This is the first I’ve heard of Mortualia and right off the bat one thing is apparent: this sounds nothing like what I’m used to hearing from Shatraug’s other projects. Where Sargeist, Horna, and Behexen tracks are usually shorter, punchier affaires, the songs on Blood of the Hermit are much longer, much slower, and have a distinctly depressive bent to them. Spanning from ten to twelve minutes, just five tracks make up the album’s nearly hour-long runtime and range from slow to mid-paced, but are most frequently slow-paced. Slow-paced and long? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Now ordinarily I’d think so. I prefer my black metal to be short fast-paced, but this formula works brilliantly on Blood of the Hermit.

These five tracks are full of repetition (all the better to drain your soul of any and all warmth) and occasional bouts of minimalism. Shatraug takes maybe two or three riffs per song and a simple drum pattern and creates a masterpiece. There are even times where he harps on a single riff for a few minutes without change, but the thing is, it never gets boring. Instead, this constant repetition is completely and utterly enthralling. Like the monotony of everyday life, these torturous riffs and pained shrieks are all consuming and paint an incredibly cold and grim picture, without going overboard and wallowing in self-pity like depressive black metal so often does. But Blood of the Hermit is not only painfully depressive, but also extremely beautiful as well. Despite the somewhat raw production, piteous wails, and overall bleak atmosphere, the riffs manage to be both depressing and beautiful at the same time. I knew Shatraug had an unrivaled ability to craft melodies before listening to this album, but this is on a whole ‘nother level. Just stupendous work all around.

Quite honestly I’m having difficulty describing the music on Blood of the Hermit and just how fantastic it is. Not because it’s extremely unorthodox and ambiguous; it’s something else. While listening to the album it’s almost like having a nightmare. During its runtime, the pictures it paints and emotions it evokes are so incredibly stark and vivid. But after it’s done, you don’t really remember any of the specifics. The exact points and clarity are lost, and you just remember the way it made you feel. And at the end of Blood of the Hermit you feel completely drained and empty, yet oddly fulfilled and complete.

Simply put, Blood of the Hermit is an absolute masterpiece. I oftentimes feel sad, knowing that the heights reached by black metal in the nineties can never be reached again. But then albums like this come along and blow me away, completely shattering my doubts and giving me hope. Blood of the Hermit is not only the best piece of depressive black metal I’ve ever heard, but also one of the best black metal releases period. This album is an absolute essential for fans of black metal, depressive or otherwise, and if you don’t own a copy, you’d better rectify that mistake immediately.