I noticed that most of the information about Black River online emphasizes that the Dimmu Borgir live drummer and current Behemoth bassist are in the band. Perhaps it makes marketing sense to mention them, but those associations have nothing to do with the music here, and since neither member played on the '90s material of those bands, I don't personally care at all. What I did find more interesting is the band is a continuation of a later lineup of former Adipocere signee Neolithic (only one guy from their early doom/death stuff appears here, though).
Nothing extreme here, just hard rock with varying amounts of stoner/Southern influences. The guitars are generally heavy enough to give it a fairly metallic feel, although much of the songwriting feels relatively mainstream. The more straightforward hard rocking material isn't exceptional, but it's pleasant enough. I almost wish they had stuck to it more because their attempts at more emotive stuff (sometimes incorporating very mild gothic metal elements) are kind of sappy and weak, and whenever they try to go for heavier material they generally resort to modern groove metal riffage. The title track stands out because it's far, far punkier than anything else on the album. The verse sections sound a lot like Graves-era Misfits (the rest of the song, not so much). Not an awful use of a dollar but lacking quite a bit as a diversion from full-on metal.
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