Review: Sickle of Dust's new album "Across the Vultures Trail"

Russian Epic Symphonic Black Metal band Sickle of Dust just released their 5th album called Across the Vultures Trail. 

On the email I received, it said it is appropriate for fans of Summoning (amongst other bands). I have to say yes, it reminds me a lot of Summoning. But it's so much heavier! I like it. I like the fact that it is actually similar but at the same time different.

I don't get a lot of this Epic Black Metal for reviews, but sometimes I do, and this time it really really impressed me.

So what can you expect? Long songs, yes, of course, wouldn't make sense otherwise, because these compositions are so full, so rich, that they must be properly contemplated and appreciated. So basically, it's around 40 minutes of beautiful music.

Across the Vultures Trail has 5 tracks. All of them very atmospheric, very epic, and very heavy as well. Track number 3 which has the same title as the album, surprised me very much in a very positive way. It might actually be my favourite song of the whole album. Why is that? Because it starts with very atmospheric strings on keyboards, sad melody actually, and when you're getting into it, and being completely taken to elsewhere and feeling dreamy and nostalgic, comes an explosion of beauty, the powerful drums and incisive melody, all the instruments combined, and then the voice which is just so fitting, so perfect in there. 

The whole album is so well put together, the balance between the melody and the heaviness and the more raw bits is so good. The voice is a more traditional Black Metal style, but neither too raw or too sanded down, it's just the ideal for the music. There is actually a clean singing in the last track The Black Stones Inn. Which brings the atmospheric side of the music to a different unexpected level. Good stuff. Different.

What else? The rhythmic bits and the atmospheric bits are very well distributed. The medieval kind of instruments on keyboards and synthesiser are exceptionally well composed and performed. Everything in the right place.

I'm sure Across the Vultures Trail will be on the top 10 releases of 2026 for Lachryma Christi. 

It is all so good, I love this album, I'm overwhelmed. It's beautiful. Majestic, magnificent, huge, enormous in fact, powerful, epic, strong, potent, sublime. Difficult to put it all into words, but here we are!