Every so often, a record drops into my lap that makes me grin like a maniac and mutter to myself, “This is why I love Black Metal.” That was my exact reaction the first time I spun Ordo Acherontis by Codex Nero. This isn’t just another addition to the already-overstuffed pile of black-clad releases we get every year. No, this one is a slice of pure Black Metal heaven… or, more fittingly, hell. A record that bows to the past, acknowledges its roots, but refuses to be shackled by nostalgia. Instead, it sharpens the old tools and uses them to carve new scars into the genre’s future.

The riffs come out of the gate with that classic icy edge, tremolo-picked into oblivion, but there’s a sharpness to the execution that feels modern without being sterile. The guitars cut like knives, every chord ringing out with venom, while the drumming swings between blast-beaten fury and pounding, ritualistic weight. This isn’t the sound of a band aping second-wave tropes — it’s the sound of a band who get it, who understand what makes Black Metal tick and how to use that knowledge to forge something vital.

Atmosphere is king here. From the opening moments to the final note, Ordo Acherontis wraps you in its claws and drags you down into its world. There’s a bleak, yet suffocating, grandeur running through the whole thing — not the symphonic, keyboard-drenched grandeur of the Dimmu Borgir school, but the kind that comes from sheer conviction in the riffs themselves. Codex Nero conjure landscapes of fire and ash with their guitars alone, and the vocals — unhinged, venomous gutteral tones torn from the throat of something half-human, half-demonic — only make the immersion stronger.

What I admire most about this record is how well it balances tradition with progression. You can hear the echoes of the old guard — Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, Immortal — in the DNA, but this isn’t a retro-worship exercise. Instead, Codex Nero take that framework and build on it. The song structures twist in unexpected ways, the riffs shift gears without warning, and the pacing keeps you on edge throughout. There’s a forward momentum here that tells you this band isn’t content to sit in the shadows of giants; they’re carving out their own path through the abyss.

Production-wise, it hits the sweet spot. It’s not lo-fi in the sense of sounding like it was recorded on a broken tape deck in a basement, but it’s far from polished or glossy. Everything is clear enough to hit hard, but there’s still grit in the mix, still a rawness that keeps the danger intact. This is Black Metal, after all — it should sound like it could bite you.

If there’s one thing Ordo Acherontis proves, it’s that black metal still has teeth in 2025. For all the talk about the genre being over-saturated, burnt out, or endlessly repeating itself, records like this come along to remind us that there are still bands pushing, still bands willing to take the torch and set whole new landscapes to the flame.

Codex Nero have made a statement with this release. It’s a reminder that the spirit of Black Metal — that balance of tradition, innovation, and uncompromising aggression — is alive and well. And more than that, it’s proof that when done right, this music still has the power to completely swallow your soul.

Ordo Acherontis by Codex Nero is out now via Liber Khaos Productions.

CHOICE CUT: Let The Darkness Reborn

The Black Metal Archives Verdict: Unholy & Unmissable — a furious, atmospheric slab of black metal that honours its roots while blazing a path forward.

RATING SYSTEM:

• Ashes Worth Sifting Through
• Torches in the Fog
• Black Flame Burns Bright
• Unholy & Unmissable
• Skull-Crushingly Essential