New black metal formation, Illusive Key, has announced 8 October as the release date for its striking debut album, Consume Us, which Amor Fati Productions will release on CD and vinyl. The band has shared the first glimpse of what's to come, "Ghosts".

A bolt from the blue, but perhaps not totally unexpected, given its esteemed membership: Illusive Key is as accurately monikered as its public debut, Consume Us, is compellingly titled. We'll dispense with the too-oft-abused "supergroup" tag and say that the trio includes MK of Häxenzijrkell, CSQN of Trogne, and the absurdly prolific Déhà. Not surprisingly, their work as Illusive Key is black metal that's both stridently traditional and concertedly hallucinogenic.

Comprising four elongated, time-evaporating tracks across a taut 32 minutes, Consume Us bears the characteristic catharsis of its creators, that pulsing-ever-onwards tension teasingly leading to almost-unbearable release. Its obsidian jetstream initially seems skeletal on the surface, but, as expected, with the likes of these three, there are subtle layers built up into a fascinating tableau of tweaked sound. As such, Consume Us was recorded at Déhà's Opus Magnum Studios, lending a true auteur's touch that thankfully doesn't forego black metal's core fundamentals. The only option, then, is to follow the title's lead and allow oblivion to embrace thee. Link