A Bleak King Cometh is like a molotov cocktail casually tossed into the stave church of black metal orthodoxy. The band self-describe as “ancient future black metal” which is as helpful as it is not. <a href="https://qasu.bandcamp.com/album/a-bleak-king-cometh">A Bleak King Cometh by Qasu</a>‘The Bitter Waters Of The Abyssal Sea’ opens with a moment of plush ambience before descending into a pit of industrialised terror that suggests Godflesh by way of Mayhem. Shapeshifters like Darkthrone and Ulver have shown that it is possible to create viable, landmark works of black metal while appreciating and exploring other creative avenues. and the interlinked worlds of Wold and Black Mecha: artists who understand what makes black metal tick, but want to force its slippery substance into new shapes rather than be bound by expected norms.