Andy Calderbank
Underdark mastered the art of bleak presentation in 2023 with Managed Decline, which stretched the boundaries of black metal, post-rock and other petrified accessories into a record of perfectly captured nihilism. Since then, their performances have stunned with ferocity and raw intensity, with devastating sets at Arctangent, Damnation, and Germany’s Culthe Festival cementing them as arguably the UK’s most unforgiving metal spectacle.
Underdark’s latest tale of grim observation, O Come Forth Annihilation, sees them dive deeper into the rotten hypocrisy of present-day Britain. After our introduction comes an ambitious eleven-minute passage of ‘The Hit Piece,’ a bleak slab of corrosive disdain aimed at our media overlords and the open sewer of stories they peddle. Beginning with thunder ringing in every pounding drum, vocalist Abi Vasquez’s monologue of vitriol sits at the top of the throat, on the verge of attack. Its atmosphere is as haunting as any Amenra track; its soaring guitars are glittering, and its vocals are rabid and tear into flesh with a fury only found in black metal’s icy tundra. Vasquez sounds like she has the subject by the throat, digging a claw further into the corporate cancer which has summoned such despair.
‘The Hit Piece’ is emblematic of the album, as it charges between the halls of the genres which make up Underdark’s genetic structure. It begins with a near crescendo from the climax of atmospheric post-metal into peak post-black metal before stampeding out into its second half with blast beats. Its second half is a soaring and desperate crawl into ascendancy as Vasquez sends her anguish skyward, speaking for the angry mob who have reached a breaking point with those in control; she darkens their door to demand answers.
‘Death of a Toolmaker’ is a no-frills onslaught with the rage of Vasquez firmly planted within the black metal assault. Drummer Dan Blackmore’s drums march with an unrelenting will as tremolo picking rattles through its eight minutes, aiming at politicians wearing a working-class costume to appeal to the masses. ‘Hollow Platitudes’ brings brief reprieve as its ominous gathering of elements soars like a murmuration gathering in the skies as the vague rage of Vasquez echoes in and out. It’s post-rock in its spirit and lets every nerve rest for just a moment.
Swinging like a sentient sledgehammer, ‘Foucalt Wept’ is the most impressive track on the album, as it moves with a sense of forewarning, almost optimistic in its dynamic. It brings about a sense that changes are coming. Guitarists Adam Kinson and Ollie Jones are harmonic and synchronised, weaving the track effortlessly around its six minutes. There is a confidence and directness in Underdark throughout the album, but no more so than the single ‘Non Linear Warfare’, which crashes with ferocious tremolos signalling the end times as Vasquez condemns our ‘force-fed despair’ and begs for the annihilation we so richly deserve. It’s a prime example of Underdark combining the angelic post-rock with their black metal beating heart; the conclusion of ‘Non Linear Warfare’ is a portion of the album worth framing, a flawless tandem of the sanguine post-rock and torturous black metal.
Underdark’s confidence in their craft is turning them into an entity similar to Deafheaven. Taking genres close to their DNA and, with some inspired genetic engineering, creating something without equal. Nihilism is the backbone of most black metal, but Underdark have found the formula to take it to new depths.