The Breathing Process

The Breathing Process make an immediate impression with their pagan-influenced artwork on In Waking: Divinity, which features a front and centre pentagram of dark things to come. The Breathing Process aren’t a full-blown black metal band but they bring a lot of the baggage from that style. "Lament Configuration” creates an atmosphere that’s continued throughout In Waking: Divinity with hushed piano, subtle strokes of violins and a sadistic, digitised voice. This is an ideal way to prepare for "Blessed, Be Thine Martyr,” as a barrage of high-paced death metal overflowing with blast beats is unfurled, remaining throughout this malevolent journey. For an apt musical comparison think of what Bleeding Through sound like but imagine actual musical enjoyment. This album is crawling with archaic religious themes, from cover art to track titles, for a devout package that’s paired lusciously with dark music, creating a ritualistic record.