Exterminas are one of those not-so-rare breed of melodic black metal bands that throw out the idea of keyboards and keep the atmosphere exclusively with the guitars. It's been done to death since the early 90's, but I tend to have a soft spot in my heart for these groups. After all, who needs keyboards anyway? Their usage either makes your recording sound pretentious or overtly polished, and when I'm relaxing on my sofa ready to jam something fierce, I don't want to have images of Disneyland popping in my head just so the musicians can capture a "feel." I personally think that the production wins on "Seventh Demoniacal Hierarchy," having a solid four piece (guitar, bass, drummer, and vocalist) with limited overdubs and a well-rounded sound. Of course, "The Presage" opens things up as a meaningless intro (as it includes the previously bashed keyboard section), but the next few ditties evoke a somber traditional black metal approach. "When All Becomes Nothing" feels a little shoegaze at times, then starting and stopping quickly while maintaining a mid-tempo pace that doesn't impress for the next few tracks. "The Demigod" (track 4) gives the listener a heads up with what's about to come, blasting and grinding for a few minutes with some catchy riffs (probably a little too catchy and dainty at times), but it's not until the title track that this album starts to blast off. "Seventh Demoniacal Hierarchy" is simply an untamed badass of a song, reminiscent of the best early 90's black metal that comes to mind. "Hymn To War" is exceptional as well, and the momentum continues through the bludgeoning "Join the Legion." It's unfortunate that this pace does not continue through the rest of the album, as everything starts to grow wearisome by "A New Beginning," and, of course, everything is nullified by the album's instrumental closer "Our Dawn." Music City Studio shines as the star here overall, as the album's production is nothing short of immaculate. I mean, how many black metal albums have you heard where the bass guitar is actually audible? Additionally, I can see Exterminas becoming a major player with future releases, but this debut is sure to please the mo