A controversial and punishing black metal outfit based out of Beirut, Lebanon, Ayat employ an alternately polarizing and engaging blend of anti-religious punk, industrial, and extreme death metal. Formed in 2000 by Reverend Filthy Fuck and Mullah Sadogoat, the group issued a pair of demos (2001′s Possession of Sister Clair and 2002′s Al Nabi Mojrem Moghtaseib Dajjal, and an EP (Al Nabi Moujrem, Moughtaseb, Dajjal) before dropping their debut long-player, Six Years of Dormant Hatred, in 2008 via Moribund Records. The LP brought the group underground acclaim — and death threats — but it would be nine years before they would release a follow-up. The resulting Carry On, Carrion, which featured button-pushing titles like “Raw War (Beirut Unveils Her Pussy Once More)” and “Every Time a Child Says ‘I Don’t Believe in Allah’ There Is a Little Allah Somewhere That Falls down Dead,” arrived in 2017. ~ James Christopher Monger