Nashville-based melodic black metal outfit, Lenax, made their mark with the release of their inaugural EP, "Purity," in the midst of October 2023. If you haven’t heard them, they’re dirty edged, thumpish and rasping melodic black metal that has a rock swagger.

Great EPs are better than most albums, and so it is with the perfectly formed ‘Purity’. The production on this hits a great balance - the guitars are impressively thick and powerful. What’s best though is the pounding enthusiasm of the drums, which speed along with weight and character. The faintest reverbs on the vocals malinger as if through the corridors of an abandoned mental hospital. It’s so, so spacious, particularly when it comes to the drums which have some of the best reverbed tone I’ve heard in ages. Highlights like ‘Shrouded Sight’ power through their own stamp of blackened, doomed yet razor sharp metallic punishment with not one concession to modernity. The last minute breaks out a surprising ending with some great melodic guitar lead and the excellent and driving forward basslines throughout should get a worthy mention. “Beneath The Chapel” gives off an Dimmu Borgir inspired feel but really it’s Satyricon around the time of “Volcano” that really come to mind.

Lenax, the progeny of Venomous' singular vision, has since metamorphosed into a formidable quartet. Born through verses that transcend the mere limits of human cognition and executed with a precision in musicianship that borders on the arcane, it confronts the fallacies of deity-worship, beckoning forth the titans of primordial lore.

‘Inversion’ on here embodies everything that makes them crush in one track. The slow, blackened sloping groove that kicks it off, in comes an accelerant pummel 4/4 beat that just begs to be fought to. It’s utterly deprived of filler and sets a bench mark for the rest of the EP. The EP ends on 'Of Greater Forces' which brings things back to form though with some searing fast sections and a much more ravishing raw approach.

Have a listen to the EP below ->

This 5-track offering is at times, embracing the raw, at others traversing the melodic, and occasionally delving into the realm of black 'n roll, this eclectic amalgamation ultimately bestows upon its audience quite the sonic tapestry while also drawing inspiration from esteemed black metal acts like Dark Funeral, Watain, and Enslaved. You can connect the dots here. The influences speak for themselves.

Lenax are my kind of band. They sound like themselves and dont appear to give much of a fuck anyhow – they get on with it, ploughing their own furrow, with a real sense of self. Look forward to what they build upon with these promising foundations. Recommended listening!

Check out Lenax here!