More than three decades have now passed since Euronymous’s murder at the hands of Varg Vikernes, and the Scandinavian icy fury and impenetrable mist that descends upon Black Metal – fuelled by misanthropic, not to say homicidal/suicidal, instincts – has been fading from the ‘trve kvlt’ purism of the nihilist and edgelord horde to increasingly embrace the campy theatrics of corpsepaint. From the meme-ification of Immortal, through the sleaziness of Carpathian Forest, to the Lord of the Rings-esque lore of Summoning, the figure of Mortiis and his pivotal role in Dungeon Synth, right through to Old Nick’s anti-NSBM satire, a whole, progressively more self-aware imaginary world of this fantasy is traced, culminating in the music of Powerplant. A London-born delusion born of the mind of Ukrainian Theo Zhykharyev, which has amassed a virtual cult following over the years and is now a band in its own right. Drawing inspiration from the Misfits’ garage punk, the gothic strand of post-punk, the damp atmospheres of Dungeon Synth and, of course, Black Metal, Powerplant embody the genre’s tropes with a cool vibe and without pretension, showcasing on their latest album – Bridge of Sacrifice – their versatility in utterly memorable textures amidst a kaleidoscopic jumble. Amidst the harsh screams of black metal and a clean vocal that is (strangely) reminiscent of Layne Staley whilst also indulging in indie and/or gothic excesses, Powerplant achieve the feat of transforming all this apparent jumble of tremolo picking, rock riffs, martial beats, epic synths and acoustic passages into a natural process centred on the song. All done in a manner that is as honest as it is self-aware.

BS