauseam, with very little in the way of a bridge to break it up. A monotonous pace throughout perpetuates this lack of ideas on other tracks like “Dying Stars and Skies Ablaze” and “Into the Dawn Beyond Mortality.” Monochromatic walls of tremolos move with zero urgency, despite the desperate howls that aim to motivate and muster. Percussion alternates between two main modes, and rarely deviates from blasting or running except to offer a fill that runs through motions rather than froth the glands (“Sentries of Stone and Hatred”). Leads try to offer some shimmer and spice, with relative standout refrains elevating “Laceration of Ages” and “Towards the Monolith of Grief” somewhat, but don’t commit enough to pulling interest and commanding presence to be effective. When evaluating these concerns in concert, it’s clear that Disciples simply lacks personality, and can’t compete in this crowded field with any expectation of success. Its muffled mixing does it no favors, either. Disciples’ engineering buries the drums in particular far enough that certain would-be big moments feel diminutive and frail (“Dying Stars and Skies Ablaze”).
All the same, Sentries shows some promise here. Every performer can clearly play, and the vocals exhibit enough gusto in their utterances and frequent “oughs” that I can imagine the rest of the band is engaged and enthusiastic. Brief flashes of interest perk my ears to back that up in album highlight “Laceration of Ages.” While it occupies the same static tempo as the overwhelming majority of this material, “Laceration” boasts a mean riff that variates in cool ways after midpoint. Some fabulous cymbal work throughout further sets this track above the others. The second half of “Dying Stars and Skies Ablaze” presents unexpected modal shimmers from the guitars that cooperate with sophisticated bass counterpoint, which complements eerie chants that foreshadow that segment. “Towards the Monolith of Grief” tricks me at first into thinking it plagiarizes earlier melodies, but subversively bounces and ping-pongs around the frets in such a way as to surprise and entertain. It also features the first considerable departure from the mid-paced amble that the rest of the record doggedly adheres to, which helps it instantly stand out.
These small nuggets give me hope that with time and more attention to songwriting dynamics, Sentries might find their voice and push their creativity to the heights necessary to make an impact in this field. As it stands, Disciples is a record of missed opportunities and squandered time. Not enough ideas exist to justify an average song length exceeding six minutes, and there’s very little in the way of excitement to speak of in the songwriting or pacing departments. I expected a lot more considering the pedigree on the roster, and I’m disappointed with the product. But I believe there is something salvageable here. It just needs more guts and gall.
Rating: Disappointing
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Amor Fati Productions
Websites: sentriesvoid.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: November 6th, 2026