It was but the autumn of 2019 when Marras burst from the void, fully formed, with their widely celebrated debut album, Where Light Comes to Die. Although a then-brand-new entity, the black metal this Finnish formation conjured forth exuded an ageless wisdom - which is not surprising given that the Marras' members hail several highly respected bands.
Now, as this cursed epoch continues on, Marras swiftly return with their second album, Endtime Sermon. Indeed aptly titled, Endtime Sermon sonically encapsulates the haunted (and haunting) sensations of these incredibly dark days: mania, depression, hopelessness, fear, longing, DEATH. That the expanded sextet can take these varied-yet-related sensations and brew them into black metal of a most quintessentially Finnish aspect and make each track a new-yet-unified experience is something special, and further proof that the Marras of Where Light Comes to Die was no fluke. If anything, Endtime Sermon spans delirious violence and stoic mysticism with equal aplomb, all joined together by a through-thread of the (darkly) cinematic, but the message remains the same: there still is no light, and these are the endtimes whether we accept the fact or choose to ignore it.
There will be ignoring Marras upon the release of Endtime Sermon. Heed their wisdom, or perish unenlightened.
