Alexander von Meilenwald’s Ruins Of Beverast has been one of black metal’s best-kept secrets, a one-man master class in dark atmosphere and epic riffs. With Blood Vaults, Meilenwald waded into some harrowing territory: the concept album. Adhering to the “Go big or go home” philosophy, Blood Vaults is a concept album that follows Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer at work. The commitment to storytelling means that Blood Vaults largely forsakes a traditional album format — there are lengthy ambient scene-setting breaks (something Meilenwald’s always been fond of), and songs are regularly interrupted by spoken-word bits from a cast of characters that includes what sounds like a demon, our pal Heinrich, and a witch. While the tracks on Blood Vaults aren’t always typical “songs,” Blood Vaults has more than its share of serious fucking black metal grandeur, for instance, track 3, “Malefica,” is an achievement that anyone that calls him or herself a fan of the genre should hear. Guitars are thick, vocal delivery is purely demonic, and cryptic accents, a plucked guitar here, a growl from the depths there, a chanting choir, are the work of a master pushing the limits of black metal. –Wyatt [LISTEN]