Happy post Thanksgiving day to ye, or as it’s also known in some circles, Black Friday, and as our buds over at Axeology are celebrating, Black Metal Friday. Join me as I get about as close to Black Metal as I am likely to get, and check out a hidden gem I stumbled across on Bandcamp.

Into The Blue by Abstract Void is a sweet slice o’ synth-wave/retro-wave blended up with an atmospheric black metal base that makes for not only a surprisingly perfect mix, it’s a butt-load of fun to listen to. I am far from a synth-wave expert, and miles away from being a black metal fan, this has been in heavy rotation with me for months. It’s just fun.

I think because this EP is a mix of things that on paper you wouldn’t think would blend together is precisely why I love it so much. I have a problem with serious black metal, no matter the stories behind some of the big names, it’s often hilariously pretentious, and unintentionally funny.

In some ways you could call this an instrumental album, while there are vocals on the album, they are not up front, they are vocalizations, part of the instrumentation, blended into the background in almost a wash of screams. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite track, I start it up and let it play through, sometimes more than once in a row, it really is good stuff.

Into The Blue is available on Bandcamp, name your own price, check it out here.

-Kris