Lawless Darkness is the fourth studio album by Swedish black metal band Watain, released through Season of Mist, on 7 June 2010.

"[7] Expanding on the meaning behind the album, he said:The idea of Lawless Darkness is based upon the thought that light is an impulse of restriction and definition.

The darkness that we refer to is the primordial wellspring of Chaos that is the abode of our gods, and unto which their children, the bloodline of fire, shall return.

Meticulous descriptions of symbols, myth, ancient lore, magical work, everything that we needed to have woven into the artwork.

The box also contains a Watain symbol pendant with chain, a black candle in wrapping, a full colour flag and 10 tarot cards in a pocket, which have been specially designed (one for each song) by Erik Danielsson.

[12][13] The tour went ahead with Watain as the headlining act and included dates in Quebec, Washington, California, Texas, and New York.

According to Eduardo Rivadavia, writing for AllMusic, "Lawless Darkness is black metal through and through, and Watain even make a point of retaining some cardboard-sounding drumbeats in honor of lo-fi pioneers like Venom and Bathory, ferchrissakes!

This is why purists looking for their fix need only look to the pulverizing fury unleashed by 'Death's Cold Dark', 'Total Funeral', and 'Kiss of Death', or the Emperor-worthy melodies swirling madly across 'Hymn to Qayin', or the majestic glacial desolation of 'Malfeitor' and the instrumental title track.

Finally, there's the ultimate swan dive into the abyss that is the 15-minute-long, all-encompassing 'Waters of Ain', which feels like a mini-album unto itself, and casts a blinding spotlight upon the full scale of Watain's latest, significant achievement for the advancement of black metal's cause.

Danielsson has a truly great black-metal voice, a ravaged and demonic back-of-the-throat gargle that only occasionally says anything I can decipher ('Rivers of blood!

Club gave it the title 'Just Don't Give A Fuck Award For 2010', writing that "The Swedish black metal provocateurs that make up Watain have built a career on pissing off fans, the press, and anyone else that happens to be paying attention.

But the band's not some talentless collective of media hackers: It backs its headache-inducing behavior with raw, savage, cutting-edge black metal, throwing in thrash, punk, and death elements just to keep things interesting.

"[28] A variety of prominent musicians in metal also called it as one of the best albums of 2010, including Tomas Lindberg, Frederic Leclerq, and Adam Pierce (All Shall Perish).