Review: प्रलय (Pralaya) – Beyond the Tattered Curtain of Unspeakable Madness

Nekrist January 6, 2026

Review by Nekrist

प्रलय (Pralaya) – Beyond the Tattered Curtain of Unspeakable Madness

Record Label: Ancient Dead Productions

Year: 2025

Rating: 8.5/10

The intricate world of Extreme Metal is so varied and vast that it’s impossible to dedicate the necessary time to every genre and “microgenre” that exists or has been invented. The so-called “War Metal,” which is really just a swampy concoction of elements of both Black and Death Metal (in some cases even Grindcore and Thrash), is precisely one of those «micro-styles» that, although I enjoy quite a lot, isn’t part of my regular music rotation. Let’s just say I need to be in the right mood to properly appreciate it fully.

A couple of days ago, I was exploring new bands to add to my Spotify catalog, and I stumbled across a band simply called “Pralaya,” with a name in Hindi and its equivalent in the Roman alphabet. Both the album cover and the band’s name immediately caught my attention, as anything related to Esotericism and Eastern spirituality holds a special place in my personal tastes. I saw an imposing figure of Shiva in his Bhairava form, perfectly illustrating the content within the record that I was about to listen to 5 times in a row.

प्रलय (Pralaya)

When I pressed the «play» button and «Beyond the Tattered Curtain of Unspeakable Madness» started blasting directly to my ears, I felt a sonic cataclysm assaulting my senses. It was pure auditory hatred that offered little respite (quite typical of this genre, though). Many people complain that these kinds of bands don’t bring anything new to the table because “they all sound the same.” However, I don’t agree with this statement, or at least not so radically. Let’s just say you have to know how to find the bands that use such musical formula successfully, and for me, Pralaya undoubtedly achieved that.

It’s a fairly uniform and consistent album, clocking in at just over half an hour. Pralaya displays a devastating display of musical fury. The vocals are exactly what you’d expect from a “War Metal” band: full of hatred and misanthropy, as if spitting caustic poison after every word screamed mercilessly into the microphone. The guitars are razor-sharp, slicing through the mix like a rain of blades, annihilating everything in their path. The drums are a demolition machine, attacking relentlessly, with a frenzied use of blast beats that brings some order to all of this unleashed chaos.

A particularly noteworthy aspect is the use of «breakdowns» in certain parts of the record, which bring the brakes on and allow the listener to enjoy slow, creeping passages that I like to call “neck-breakers.” This was probably my favorite element, as it balances the songs very well and adds some variety instead of being a massive, mindless onslaught of speed.

I’m sure that anyone who’s a fan of iconic bands in this style, like Proclamation or Teitanblood, will find something here to add to their collection, as each song is an anthem that hastens the arrival of the Great Destruction (Mahapralaya) of the current Manvantara (Great Cosmic Cycle) after the opening of Shiva’s Eye cutting throught the Veil of Maya.

I don’t have much more to add, except to enthusiastically recommend listening to this Polish band while enjoying a good beer and maybe even a cigar—excellent material.