Two years after the release of their debut album, The Unlawful Assembly, British black metal trio, DAWN RAY'D return with Behold Sedition Plainsong; a call to arms and a potential catalyst for positive radical change.

From the evocative intro (Raise The Flails) with its rallying cry -'It's time for new tales of resistance' - through to The Curse The Dappled Light at the album's climax, Behold Sedition Plainsong comprises of 11 tracks of what will surely become their trademark sound: pure black metal, shot through with sonic flecks of traditional folk.

Each song is an emotional response to a political struggle, with a clear focus on ecological destruction and anti-capitalism.

That the lyrics are poetic is by design; inspired by the likes of Sharon Olds, Yannis Ritsos and John Burnside, words are employed to channel both texture and meaning in a creative and nuanced manner.

Whilst their message is unwavering and bound by anger, DAWN RAY'D take an imaginative route with the method they use to convey it.

On Like Smoke into Fog, a caustic defiance burns through the core of the track; whilst the missive bristles with the chill of cold black metal, it does little to salve the white hot indignation and clarion call contained in the accompanying words.

By recounting bloody historical events - such as the Kronstadt Rebellion on To All, To All, To All! - DAWN RAY'D holds a mirror up to behaviours in the present, positing a challenge and an opportunity for action.