ZEAL & ARDOR

Self-Titled MVKA

Zeal & Ardor made waves en masse with their second album, Stranger Fruit. It received critical acclaim from virtually everywhere, proclaiming it to be one of the best records of 2018 (they also got shout outs from genre mainstay Dani Filth in multiple interviews). The band’s blend of black metal with traditional gospel music makes for an addictive, highly unusual, yet wholly genuine style. This self-titled effort brings back the blues, pummelling breakdowns, and Manuel Gagneux’s vicious screams. Zeal & Ardor remain enraged. Not only that, but by combining English and German-sung songs, protest (‘Bow’), and questioning metal music as we know it, the band excel at bringing listeners into their darkly bizarre world.