Sonic Reign are a German black metal duo. Their debut CD was originally released last year on their own label, but had very limited distribution. Metal Blade signed the band, and now a lot more people will be exposed to Sonic Reign's style of black metal.
Ben and Sebastian make up Sonic Reign, and even though their less than metal first names sound more like a folk duo, these guys keep things grim and evil. Raw Dark Pure is an apt title for the CD. Their style of black metal is definitely raw and dark, and has influences of early BM artists like Mayhem and Darkthrone.
There are some really catchy riffs on the album along with brutal blast beats and dark intensity. Sonic Reign can get into a real groove without sacrificing any of their black metal credibility. The production is almost too clean. It doesn't need to be low-fi, but giving it a little rougher edge might have been more effective. Still, this is a quality CD that will appeal to black metal fans.
