Some black metal records aim to impress with speed or atmosphere. Others try to capture the essence of evil. Kathaaria just want to watch the genre melt and mutate, and with To Be Shunned By All… As Centres Of Pestilence, they’ve done exactly that. Fourteen years after their debut, this German duo delivers a six-track LP that feels like it was written during an exorcism and recorded in a bunker.

Released on September 23, 2022, via the ever-uncompromising End All Life Productions, this album is equal parts raw, weird, and cerebral. It opens with the searing “Agenda Nihil” — all twisting riffs, chaotic drumming, and shrieking vocals that sound more like suffering than performance. From there, the descent continues: “The Last Act of Rebellion” throws in angular tempo changes, and “Degenerate Encapsulate” goes full-on surreal with minimalist melodies and warped vocal arrangements.

There are moments of restraint — brief, suffocating calm — but they only make the inevitable explosion feel even more punishing. Songs like “The Judas Principle” and “Apathetic” balance their venom with a weirdly haunting beauty. You’ll hear hints of avant-garde Scandinavian black metal, with brushstrokes of prog, doom, and even a touch of Ephel Duath-style chaos — but none of it feels forced. Kathaaria are doing their own thing, and doing it with conviction.

And yes — this is the band’s final statement. A parting curse. There’s something even more powerful knowing that this will be the last we hear from them. No follow-up. No reunion. Just one final offering to the void, pressed to black wax and waiting to be spun loud in total darkness.