tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71950940634111036782024-03-13T00:04:00.958-04:00Subjected to MetalReviews for Black Metal, Death Metal and some Ambient! The concept behind this site is to do full discography reviews. I will do my best to track down an entire discography to celebrate a band's evolution. I'm pretty strict on sticking to those genres, so please don't request I review something else. I also buy the vast majority of all the things I review and I don't really take promos from labels or demos from bands. If you're worth hearing, I will probably find you.Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.comBlogger332125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-21493418132902802582020-08-18T14:09:00.015-04:002020-08-27T22:42:38.152-04:00Damnation (Pol)<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HJmFcSYe-5M/X0hHi1-THpI/AAAAAAAANp0/xlxVX6aAEf0z1DgNsddcYaUe4MLErGylwCLcBGAsYHQ/s499/Damnation%2B-%2BResurrection%2Bof%2BAzarath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="490" height="319" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HJmFcSYe-5M/X0hHi1-THpI/AAAAAAAANp0/xlxVX6aAEf0z1DgNsddcYaUe4MLErGylwCLcBGAsYHQ/w314-h319/Damnation%2B-%2BResurrection%2Bof%2BAzarath.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><b>Damnation - Resurrection of Azarath</b><div>Conquer Records, 2003</div><div>Genre: Death Metal</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Rebel Souls:</u></div><div>1. Who Your God Is</div><div>2. Son of Fire</div><div>3. Rebel Souls</div><div>4. Azarath (Watching in Darkness)</div><div>5. From the Abyssland</div><div>6. Deliverance</div><div>7. Might Returns</div><div><u>Coronation:</u></div><div>8. Coronation</div><div>9. Spell Master</div><div>10. Sworn to the Darkside</div><div><u>Promo '98:</u></div><div>11. Nucleus of Darkness</div><div>12. Night of Blasphemy</div><div>13. Beyond the Gate</div><div><u>Cover Songs:</u></div><div>14. A Mansion in Darkness (King Diamond cover)</div><div>15. Bleed for the Devil (Morbid Angel cover)</div><div><br /></div><div>I can't remember exactly when, but it seemed by 2003 the Damnation project was winding down. I know Metal-Archives list 2004 as the date of it's split, but I sort of remember the project floundering even before then. I can't remember if this compilation of tracks was an attempt to sort of strike fire into the project or to celebrate it's end. After this the project would really split off into two different bands: Hell-Born and Azarath. Hell-Born would have Baal and Les as the main members and Azarath had Bart and Inferno. Both of these projects would release their debut full-lengths the year after Damnation's "Resist" album came out. Varien wouldn't be involved in either of the projects. This is why I was sort of thinking Damnation was on it's way out and "Resist" wasn't exactly that critically acclaimed.</div><div><br /></div><div>This brings us to "Resurrection of Azarath" which, as far as compilations go is pretty lame. Rather than pull material from the Damnation catalog of their best songs, this is just a re-release of "Rebel Souls" and "Coronation" and "Coronation" is missing a song entirely. This is also "Rebel Souls" without the intro. Basically, they ran out of time on the disk. What this does have though is the unreleased promo from 1998, which has songs nowhere else and a couple cover tracks. So, in the end, the real reason to pick this up if you're a major Damnation fan is that Promo from '98. It's interesting because at this point Inferno and Nergal were out and Varien had come back. The songs were pretty good, they followed far more in the footsteps of "Coronation" than "Rebel Souls", unfortunately. So they were more of that traditional Death Metal style that we would find on "Resist." The cover songs are okay, obviously their cover of Morbid Angel was good, because Damnation is very influenced by Morbid Angel. The King Diamond cover wasn't that great. The clean vocals weren't very exciting and, well, they didn't even try to re-imagine the song in their style really.</div><div><br /></div><div>The booklet features the lyrics, even for the Promo and it has some old photos the band took throughout these recording sessions that never made it onto the releases. Other than that it was a bit disappointing because it would have been interesting to have a historical write up from someone like Les thinking back on the years of Damnation, given how influential the project wound up being.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the end this is only a sub par compilation, only because I already have anything and they couldn't be bothered to really make a "best of" release that covered their entire catalog. It's just a really bizarre way to re-release this music and then to not even include all of "Coronation," but hey, at least I was able to hear "Promo '98" and that's about all I came here for anyway.</div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lpQyN4z6joU/X0g409VhusI/AAAAAAAANpo/da7vQZ42knwIapyMbOYlx6yyyZOea_rcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s760/Damnation%2B-%2BDemonstration%2Bof%2BEvil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="500" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lpQyN4z6joU/X0g409VhusI/AAAAAAAANpo/da7vQZ42knwIapyMbOYlx6yyyZOea_rcQCLcBGAsYHQ/w270-h410/Damnation%2B-%2BDemonstration%2Bof%2BEvil.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><b>Damnation - Demonstration of Evil</b><div>Time Before Time Records, 2003</div><div>Genre: Death Metal</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Everlasting Sickness:</u></div><div>1. Intro</div><div>2. Everlasting Sickness</div><div>3. Unholy Dissention</div><div>4. Reborn Again</div><div>5. Merciful Hatred</div><div>6. Outro</div><div><u>Forbidden Spaces:</u></div><div>7. Intro (Jesus Wept)</div><div>8. Pagan Prayer</div><div>9. Time of Prophets</div><div>10. Forbidden Spaces</div><div><u>Unreleased Rehearsal:</u></div><div>11. Intro</div><div>12. Learning Into New Reality</div><div>13. The Land of Degradation</div><div>14. The Ruling Truth</div><div>15. Outro</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>"Demonstration of Evil" isn't anything new from Damnation, it's a tape compilation of their demo material from the early 90's. It's go a pro-printed booklet with a dubbed tape limited to 333 hand-numbered copies and I have #146. Even though the booklet is pro-printed there isn't much to it, just a one sided J-card. It's also got a few errors. For example, it lists Varien as having played drums on "Everlasting Sickness", but Wawrzyn played drums on that. It also lists "Learning Into New Reality", which is from the "Reborn" album and called "Leaving Into New Reality". Oh well, the main reason I picked this up is because it was probably the only way I was going to hear the "Everlasting Sickness" demo and I didn't really care about much else.</div><div><br /></div><div>For these old demos being re-released on tape they weren't all that bad in terms of recording quality. "Everlasting Sickness" is much more typical Florid styled Death Metal, but with "Forbidden Spaces" we start to hear Damnation move more towards that strange chaotic style that would eventually result in the "Rebel Souls" album. Which, for me, is the peak of their recording career. Back in 2003 this tape was worth getting for the demos, but now that "Demo(n)s" was released on CD in 2015, you're better off just getting that. The rehearsal version of "Forbidden Spaces" and extra tracks aren't all that worth it. The rehearsal tracks aren't absolutely horrible sounding, which is a bit surprising for a 1994 recording, they're basically what you'd expect a rehearsal to sound like.</div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fAoc5HVGLJA/XzwzcKxRXqI/AAAAAAAANok/IcU_mY1b5mgMsnrssd6gc_GbQaSnso8nQCLcBGAsYHQ/s499/Damnation%2B-%2BResist.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="499" height="315" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fAoc5HVGLJA/XzwzcKxRXqI/AAAAAAAANok/IcU_mY1b5mgMsnrssd6gc_GbQaSnso8nQCLcBGAsYHQ/w319-h315/Damnation%2B-%2BResist.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Damnation - Resist</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Dark Realm Records, 2000</div><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Death Metal</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Your Pain is Not for Me</div><div style="text-align: left;">2. In Resistance</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Confession</div><div style="text-align: left;">4. Voices of an Unknown Dimension</div><div style="text-align: left;">5. Absence in Humanity</div><div style="text-align: left;">6. Forsaken by Destiny</div><div style="text-align: left;">7. Against My Enemies</div><div style="text-align: left;">8. Invisible Force</div><div style="text-align: left;">9. Down of My Feet</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's been a few years since Damnation had put anything together and I'm sure a lot of that had to do with line-up changes again and possible touring duties for Les related to Behemoth's "Satanica" album. However, it seems that partnership has totally collapsed, because I can't help but notice the absence of a shout out to Nergal and Behemoth... but there is a shout out to Inferno and Azarath, which kind of says volumes. Either way, it seems this was the last gasp of this project as Bart and Les tried to get a team of musicians together for one last album.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">First and foremost their original drummer Varien is back in the project. He actually wrote a lot of the lyrics on their original material and on "Resist" he wrote all the lyrics. I will say Varien's drumming has improved immensely over the years and he easily handles all the drum work on "Resist" quite well. Normally I don't bother with commenting on this in a review, but it's almost too funny not to bring up. But Varien has lot to say in his "thanks" section. Baal has almost nothing to say and Les and Bart are short and sweet, but Varien is a full page... and wow, it's a lot. Beyond the usual of thanking musicians, he takes time out of the booklet to thank his favorite movies and video games like Conan, Predator, and Aliens amidst many others. His favorite books and actors etc. At one point he thanks Greenpeace for fighting for the Earth... but then in his "fuck off" section he says a bunch of racist stuff (which was kind of weird/funny after thanking Greenpeace and National Geographic, but I guess that's why Predator 2 didn't get a thank you). Then he moves on to dig at a specific Black Metal band, that he doesn't actually name but puts everything in quotes so we get the "wink wink" hint, he then calls them amateurs, which is promptly spelled incorrectly. You know, I give a lot of leeway to non-English speakers, but come on. If you're going to lay into other people for not being as "elite" or "cool" as you, at least do it flawlessly. I'm not taking time out of this review to make fun of "Down of My Feet" (and no, it's not about hobbits) at any length.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, after that interesting journey let's delve into the music. "Resist" maintains that signature Damnation sound, but as I mentioned on the "Coronation" EP the song writing is moving towards a far more organized fashion and we're losing some of that Damnation chaos that was inherent in the founding of the process. And this project being fairly chaotic from an arrangement standpoint makes Varien's dig about "that" Black Metal band all the funnier. "Resist" feels a lot more like a Florida Death Metal release than any of the others. While Les and Bart listed those influences early on, you can just hear the influence more apparently in this. There is even riffing that attempts to get things to sound a bit catchier and the pre-cursor to future Hell-Born releases is certainly present here. For vocal duties, I assume Les recruited Baal, now going by Raven. They would have crossed paths working on Behemoth's "Grom" together and it seems they've decided to work together again after only putting out the first Hell-Born EP a few years before this.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Once again "Resist" has the same trappings of "Coronation" where nothing is particularly memorable. The dense atmosphere of "Rebel Souls" has been stripped out of the project, which really was the bridge to making the material far more interesting to listen to. Despite Varien's elitist posturing, "Resist" wouldn't hold up and eventually Damnation would split entirely. Bart and Inferno would work on Azarath after this and Baal and Les would focus more on Hell-Born. I just hope the split was amicable, because Bart and Les created something really great with Damnation at one point. "Resist" is probably only worth getting if your a completion like me and just want to hear everything from a band you like for good or bad.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W0YJdjRx9wo/Xzwtu_IQn1I/AAAAAAAANoY/I9l9szqq3KgFSyzK8lJZP7lmnDMe_5sTQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Behemoth%2B%2526%2BDamnation%2BSplit.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W0YJdjRx9wo/Xzwtu_IQn1I/AAAAAAAANoY/I9l9szqq3KgFSyzK8lJZP7lmnDMe_5sTQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h320/Behemoth%2B%2526%2BDamnation%2BSplit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Behemoth/Damnation - And the Forest Dream Eternally/Forbidden Spaces</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Last Episode, 1997</div><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Death Metal</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Behemoth:</u> And the Forest Dream Eternally</div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Transylvanian Forest</div><div style="text-align: left;">2. Moonspell Rites</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic)</div><div style="text-align: left;">4. Pure Evil and Wrath</div><div style="text-align: left;">5. Forgotten Empire of Dark Witchcraft</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Damnation:</u></div><div style="text-align: left;">6. Pagan Prayer</div><div style="text-align: left;">7. Forbidden Spaces</div><div style="text-align: left;">8. Time of Prophets</div><div style="text-align: left;">9. The Ruling Truth</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Side Behemoth: ...coming eventually...</div><div style="text-align: left;">Side Damnation:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I don't have a lot of interesting stuff to say about this musically, other than delving into the split history. I believe this is the first time these demos have been put to CD. Normally it would be very strange to release these recordings like this because Behemoth is such a Black Metal band and Damnation is such a Death Metal band, but seeing the cross over of musicians sort of makes it obvious why this split happened. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I can understand why Damnation might feel their demo deserves a release like this, but the Behemoth release, which was probably sold out by now, is only two years old. Why not re-release some old Behemoth demo too? The original version of this Behemoth EP came out in '95 and had a black and white cover. Very strange to re-release it in this fashion in my opinion. The major complaint I have about this is that I really wish Damnation's album cover for their side had included a legit album cover version somewhere. Instead it's just on the back of the jewel case with the track listing written over the front of it, unlike Behemoth's cover which gets proper treatment.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At the time it was the only way to get the original "Forbidden Spaces" recording, but since that has changed there is absolutely no need to rush out and buy this split. It doesn't have any new material from either band and unless your some kind of collector that needs every release from the Last Episode record label, it's just not worth hunting down.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VhnfC402fR4/XzwpJVpo-vI/AAAAAAAANoM/p86mp_Rbf_I1P0va1hAsClwwHCCljhqRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s499/Damnation%2B-%2BCoronation.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="499" height="319" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VhnfC402fR4/XzwpJVpo-vI/AAAAAAAANoM/p86mp_Rbf_I1P0va1hAsClwwHCCljhqRQCLcBGAsYHQ/w319-h319/Damnation%2B-%2BCoronation.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Damnation - Coronation</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Last Episode, 1997</div><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Death Metal</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Coronation</div><div style="text-align: left;">2. Spell Master</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Sworn to the Darkside</div><div style="text-align: left;">4. The Land of Degradation</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Shortly after the great success of "Rebel Souls", Damnation struck back a year later with this short four song EP. There's a bit of a date discrepancy, online it lists this as coming out in early '98, but my CD says 1997. There was probably a delay or something with the pressing, but this was recorded in February 1997 just a year or so after the recording of "Rebel Souls." Some more line-up changes have occurred, Dagon the person behind the bass and keyboards on "Rebel Souls" has departed. So, to fill his role Les turned to Nergal of Behemoth to join him and Bart on this effort. At around this time Behemoth put out the "Bewitching the Pomerania" EP in 1997 which features Les and Inferno as members. So this was Inferno's beginning work with Behemoth. Sadly, Les would not continue on to "Pandemonic Incantation" for some reason, perhaps to avoid touring and maybe in hopes to focus on Damnation. However, Les would later rejoin Behemoth to put out "Satanica" one of the major break out releases for that band.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In any even "Coronation" is a crossing of paths of these great musicians. It's interesting to say that "Coronation" is a rather different album compared to "Rebel Souls." It feels a lot more organized and straight forward. They've sort of dropped some of the interesting haunting clean sections, probably in a hopes to make a more cohesive effort. There's something that just worked for the earlier recordings where there was this wild abandon... like musical composition was just thrown to the side and they just went for it. Here, I think they are trying to bring more songwriting into the mix and the song "Coronation" does have some attempts to have catchier riffs, but they do wind up sounding more like something Vader would compose. I wouldn't say Damnation has lost their edge, merely they've lost a little bit of their style by trying to make things a bit more coherent.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Coronation" is good, solid Death Metal, but there was a weird ethereal element built into "Rebel Souls" that this lacks. When they started getting organized it feels like they are falling into Death Metal writing traps that many bands have always done, so it winds up having this, I don't want to say generic feel... but it doesn't feel nearly as wild. The songs are pretty good, they're just not stand out songs, nor are they particularly memorable. Not that "Rebel Souls" had memorable riffing, but that album is memorable for an entirely different reason, whereas "Coronation" just isn't memorable at all in the grand scheme of things. It's not a wild ride like "Rebel Souls"... it's fast and it's Death Metal, but if you're going to try to organize in this fashion you really do need to have those catchy riffs that keep a listener coming back.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d1FAFs97Sbo/XzwcyVUTPVI/AAAAAAAANoA/1_PtkMN_ejMzw_PZ7xyxBu9tsTjQCjXAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s499/Damnation%2B-%2BRebel%2BSouls.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="499" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d1FAFs97Sbo/XzwcyVUTPVI/AAAAAAAANoA/1_PtkMN_ejMzw_PZ7xyxBu9tsTjQCjXAgCLcBGAsYHQ/w319-h286/Damnation%2B-%2BRebel%2BSouls.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Damnation - Rebel Souls</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Last Epitaph Productions, 1996</div><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Death Metal</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Prelude to Rebellion</div><div style="text-align: left;">2. Who Your God Is</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Son of Fire</div><div style="text-align: left;">4. Rebel Souls</div><div style="text-align: left;">5. Azarath/Watching in Darkness</div><div style="text-align: left;">6. From the Abyssland</div><div style="text-align: left;">7. Deliverance</div><div style="text-align: left;">8. Might Returns</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When I refer to the legendary status of Damnation, this is the album I'm specifically referring to. "Rebel Souls" was a real game changer, while compositionally it was quite similar to "Reborn..." it just had that extra refinement that made it work so much more. There's a massive amount of history to unpack on this album, so I'll try to do that as best as I can.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">History time. In the short span of time between the debut album and this follow-up Damnation has gone through some line-up changes. Long time drummer Varien, who had been with them since the demo days left the project. At this time, to me, he was one of the weaker links in the project, so I'm not too fussed about his departure. So they found none other than a young drummer who would go on to be one of the most famous drummers in Poland, Inferno. He was only about 18 or so at this time and I believe this is his first major recording. Now, by this point Les had joined a small Black Metal band at the time called Behemoth and he was playing bass for them at the time. He first appeared on the now legendary "Grom." This is likely how Nergal crossed paths with Inferno. Around this time Baal had decided to leave Behemoth as well, so after this Behemoth turned into this sort of Damnation/Behemoth super group and as we know Inferno would stay to be their long time drummer turning it all into quite a career. Les, on the other hand, would continue to play in Behemoth for a few more years eventually playing second guitar on "Satanica" which really put Behemoth on the map. Sadly he would leave Behemoth shortly after.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, some people may be asking about this other word showing up here in the track listing... Azarath. That's right, the Azarath concepts date back to Damnation material as well and members would go on to form one of the most intense Polish Death Metal bands Azarath with Inferno on drums and Bart on guitar! Now you can see why an album like "Rebel Souls" holds such massive influence for these scenes and to top it all off it's an awesome album!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With better recording quality available and some serious control in the drum section "Rebel Souls" is an amazing album. It's still weird and Les and Bart tend to compose music that feels abrupt and disjointed at times, but that's part of the weird charm of Damnation. This disjointed style is probably why the project would never really make massive moves in the scene and stay forever underground, because there's almost so much going on it's hard to keep up. There's no catchy rock out sections either, it's all weirdly intense material mashed together with atmospheric guitar passages, but somehow these guys made it work. And with Inferno being a far more accurate drummer, it feels like it's a lot smoother in it's overall execution. When you consider Inferno is all self taught, playing an album like this is quite impressive to jump into, because there are so many changes happening. Les' vocal performance feels a lot stronger on this album as well. "Reborn..." sounded pretty good, but on "Rebel Souls" his vocals feel much stronger. They don't have as many of the haunting spoken word sections, but they do pop up from time to time. I always thought they were an interesting thing to throw into a section of Death Metal like this.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There you have it, the crazy crossover history of "Rebel Souls." A must have, in my opinion, for Death Metal fans. Damnation was always working in a somewhat different way, but this really just shows how good their ideas could come across if executed correctly. I still pull this album out every now and again to listen to it over twenty years later.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hgGyiwq1GIM/XzwUiNO6CzI/AAAAAAAANn0/eH_j1IIfZq4uhfFgZjvO5JMmeXURV1_AACLcBGAsYHQ/s499/Damnation%2B-%2BReborn.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="499" height="318" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hgGyiwq1GIM/XzwUiNO6CzI/AAAAAAAANn0/eH_j1IIfZq4uhfFgZjvO5JMmeXURV1_AACLcBGAsYHQ/w319-h318/Damnation%2B-%2BReborn.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Damnation - Reborn...</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Pagan Records, 1995</div><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: Death Metal</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Pagan Prayer/The Antichrist</div><div style="text-align: left;">2. The Land of Degradation</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Leaving Into New Reality</div><div style="text-align: left;">4. From Broken Cross (Bleeding Jesus)/Time of Prophets</div><div style="text-align: left;">5. Infestation/Maldoror is Dead</div><div style="text-align: left;">6. Forbidden Spaces</div><div style="text-align: left;">7. The Ruling Truth</div><div style="text-align: left;">8. Behind the Wall of Tears</div><div style="text-align: left;">9. Reborn...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Damnation's demo "Forbidden Spaces" is certainly legendary amidst the Polish scene, but all the tracks from that demo can also be found on their debut full-length "Reborn..." Damnation is a band that is absolutely legendary in the Polish scene from what I can see and remember of the time. They stood outside from their compatriots like Vader and Trauma to make something that was truly pretty different. Damnation still had those hard hitting Death Metal riffs of the aforementioned, Bart and Les' guitar work in this project threw in some really different and strange elements into the mix. They could be sort of on par with what Christ Agony was trying to do. Albeit Christ Agony was never going for a blistering and intense Death Metal feel like Damnation was. Damnation kind of skirts around that territory of Black/Death Metal more than being strictly exactly one thing and they're one of the first bands to be blending these things together. In that respect they put a bit of Necrophobic in mind with some of the more haunting and evil sounding aspects of their music, but Necrophobic was never interested in blistering blast beats, which is something Damnation goes after constantly.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As a piece of history "Reborn..." is a really cool album, but it never really transcends that into more timeless legendary status. "Reborn...", unfortunately, feels a bit sloppy in its execution. As if all the musicians behind the ideas were composing songs a little beyond their ability. The drummer just hits things as fast as he possibly can and to me sounds like he's struggling to keep up at times. So the whole effort feels a bit disjointed, but that doesn't take away from what this band was trying to convey with their debut. There are some really excellent ideas on here. I want to compare some of these ideas to Morgoth's "Odium" album, but much faster, just listen to "Infestation/Maldoror is Dead" and I feel like you really hear that classic "Odium" style. However, what Damnation did was blend a lot of that in with more of an extreme vibe, drawing inspiration from things like Morbid Angel or Mayhem. In the booklet they have a "dedication" list of the musicians they are inspired by, however, I would say Les and Bart's interpretation of these sounds wound up being quite unique. It is amusing to read that they emphasize "old Morbid Angel" in this and other bands, because I assume "Covenant" was a bit of a sell-out album for these guys at the time. That's okay, you can certainly hear the "Blessed are the Sick" and "Altars of Madness" inspiration, especially in some of their solo ideas.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Reborn..." has some great ideas on it, but with more suspect execution than you'd probably want. If these guys had been able to have a far more professional recording and performance I think things would have gone quite differently for this band. Either way, when it comes to the underground of their time anyone that grew up in that era knows about this band. If you're a major fan of the Polish classics, this is a must have discography.</div></div></div>Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-61336590647116208992020-03-07T14:00:00.000-05:002020-03-25T00:31:14.771-04:00Odal<br />
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<b>Odal - ...wilde Kraft</b><br />
Christhunt Productions, 2005<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Einklang<br />
2. ...wilde Kraft entfesselt<br />
3. Aus hassgeschwellter Brust<br />
4. Der Worte Gewalt<br />
5. Die Rast unter der Eiche<br />
6. Flammendes Schwert<br />
7. Un frei zu sein Pt. II<br />
8. Gabe der Vollkommenheit<br />
9. Ausklang (Das Siegeslied)<br />
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It seems like Odal has quite a discography already, but "...wilde Kraft" is only their second full-length. Odal's material has been on a fairly steady rise as far as I'm concerned and this absolutely blows the debut out of the water.<br />
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It seems writing and arranging on all those other EP's and Splits has truly paid off because it has given rise to an excellent Black Metal album in the guise of "...wilde Kraft". There isn't a single bad song here and all the riffing follows a primary path of triumphant riffing. It has that ever present style, but for some reason I want to say it reminds me a bit of what you would think Moonblood would do next. On that note, it's probably more similar to Nachtfalke then, only far more Black Metal. Which is probably why I really love this album. The album is split by "Die Rast undter der Eiche" which is a nice acoustic interlude and reminded me of Dissection, more because Dissection did that on their early albums, not because it sounded similar. The songwriting changes up a bit with "Un frei zu sein Pt. II", which sounds quite different from the rest of the album. It's much darker and stands out amidst the other songs because of it. It's also strange in the sense that it claims to be a "Part 2", but there is no "Part 1" in the rest of Odal's entire discography. Maybe Taaken is still sorting it out...<br />
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In any event, the prior Odal releases have all culminated into this excellent album. So, if you're a fan of those triumphant German riffs then this Odal album gives them to you in one solid album. If you're looking for a place to start delving into Odal, then this is the album to check out at the very least. It's absolutely wonderful music. The tough part is going to be building the band from here... this will be a tough album to follow.<br />
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<b>Branstock/Cultus/Odal/ Deathgate Arkanum Split</b><br />
Heidens Hart, 2004<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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<u>Branstock:</u><br />
1. Donars Zorn<br />
2. Folgend den Spuren<br />
<u>Cultus:</u><br />
3. Tragwldia<br />
<u>Odal:</u><br />
4. Des Wodans Zorn<br />
<u>Deathgate Arkanum:</u><br />
5. Jenseits der Tore<br />
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Side Branstock: ...probably never, didn't like this...<br />
Side Cultus: ...coming eventually...<br />
Side Deathgate Arkanum: ...coming eventually...<br />
Side Odal:<br />
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I've never heard of any of the other projects on this split and Odal was the only reason I picked this up. Branstock seems to be some crappy Nationalist stuff that usually sounds bad. Some of the other projects seem okay, but nothing really stands out and Odal stands as the best project on this split in my opinion. This material is pressed on 10" vinyl and limited to 500 copies.<br />
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The Odal material is pretty good. Taaken has more guitar layering happening and there are sections with a sort of chanted vocal part that works very well within his music. The interesting part is it looks like the liner notes say the song is from 2002. If that's the case I'm surprised it was never released, because it's a pretty good song.<br />
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In the end this split is probably worth skipping. One good song from Odal is not worth the shipping of an entire 10" vinyl as far as I'm concerned, especially overseas.<br />
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<b>Odal & Surturs Lohe Split</b><br />
Christhunt Productions, 2004<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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<u>Odal:</u><br />
1. ...und auf Erden tobt die Schlacht...<br />
<u>Surturs Lohe:</u><br />
2. Enter the Fields of Clear Blue Sky<br />
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Side Surturs Lohe: ...coming eventually...<br />
Side Odal:<br />
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Odal have been delving into the split release track and for their second split they team up with another great German band Surturs Lohe. This is pressed on 7" vinyl and limited to 500 hand-numbered copies, of which I own #97.<br />
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The Odal contribution to this split is nothing new for that project. If you've been following Odal thus far you sort of know what to expect from their traditional form of German Black Metal. This isn't far enough removed from the prior split and the new song can easily fit within the framework of the last EP. Taaken is definitely on a strong writing stint and I've enjoyed nearly everything he's done on the past few releases.<br />
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<b>Odal - Einst verehrt von allen</b><br />
Christhunt Productions, 2003<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Einst verehrt von allen<br />
2. Thüringland in eisiger Kälte<br />
3. ...durchwandernd die Heimat<br />
4. Germansk<br />
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Taaken seems to be constantly writing new material and they refuse to wait and release it in with a full-length, so with the success of "Sturmes Brut" Odal have hooked up with legendary German label Christhunt Productions to release their new EP. I believe this was first released as a split with Raven's Empire on 12" vinyl. However, these separate CD versions were also released in the same year and on here we get all three new songs and a re-recording of the demo song "Germansk" as a bonus.<br />
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The EP opens with "Einst verehrt von allen" and what an awesome song. It immediately hooked me in with some really killer riffing. This holds up quite well throughout the song and it's one of the most ear catching Odal songs written so far. "Thüringland in eisiger Kälte" is quite different and it's not nearly as exciting sounding, but it is very melancholic. The third new song brings us back closer to the first song with it's overall catchiness. I really like this form of Taaken's writing and it seems quite a step forward from the earlier material. This EP does a decent job of wanting me to hear more in this style and I definitely look forward to what Odal will produce in the future, because they keep getting progressively better with each new release.<br />
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<b>Odal - Sturmes Brut</b><br />
Darkland Records, 2002<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Einklang<br />
2. Traum von Finsternis<br />
3. War<br />
4. A New Beginning<br />
5. Shadows of Doom<br />
6. Sturmes Brut<br />
7. Ausklang<br />
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After two EP's and a demo Odal finally hit us with their debut full-length "Sturmes Brut". Now there are multiple editions of this release and the first and second pressings had no bass guitar on them, you don't get much more tried and true Black Metal than that! However, in 2009 Taaken returned to this release and had Naudhiz step in and record bass lines onto the original recordings. I happened to be late to discovering Odal and I have the 2009 edition, with bass.<br />
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Odal's songwriting has changed fairly dramatically from the demo and the first two EP's. Don't worry, those elements are still ever present in their music, but they've definitely varied up their riffing a little bit more. A new drummer has joined the project and I think that has opened up things for a more varied writing approach. With the addition of Grroll behind the kit it's allowed Taaken to write more complex material and really vary up the feel of his songs. Musically this is right in line with where German Black Metal influenced by the likes of Moonblood, Darkthrone, or Arckanum would wind up progressing into it. "Sturmes Brut" is just an amalgamation of classic sounding Black Metal and it maintains that raw recording feel.<br />
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So, if you like that harsh and cold feel of Black Metal then this debut from Odal is everything you've wanted out of an early 2000's release. The songs are well written and enjoyable even if the riffing is nothing new for us veterans of the scene. The cold atmosphere is enough to keep me listening. And while I may not pull this album out on the regular, I'll enjoy it when I realize I haven't listened to this in a very long time.<br />
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<b>Odal - Fimbul Winter</b><br />
Sombre Records, 2002<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Warriors of the Night<br />
2. Fimbul Winter<br />
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Right after their "Germansk" demo Odal immediately turned to making 7" releases. Unfortunately, I missed out on getting an original press of the "Traitor" 7", so we're skipping right to the "Fimbul Winter" release. Maybe I'll fill in the release gap some other day. "Fimbul Winter" was released by the legendary Sombre Records and its listed as being to limited to 350 copies, but there is no numbering on the release.<br />
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"Fimbul Winter" continues with where "Traitor" left off. They had already lengthening their songs on the "Traitor" EP and that continues here with "Fimbul Winter", which is a massive improvement over the "Germansk" demo. Hearing the material in a more well mixed environment is far more enjoyable as well. The material is still recorded in that mostly raw Black Metal fashion, but it's not too different from the early German and Norwegian recording quality of the early 90's. The riffing is fairly similar to a blend of that late 90's German style and early 90's Scandinavian feel. Some may find the riffing overly redundant to these time frames and since Odal is using a traditional recording style, this is really bringing nothing new to the table. However, with the extended song length Odal manages to have a more expansive feel than their demo, which is really what these riffs needed.<br />
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If you're a fan of that traditional German Black Metal style then Odal is a band worth checking out for sure. I really like their overall sound and, even though this nothing new, I definitely enjoyed listening to these two songs. It will be nice when this band is ready to put out a full-length.<br />
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<b>Odal - Germansk</b><br />
Self-Released, 2000<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Intro<br />
2. Das Ende<br />
3. Musik der Schlacht<br />
4. Germansk<br />
5. Transilvanian Hunger (Darkthrone cover)<br />
6. Outro<br />
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Odal hail out of German and they play a blend of that Pagan/Black Metal style. Where it feels like they recast some of the old Folk styles with distortion and tremolo picking. "Germansk" is a short fifteen minute demo with three original songs and one cover. Basically, the gold standard format for a Black Metal demo. The tape comes as a xeroxed cover with just a dubbed cassette, there is no hand-numbering.<br />
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The original songs are short and sweet and clock in under three minutes each. They definitely could have doubled the length of these songs for a more droning atmospheric feel, but all the songs meander around a couple riff ideas, which is why the band probably kept the material so short. The material is ultra simple and lands somewhere in the realms of Darkthrone meets Arckanum to some degree. The drumming is ultra simple and there isn't even much in the way of blasting through these riffs, rather keeping a simple rock beat, which gives everything a bit of a different feel from the norm. The most blast beats certainly show up with their cover of "Transilvanian Hunger", which is also the longest song on this demo, strangely enough. Either way they did a pretty good job on this, regardless of how poorly recorded it may be.<br />
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Odal sounds like a band that I could get into from this original demo. Their original riffs are pretty good and as they grow as a band I could definitely see them putting out some much stronger material. As usual with demo's, I usually recommend people skip out on them unless they're really interested in where a band came from. "Germansk" isn't exactly going to be tearing up the demo scene, but it's a good first effort and I'll be interested to hear where they land in a studio setting.<br />
<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-31531258523418074872019-03-19T22:02:00.000-04:002019-03-22T19:34:42.863-04:00Darchon<br />
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<b>Darchon - The Stygian Black Beyond</b><br />
Kunsthauch, 2015<br />
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal<br />
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1. Apeiron<br />
2. Outer Darkness<br />
3. Caldwell (NGC 5128) Centaurus A<br />
4. Selene<br />
5. Crossing the Celestial Path to Infinities and Beyond<br />
6. Auslander Hostility<br />
7. Into a Cosmic Solitude<br />
8. Unseen Kingdom<br />
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<u>Bonus: Cosmicism:</u><br />
1. Cosmicism Pt. 1<br />
2. Cosmicism Pt. 2<br />
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It has finally arrived, the debut full-length from Darchon! This release contains over an hour of music, so make sure you set aside some time to experience this journey. I was lucky enough to get the limited edition version of this which comes with a poster and bonus CD. This edition is limited to 100 hand-numbered copies and I have #2. The regular edition is limited to 200 copies. As with the split, this comes with an envelop with a different cover (above) than the CD itself. The regular CD is inside the envelop and comes in a beautiful multi-panel digipak. The bonus CD is just a CDr in a small plastic envelope, probably so they could fit everything in the main envelope.<br />
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Despite the fact that his is Darchon's debut album, some of the music is actually quite old. Much of it was actually written and recorded before the EP even came out. So, in terms of writing, the EP is the<br />
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most recently written material. Some of this material dates back to 2009/2010, which is around when the Split material was recorded as well. Given the stark influence by projects like Darkspace, Darchon has a bit of a different format to their album. They arrange the material in such away that it mostly alternates between Black Metal and Ambient tracks. Darchon's Ambient prowess is a step above some the main projects that follow in this regard. The integration of synth work at this level manages to elevate the overall compositions and add a layer of complexity into the mix that can feel a bit different. Unfortunately, and probably by design, the riffing is rather overly droning. In this area Darkspace and Paysage d'Hiver cannot be beaten, they bring such solid riffing to the table that it is tough to compete. Which is why I think Darchon is really trying to do something a little bit different in the grand scheme of things. This droning approach that is more in line with Ambient really works in Darchon's favor making a release that is more mesmerizing in some regards. It's great music to just zone out, because it doesn't overly grab your attention, so it has a more meditative quality. The closing track "Unseen Kingdom" is one of the most unique tracks from this brand of Black Metal. It crosses paths with Industrial quite a bit and reminds me a lot of the Mexican project Hocico. If Hocico played Black Metal, this is, probably, what it would sound like.<br />
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The bonus EP comes with two extra tracks on of which is another Black Metal song. There isn't much info about this in any of the packaging, so I'm not sure how old the tracks are. "Cosmicism Pt 1" fits very well into the overall aesthetic of the album and really just continues the themes we've heard before. "Pt. 2" though, is a very different ambient track. This is extremely in line with the Ambient sections Darkspace uses and it just feels way more threatening. Layered into the background is a lecture about Black Holes and with the static ambience makes it a really interesting piece. I almost wish these two tracks weren't only on here and instead made their way onto an album. The Ambient piece would be a great setup for an intro or an outro of an album.<br />
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In the end Darchon created quite an awesome debut as far as I'm concerned. I can see why people might not like it as much, despite the heavy Darkspace influence, I'm not sure a lot of people are interested in listening to this much Ambient in between each Black Metal track. I think it makes for an interesting experience and presentation, but I'm rarely in the mood to listen to both, so I find myself skipping the Ambient tracks and just delving into the Black Metal sections more often. I think that's the only major thing people would really have a problem with, or thinking this is very derivative of Darkspace, but it's really not. Darchon's journey and feel, while inspired by the likes of Paysage d'Hiver and Darkspace, do have a fairly different feel overall. So, I think Darchon is some relatively brilliant stuff and I'm interested to hear new music from this project for sure. Hopefully all the material he was sitting on is out now and he can march forward with writing new material.<br />
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<b>Darchon - From Unknown Vastlands of Isolation and Death</b><br />
Self Mutilation Services, 2014<br />
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal<br />
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1. From Unknown Vastlands of Isolation and Death<br />
2. The Pleiadas<br />
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After a couple years Darchon return with two more tracks, only one of which is a Black Metal song. It's impressive how slow some people can work on material, but I guess he just wanted to throw something out into the world to show the project wasn't dead. "From Unknown Vastlands of Isolation and Death" reminds me a lot of what Darkspace does, but this feels like a lesser or a lighter version of that power house of a project. Darchon is clearly influenced by this kind of material, but Darchon also touches on a lot more various Black Metal inspiration throughout a lot of his writing. The vocals are a barely existent and very buried in the overall mix of the music. Vocally it's not that spectacular, so I can see why they would bury the vocals in the overall mix. "The Pleiadas" is an Ambient, mainly piano driven track and it's actually quite enjoyable. It has some extremely spacey qualities to it and really compliments the track name. When it comes to performances of this nature I would say Darchon is actually a far more talented composer than the likes of Darkspace, but Darchon does need a bit more work in the Black Metal department if they ever hope to truly compete with stronger projects of this nature. While the material on this EP may not stand out in the grand scheme of things, it's good to know Darchon is still around and I'm still looking forward to any music released in the future.<br />
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<b>Battle Dagorath & Darchon & Lorn - Enshroudment of Astral Destiny</b><br />
Kunsthauch, 2012<br />
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal<br />
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<u>Battle Dagorath:</u><br />
1. Echoes from the Ancient Skies<br />
2. Warspirits of Annihilation<br />
3. Nocturnal Elegy<br />
<u>Darchon:</u><br />
4. Oceanus<br />
5. Shadows from the Elder Chasm<br />
6. Breath of Typhoeus<br />
<u>Lorn:</u><br />
7. Vain Foreseen<br />
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Side Battle Dagorath: ...coming eventually...<br />
Side Lorn: ...coming eventually...<br />
Side Darchon:<br />
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The first stirrings of Darchon were found originally on myspace, but it doesn't seem like it was too long before they were able to produce a split with the likes of Battle Dagorath and Lorn. Darchon is a one man project from Greece and composes some extremely well made material. It seems Kunsthauch snapped him up real fast and has been producing some high quality physical releases ever since. This first release comes in an envelope with a beautifully designed digipak.<br />
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If you delve into Darchon and find yourself reminiscing about things like Darkspace you probably aren't too far off. Darchon is fairly similar in design and aesthetic to Darkspace. They even put to use some excellent synthesizer sections amidst their raging Black Metal. While Darchon's material is fairly long, it's nowhere near the level of song length that Darkspace reaches for. Despite the cosmic themes and synthesizers I think Darchon is more similar to Paysage d'Hiver in their overall sound. Like these projects Darchon sadly uses programmed drums. While they don't add much beyond a monotonous beat to the project, we're really hear for the overall atmosphere being generated. "Shadows from the Elder Chasm" actually has moments that remind me over early Emperor quite a bit, so hearing that blended in with the more modern take on Atmospheric Black Metal made for an interesting aspect that worked very well. "Breath of Typhoeus" is the shortest track and not a Black Metal song at all. Instead it's more of an Ambient type of track, but I actually which is was quite a bit longer like the actual Black Metal songs, because it really puts you in an impressive atmospheric space after listening to the other two songs.<br />
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Darchon have an impressive introduction to the world and this is absolutely a project I'll be following in the future. I really hope a full-length is forth coming, because a three way split isn't going to be enough for this project.<br />
<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-10552034184712639172019-01-21T23:36:00.003-05:002019-03-17T12:48:42.770-04:00Temple of Baal<br />
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<b>Temple of Baal - Mysterium</b><br />
Agonia Records, 2015<br />
Genre: Black/Death Metal<br />
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1. Lord of Knowledge and Death<br />
2. Magna Gloria Tua<br />
3. Divine Scythe<br />
4. Hosanna<br />
5. Dictum Ignis<br />
6. Black Redeeming Flame<br />
7. Holy Art Thou<br />
8. All in Your Name<br />
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For some reason I entirely missed out on this release when it first hit. It wasn't until a couple years later that I was looking through a distro and realized I didn't have this album. So, I ordered it immediately since I've been following Temple of Baal for quite a long time now. After "Verses of Fire" I was expecting more of the same, but "Mysterium" delivers a rather different experience overall.<br />
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The major difference with this release is the fact that long time guitarist Alastor has left the band. It seems this happened while they made "Verses of Fire", because if you read the liner notes it says "Extended thanks to Alastor. Best of luck in the new life you've chosen." For "Mysterium" they've recruited Sathor from The Order of Apollyon and he also is a live guitarist for some other very notable French projects. Some of the issues I had with "Verses of Fire" where they tried to infuse aspects of their earlier sound into the material are, essentially, gone at this point. "Mysterium" is a far more focused album, but there feels like a bit of a drop in the crushing intensity and instead they build more of an atmosphere into their overall sound. Some riffing reminds me quite a bit of Hell Militia and Aosoth being blended together. They still cast these elements in a far more Death Metal light, but this is one of the more cohesive albums Temple of Baal have put out in quite a while. I would like to hear some more of that intensity put back into the mix, because I always thought that made their songs sound a lot more vicious compared to other projects. If they can blend the two together more seamlessly they would have quite an incredible album on their hands.<br />
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If you've been a long time Temple of Baal fan then "Mysterium" will not disappoint. Some people may miss the infusion of the catchier rhythms thrown in, but I like how the album feels like an entire work, rather than a collection of songs that sounded good. I'll definitely be interested in hearing what they have in store for us next.<br />
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<b>Temple of Baal - Verses of Fire</b><br />
Agonia Records, 2013<br />
Genre: Black/Death Metal<br />
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1. το αστέρι 418<br />
2. Bloodangel<br />
3. Arcana Silentium<br />
4. The 10th Aethyr<br />
5. Gates of Death<br />
6. Gnosis of Fire<br />
7. Golden Wings of Azazel<br />
8. Lord of the Raging Seas<br />
9. Serpens Luminis<br />
10. Walls of Fire<br />
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After the material Tample of Baal brought to the split with Ritualization I was looking forward to their next full-length quite a bit. "Verses of Fire" does kind of continue in that theme, but the bring back some of their older styles into the fold. I have the digpak CD version of this and it comes with a very well done layout and full booklet. This album is also quite long with it clocking in at over an hour in length, which kind of surprised me.<br />
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Musically Temple of Baal continue to push forward with that ultra modern Black/Death style they've been developing over the past few years. I actually like the collection of songs on the prior split a little more than what's on this album. The album isn't bad, but it doesn't feel as cohesive or outright dark and threatening. There are too man moments where they hearken back to bringing in some of the Thrash riffing or a catchy phrase here and there from their earlier days. It's not that they're bad at writing these riffs, but they break up the atmosphere of the album quite a lot. I think Temple of Baal is just better at writing those dark and vicious or uncomfortable riffs and when they insert an outright Thrash riff into that type of song it really breaks the atmosphere they build. Some songs are outright similar to American Death Metal like "Golden Wings of Azazel". They do a great job of playing this style, of course, but it just makes for a strange blend into the overall mix of songs on the album. Though, they fit this song in a lot better than some of the random catchy riffs. Vocally Amduscias is adding a lot more into his range. Here you'll hear some outright yelling styled vocals that add an extra kick to some of their more atmospheric sections. It really works well within the framework they're using it and I hope he continues to add more of this variation into the music.<br />
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In the end, I do like "Verses of Fire" despite it being somewhat all over the place from time to time. They manage to keep it focused enough to make it quite enjoyable, but the razor sharp focus of the split made it apparent what kind of power Temple of Baal can wield if they stick with one framework. If you're a Black/Death Metal fan, Temple of Baal is producing some pretty intense and well written music.<br />
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<b>Temple of Baal & Ritualization - The Vision of Fading Mankind</b><br />
Agonia Records, 2011<br />
Genre: Black/Death Metal<br />
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<u>Temple of Baal:</u><br />
1. Ordeals of the Void<br />
2. When Mankind Falls<br />
3. Slaves to the Beast<br />
4. Heresy Forever Enthroned<br />
<u>Ritualization:</u><br />
5. Ave Dominus<br />
6. The Second Crowning<br />
7. Devil Speaks in Tongues (Mortem cover)<br />
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Side Ritualization: ...coming eventually...<br />
Side Temple of Baal:<br />
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It's been a little while since we've heard from Temple of Baal, which is a good sign they're taking their time with material rather than just cranking it out. So, it's interesting to see them return with only four new songs with this split. However, when you delve into it you'll see they've picked up a new drummer. Antares was a good drummer for the project, but after hearing this I feel like Skvm is a better fit. The drums feel so much more powerful and extremely tight with the project. So, however he's approaching the kit is instantly fitting with the sound of Temple of Baal.<br />
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The opening track "Ordeals of the Void" is a massive powerhouse that feels a lot more intense than anything they've really done before. They've lost a lot of that catchier riffing you'd see show up from time to time and instead focus on a much darker and intense atmosphere. I think production wise they finally found a decent balance for how much they want their music to sit in the low frequencies. They use a lot of Black Metal riffing in the French tradition, but have it recast in this far more intense fashion which works really well on the songs. As far as the Temple of Baal side of things go, I think this material sounds spectacular and I can't wait to hear what's in store for them next. I really hope this drummer sticks around too, because he's an extremely good fit for the project.<br />
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<b>Temple of Baal - Lightslaying Rituals</b><br />
Agonia Records, 2009<br />
Genre: Black/Death Metal<br />
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1. Piercing the Veils of Slumber<br />
2. Triumph of Heretic Fire<br />
3. Black Sun of the Damned<br />
4. Angstgeist<br />
5. Dead Cult<br />
6. Hate is My Name<br />
7. Poisoned Words<br />
8. Vectors to the Void<br />
9. Blessings of Blackfire<br />
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It's actually been quite a few years since we've gotten a full length from Temple of Baal. The two prior splits were probably just to show that the project wasn't entirely dead. I remember being pretty excited when I saw this album come out, part of it had to do with the eye catching cover design and really excellent album title. Strangely, I remember my first listen wasn't all that favorable.<br />
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However, now that I return to this album years later, I think this is some really solid Black/Death Metal. Temple of Baal have always sort of been on that edge where there was still too much Black Metal in their sound to call them a truly hybrid. However, with their split with Aosoth it started to become apparent that some aspects of their sound might be evolving. With "Lightslaying Rituals" they truly overhauled their sound enough to be a full on Black/Death Metal band. I know some people might see that and think "oh, Behemoth", but that is definitely not the case. Temple of Baal sounds nothing like that. "Lightslaying Rituals" sounds way grittier and dirtier, almost like if you took the old Swedish Death Metal guitar tone and recast it into a Black Metal framework. their guitar lines have also gotten more elaborate and I hear a lot more layering than in prior albums. Production wise this album feels so much thicker than the prior albums. However, the low end might be a little too low and it winds up dominating the overall feel of the album. Other than that, this is the best production value Temple of Baal have ever released. It's kind of amusing to listen to this after all the posturing of their demo days where they seemed to revel in the trashy production quality.<br />
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In the end if you were expecting another old school Black Metal effort from Temple of Baal, you might find yourself sorely disappointed. Instead we have the brutal punishing sounds of Death Metal heavily infused into their sound. They still maintain some of those catchy riffs that show up on prior albums, but even if not all the riffs have that catchy quality they are pretty well written. Some of their outright Death Metal riffs could stand some improvement, but I think they are a bit out of their element in composing this way, so I look forward to see what they bring in the future. I can't remember why I initially didn't like this release, but on re-listening to this, I think it came out pretty good. It's a lot better than a lot of the Black/Death Metal bands out there.<br />
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<b>Temple of Baal & Aosoth Split</b><br />
Debemur-Morti Productions, 2007<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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<u>Temple of Baal:</u><br />
1. Dead Cult<br />
<u>Aosoth:</u><br />
2. ... of Fire<br />
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Side Aosoth: ...coming eventually...<br />
Side Temple of Baal:<br />
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Temple of Baal return with a new track and a split with a fairly unknown project called Aosoth. Aosoth is very interesting and plays a brooding style of Black Metal against Temple of Baal's hard hitting "Dead Cult". Temple of Baal pushes their sound even heavier and thicker for this song compared to the last album, I think. The writing feels a little more mature and cohesive as well. It still maintains that dark and vicious feel to their music so it really complements the Aosoth side as well. This is definitely a split worth checking out and it's beautifully pressed, as I've come to expect from Debemur-Morti products.<br />
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<b>Ancestral Fog & Temple of Baal Split</b><br />
Battlesk'rs, 2006<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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<u>Ancestral Fog:</u><br />
1. Fundaments of Life Denied<br />
2. Von (Von cover)<br />
<u>Temple of Baal:</u><br />
3. Living Fleshthrone<br />
4. Satan's Legions<br />
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Side Ancestral Fog: ...coming eventually...<br />
Side Temple of Baal:<br />
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This next split with Temple of Baal comes with a real treat in the form of Ancestral Fog. Ancestral Fog really stole the show for me on this split, but the Temple of Baal songs are pretty good too. As with all 7" releases I'm sure this is limited to some amount, but there is nothing listed on my copy.<br />
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Even though this eventually came out after "Traitors to Mankind" on the vinyl itself it has a date of 2005 and makes me think this was delayed in pressing. It would be weird for Temple of Baal to release "Living Fleshthrone" again right after their album hit, so that's why I think this wound up getting delayed horribly. "Satan's Legions" appears to be an entirely new track though. Maybe a track they didn't really feel fit on the album, but still good nonetheless. It actually reminds me of that disgusting feeling Black Metal we hear in projects like Hell Militia, only Temple of Baal is a bit heavier by comparison. Either way, regardless of the delay I'm glad this had something new to share instead of just the one track from the album.<br />
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<b>Temple of Baal - Traitors to Mankind</b><br />
Oaken Shield, 2005<br />
Genre: Black/Death Metal<br />
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1. Living Fleshthrone<br />
2. Traitors to Mankind<br />
3. Graveyard of Disgust<br />
4. Bleeding Thoughts<br />
5. Under the Spell<br />
6. Visions of Carnage<br />
7. Crawling in Blood and Puke<br />
8. Bitter Days<br />
9. Death Inquisition<br />
10. Flames of Baal<br />
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As a follow-up to their debut, this is not at all what I was expecting from this project. "Traitors to Mankind" really changes up their entire sound. Where we once had 90's Black Metal worship they've injected quite a dose of Death Metal into their overall sound. This time around a little more care was put into the booklet and design, so it's a bit more interesting to look at from a physical stand point. They also backed off from the posturing in the liner notes, which I'm thankful for.<br />
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"Traitors to Mankind" sounds and feels quite different from their earlier releases. The first two songs are solidly in the Black/Death Metal camp, but when we get to "Graveyard of Disgust" we hit more in their usual Black Metal territory. It's almost as if the band was transitioning to more Death Metal over the past couple years. One of the other reasons things sound quite different is they enlisted Glorior Belli and Black God drummer Antares to fill the drum throne left by Herr Rikk. I'll be honest, Herr Rikk did a good job on the early releases, but Antares is the better drummer. This album is also engineered in such a way that I can actually hear the kick drums, on all the prior albums they were mostly an incoherent rumble. So, it's a nice treat to be able to hear them this time around. They clearly weren't afraid to experiment more with this release, just listen to "Bleeding Thoughts". They wound up re-recording "Bitter Days" from the Sargeist split and it sounds so much darker and heavier on this recording. They've also started included guitar solos into their music. They're not over the top well done, so I don't really care about this addition to their music.<br />
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"Traitors to Mankind" maybe feel all over the place in terms of a general composition theme, but for some reason it really works to their advantage on this album. It winds up creating a really excellent blend of Black and Death Metal, with the occasional Thrash riff thrown in for good measure. It maintains that Black Metal atmosphere throughout which is really well done this time around. It feels somewhat new, but simultaneously old. All in all "Traitors to Mankind" is well done album that I still enjoy to this very day.<br />
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<b>Temple of Baal & Sargeist Split</b><br />
Grievantee Productions, 2004<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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<u>Temple of Baal:</u><br />
1. Bitter Days<br />
<u>Sargeist:</u><br />
2. Wraith Messiah<br />
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Side Sargeist: <a href="http://subjectedtometal.blogspot.com/2014/07/sargeist.html">here</a><br />
Side Temple of Baal:<br />
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After a successful debut Temple of Baal return with another split. I missed out on their first one with Eternal Majesty, but maybe I'll track that down someday. This time they team up with the mighty Sargeist. I like Sargeist a great deal, so it was a real treat to see two bands I like show up on a split like this. This is pressed on 7" vinyl limited to 500 copies.<br />
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If you enjoyed "Servants of the Beast" the song "Bitter Days" really does pick up where the full-length left off. It's interesting to note how much thicker the guitar tone Temple of Baal uses compared to bands like Sargeist, who are far more thinned out. Temple of Baal feels a little heavier than others for this reason. "Bitter Days" is a pretty good song overall and captures the atmosphere Temple of Baal seems to be striving for at this point, which is much improved from their demo efforts. Definitely a split worth having in any collection.<br />
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<b>Temple of Baal - Rituals of Black Plague</b><br />
Paleur Mortelle, 2003<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Backstab<br />
2. Tempting the Bastard<br />
3. Deathblessed (At the Hornlike Spears)<br />
4. Faces of the Void<br />
5. Slaves to the Beast<br />
6. Black War<br />
7. Ruins<br />
8. Woman of Dark Desires (Bathory cover)<br />
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Shortly after "Servants of the Beast" hit a live album was "recorded", which I assume took place on their tour supporting their debut full-length. This is released on cassette and limited to 300 hand-numbered copies and I own #112.<br />
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This is the Temple of Baal recording no one wanted. In fact, recordings like this are basically what no one wants around at any rate. They're just a waste of space in anyone's collection. Everything is massively blown out and has this layer of annoying distortion going on. You can hear the guitar riffs from time to time and they are the quality we expect from Temple of Baal, but everything else is such a jumbled mess that it's a real waste of time to listen to this material. The vocals are wildly blown out, but there is actually less distortion on the vocals than the on the "Black Unholy Presence" demo.<br />
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They try to cover up all this atrocious crap with having a super "true" attitude on the liner notes saying "Rituals of Black Plague has been released only for true underground maniacs. Direct raw live sounding roughly recorded." In other words, this sounds like absolute trash and if you don't like it then you're not a "true" fan. I need to stop reading the liner notes from this band... basically, unless you really must have a complete Temple of Baal discography, you can seriously skip out on this one. It's a giant waste of time and I probably will never listen to the whole thing.<br />
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<b>Temple of Baal - Servants of the Beast</b><br />
Oaken Shield, 2003<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Backstab<br />
2. Triumphing Blasphemy<br />
3. Towards Eternal Death<br />
4. Years of Hatred<br />
5. Deathblessed (At the Hornlike Spears)<br />
6. Slaves to the Beast<br />
7. Ruins<br />
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Temple of Baal have teamed up with Oaken Shield, a subsidiary of the legendary Adipocere Records to release their debut full-length. After two demos that were good, but weren't incredible "Servants of the Beast" really show the band has something to show us. It seems the band has dispensed with some of the overly raw recording concepts and is also writing more interesting songs overall.<br />
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On their debut we don't see any of the material from their demos given the studio treatment. While some elements of their demo's style shows through, a lot has changed rather dramatically. They still stay pretty heavily rooted in the more early 90's Black Metal style, as we'd expect, but musically it reminds me a bit of early Deathspell Omega, Merrimack and Watain. The Watain reference is no real surprise seeing as how Danielsson did the cover. There's a great deal of early Thrash styled guitar lines thrown in as well. "Triumphing Blasphemy" has some seriously catchy guitar work, giving that reminiscent old Bathory feel. However, the blend is different enough to have the band stand out enough in the sea of similarly styled projects. The vocals are completely overhauled as well and it doesn't sound like Amduscias is screaming into a distortion pedal. Instead the vocals sound natural and gives a much better authentic presence. Instead he opts to create more intense moments through layering, not distortion.<br />
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We also have a full booklet with lyrics. Lyrics are the usual Satanic variety, so nothing vastly different there. There's even a thank you section! I always find it amusing when I read liner notes and this comes up "Deathwishes to nowadays 'BM' audience: You are nothing but slaves!" Okay, calm down cool guy... you're debut album is good, but not that good. "Servants of the Beast" isn't going to go down in history as one of the finest or most revolutionary Black Metal albums out there. Spare me the "tough guy" attitude in your thank you list. Plus, I think this particular viewpoint shows up on more Black Metal albums than I care to mention. If every band hates their audience then no one is listening to any of your music. Why bother releasing and distributing anything? I've never understood this bizarre viewpoint, just make music for yourself, don't release it, don't play shows. It's simple.<br />
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Despite these goofy moments, "Servants of the Beast" is actually a really good album and I enjoyed it quite a bit when it came out. I may not pull the album out very often, but when I throw it on from time to time I do find it enjoyable. Temple of Baal did an excellent job of nailing that mid-90's atmosphere of Black Metal, right down to the recording quality. This early 2000's era was one of the last times we'd be able to hear this from bands, since a lot of studios and bands were forced to upgrade their technology in general.<br />
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<b>Temple of Baal - Black Unholy Presence</b><br />
Chanteloup Creations, 2000<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Tempting the Bastard<br />
2. Black Unholy Presence<br />
3. Spirit of Vertova<br />
4. Black War<br />
5. Faces of the Void<br />
6. Woman of Dark Desires (Bathory cover)<br />
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"Black Unholy Presence" is the second demo from Temple of Baal and it's not too different from the first one. In fact you'll notice a lot of the songs re-appear on this recording. I missed out on the original pressing of this and instead I have the Oaken Shield pressing from 2002 limited to 888 hand-numbered copies, of which I own #321. The Bathory cover was not featured on the original release and is a rehearsal recording from 2001.<br />
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Given the fact that these demos are recorded only a year apart "Black Unholy Presence" doesn't have all that much more to offer us, except for a few new tracks. The recording quality is, honestly, a little bit better. It still retains that old, raw rehearsal feel to the music, but they clearly used a much better setup this time around. With this we can definitely enjoy the riffs a lot better, so, if you're looking into some of that nostalgic feeling Black Metal, Temple of Baal certainly brought that with this new demo. Songs like "Spirit of Vertova" have that great blend of Black Metal intensity and groove, so to a certain degree I think their songwriting has improved even from the last demo. The only aspect of the demo that isn't great are the vocals. The vocals are so blown out that the vocalist might as well just be using a distortion pedal, and, in fact, that is probably what he was doing. These vocals never sound for a whole release. They work in subtle moments, but just usually sound terrible overall. That's really the only thing I found overtly annoying.<br />
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If you are a die hard fan of old school demos and Black Metal, Temple of Baal definitely don't disappoint. This is early 90's worship through and through. I like that they manage to stay raw on the demo, but not so raw you have no idea what's going on.<br />
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<b>Temple of Baal - Satanas Lux Solis</b><br />
Self-Released, 1999<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Undead Soul<br />
2. Tempting the Bastard<br />
3. Spirit of Vertova<br />
4. Hunters<br />
5. Woman of Dark Desires (Bathory cover)<br />
6. Black War<br />
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The is the first debut from Temple of Baal out of France. Some members would go on to be involved in some other great projects outside of this one. Amduscias has already worked with the likes of Antaeus and I believe it was through that relation that I had first heard of Temple of Baal. This demo is not professionally done and instead has a xeroxed booklet and dubbed tape. These were limited to 200 copies and inside mine it says #55, but it doesn't list the limitation.<br />
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"Satanas Lux Solis" is pretty much everything you'd expect from a raw and poorly recorded demo. It even says in the liner notes "This piece of darkness was recorded live in the fucking studio", which I assume probably means practice space given the quality of recording. And from there I assume this is just whatever was captured on a mixer, because I doubt there was much mixing after the fact based on how this sounds. However, the recording quality works for this type of music really well, that raw unbridled sound fits the aesthetic Temple of Baal is really going for. You can technically hear everything well enough to figure out what's going on. The only thing I might change a little is having the guitars louder so I can hear the riffs better. In a lot of ways Temple of Baal borrows their sound from Bathory, so it's no surprise that we see a cover of "Woman of Dark Desires" show up on this demo. If you throw in some Mayhem and Darkthrone you probably have a reasonable idea of what Temple of Baal is going for musically. Songs like "Black War" have some of that old LLN feel in the way the structuring is a bit more dissonant, which is something I like quite a bit.<br />
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I don't think Temple of Baal's demo is really going to stand out in the massive sea of Black Metal demos these days, however, I think "Satanas Lux Solis" is a solid start for this new project. I could see them writing pretty solid material in the future. If you're already a Temple of Baal fan you should check out where the project started, a journey that I always find rather interesting. I'm looking forward to what comes next!Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-11419229901721255542018-12-08T00:04:00.001-05:002018-12-08T00:09:56.231-05:00Mascharat<br />
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<b>Mascharat - Mascharat</b><br />
Seance Records, 2017<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Intro<br />
2. Bauta<br />
3. Médecin de peste<br />
4. Mora<br />
5. Vestibolo<br />
6. Simulacri<br />
7. Iniziazione<br />
8. Rito<br />
9. Outro<br />
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Mascharat is a new and very excellent Black Metal project coming out of Milan, Italy. It's not surprising to look at their discography and see only one demo before being snatched up by Seance Records. Seance Records has become a mark of quality for me with a good amount of very strong releases and I'm always interested to see what that label releases and Mascharat's debut is absolutely no exception in the quality department.<br />
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Mascharat blends together a lot of various forms of Black Metal I like culminating in quite an impressive debut album. Mascharat have this great raw Black Metal sound, but it's mixed well enough that we can hear everything quite well while still having that raw sharpness to the overall sound. Mascharat is a bit of a melting pot of Black Metal from all over Europe, but I think the primary sounds are Italian and French. Italian is obvious, they have that sort of Tenebrae in Perpetuum raw quality with some classic Italian projects like Necromass in the mix. A lot of their riffing and chord choices remind me a lot of the French bands, such as Mütiilation. Even the guitar tone reminds me of Mütiilation at times. Vocally they remind me a lot of Dim from Tymah, which is wonderful as Dim is one of the best vocalists out there, so to even compete on her level is rather impressive. This all makes for an exquisite blend in itself, but you throw in the sections that have this medieval quality to them or renaissance feel, then you have something truly well made. Mascharat don't try to wow us with speed or take on an overly brooding nature, instead they keep a comfortable mid-pace and keep our attention with songwriting.<br />
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The booklet is quite simple but well designed. I appreciate the fact that they provided the Italian lyrics the songs are sung in as well as translations in English. The way they handled layout for this is reminiscent of a modern translation of an old book, which features both texts. The one and only complaint I can truly level at this is that when the discs were pressed a few seconds of silence was inserted between songs, but the way these songs are composed there should be no silence between the songs at all. The silence is kind of a jarring experience when it shows up between songs, so it's a shame this happened. Hopefully if they do something similar in the future they'll force a repressing of the disc.<br />
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In the end I hope more people will check out Mascharat. They sort of fall into that occult Black Metal area, but I think they manage to do it in a such a way that they don't sound too generic. This is an excellent start to a new project and I'm definitely curious where they will take us next, because they are certainly working with a very strong foundation.<br />
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<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-10110565442323381692018-08-14T23:04:00.000-04:002018-12-15T12:20:55.401-05:00Khold<br />
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<b>Khold - Til endes</b><br />
Peaceville Records, 2014<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Myr<br />
2. Skogens øye<br />
3. Ravnestrupe<br />
4. Dommens armé (Sepultura cover)<br />
5. Til endes<br />
6. Det dunkle dyp<br />
7. Avund<br />
8. Bengitt<br />
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It's actually been so long since we've heard from Khold that I, honestly, thought the project was done. But then a couple years ago a new Tulus surfaced and then a couple years later a new Khold was announced. Being a fan of the project I naturally picked up my copy as soon as it was released. When I first put this on, I don't think I gave it the appreciation it really deserved. "Til endes" is very much a Khold album through and through, but their are some subtle differences that make this album really stand out for me.<br />
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"Til endes" is the album I wanted "Hundre år gammal" to be. Those freezing Black Metal riffs are back in force on this album! They certainly haven't lost their groove at all and this album is more akin to their early releases. One of the major differences between this album and the earlier is how much harder it seems to hit. The songwriting hasn't changed for the most part, so I think a lot of that hard hitting feel has more to do with the production this time around. That being said, "Til endes" is, basically, the perfect production quality for a Khold album. The drum mix alone is astonishing. Everything things is so punchy and clear that it just makes those groovier riffs hit so much harder. I feel like this studio did a much better job of dealing with the bass guitar mix, which also stands out and just hits a lot harder. They've always had some interesting bass sections show up, but the bass tone feels so much heavier and clear this time around. So, if you've been following the project for a while, you're in for a real treat this time around, because the overall listening experience is simply excellent. For the first time they've also done a cover song and if you recognized "Dommens armé" as "Troops of Doom" by Sepultura you are correct. Khold have recast the song in their style a little bit, while still staying fairly true to the original, but it is no doubt a Black Metal version of that song.<br />
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"Til endes" is by far the heaviest Khold album out there and I enjoyed every song on here. They kept an excellent balance of fast Black Metal riffs blended with groove just like the good old days. The song "Det dunkle dyp" is by far one of the stand out tracks for me. It has a catchiness that is unrivaled on the album. It's a shame I didn't give this album the time it really deserved when it came out, but a few years later I really took the time to listen to this and it really stands out in their discography as far as I'm concerned.<br />
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<b>Khold - Hundre år gammal</b><br />
Tabu Recordings, 2008<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
<br />
1. Der kulden rår<br />
2. Kor<br />
3. Hundre år gammal<br />
4. Troløs<br />
5. Forrykt<br />
6. Rekvim<br />
7. Villfaren<br />
8. Sann ditt svik<br />
9. Mester og trell<br />
10. Straff<br />
11. Bønn<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It's actually been quite a while since we've heard from Khold, some of that probably has to do with the fact that the members have also resurrected Tulus from the ashes and put out an album last year. However, this year we have a new Khold and after my lackluster experience with "Krek" I was hoping for something a little better.<br />
<br />
"Hundre år gammal" is actually pretty similar in approach to "Krek", but the compositions work way more this time around. They finally figured out how to write more slow and plodding songs with groove and atmosphere. A lot of the songs on "Krek" felt disjointed or just fell flat, but "Hundre år gammal" has that atmosphere and power that I've come to expect from Khold. Personally, I prefer their faster material over this, but I can't deny the fact that they've figured out how to write material that sounds more cohesive this time around. I think they wanted to create a far heavier album and you can really create that kind of crushing feel with slower songs and the problems on "Krek" were probably related to the fact that they were an over productive band and writing material too much. With the space and a Tulus album in between I think it gave them the time to refocus Khold and put out the album they really were intending with the way "Krek" sounded.<br />
<br />
In the end "Hundre år gammal" is a good album, but it's not a great album and is probably going to be somewhat low on the Khold rotation. I preferred more of a blend between their faster riffing and the slow grooves, but this album is heavily dominated by the slow groove and only a few moments here and there speed up. I'm just rarely in the mood for that type of music, thus I don't even listen to Doom Metal, but if what I've described sounds intriguing to you then this is an album worth checking out because it is well written and very well performed.<br />
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<b>Khold - Krek</b><br />
Tuba Records, 2005<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
<br />
1. Innestengt i eikekiste<br />
2. Oskorei<br />
3. Byrde<br />
4. Lysets Flukt<br />
5. Grepet om kniven<br />
6. Midvinterblot<br />
7. Varde<br />
8. Silur wie<br />
9. Krek<br />
10. Blod og blek<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I remember when "Krek" originally came out and I really felt like the prior album had just come out and I had barely even begun to delve into it. This is how I usually wind up feeling when listening to highly productive bands, it's hard to keep up with them and everything else that gets released. So, that being said, I think "Krek" is the Khold album that I've barely ever listened to, so re-listening to it again is an interesting journey.<br />
<br />
If you've been following Khold so far, then "Krek" doesn't really change things up that much. "Krek" is a little different compared to the prior albums in the sense that most of the album is much more focused on groove. The first two songs, for example, have almost none of your standard Black Metal passages, just really intense grooving riffs cast in a Black Metal atmosphere. I'm not sure how "Krek" will measure up in the grand scheme of things, while I do enjoy their groovier ideas, I do also like how they switch into blasting moments to create this really interesting listening experience. In some ways it makes sense that they would want to switch things up a little bit at this point, but they've dropped a lot of the traditional Black Metal that made their blend a more exciting listen. Instead this feels like a far more mid-paced release and has a sort of droning groove effect. What I mean, is that they sort of set this groove and just stick with it for the majority of the album, so the groove starts to fade into the background more. They do switch things up a little bit with songs like "Lysets Flukt" which features this really awesome opening riff with blasting under it, but the rest of the riffs groove and the middle outright slows down to Doom Metal levels.<br />
<br />
"Krek" is also probably the shortest of the Khold albums so far with it only being about a half hour in length. So, even though the album doesn't seem to command as much attention as prior albums, the riffs switch up often enough so things don't drag on for too long. I feel like they were really focused on groove and heavy riffs this time around. Some of the riffs are outright excellent in their catchiness, but sometimes I'm not sure the surrounding riffs pull the song together. Consider "Midvinterblot", which is sort of a Doomy and heavy song, but there's this killer groove section in there that I just wish was in a different song. I don't feel like their groove complements the heavy crushing riffs. However, I will say the title track and "Blod og blek" are awesome songs. They definitely stand out as being excellent songs all the way through.<br />
<br />
In the end, even though this album is far shorter, I'm not sure this one held up to the test of time or the rest of their discography so far. I understand doing something a little different from before, but the slow heavy riffing just made the songs feel more boring to me. The attempt to switch the energy around in their writing didn't work for me and I think some of these superb riffs may have been sacrificed when they could have appeared in better songs. Maybe at this point the band had been over-writing and the solid ideas aren't hitting as hard. For a Khold album I would say this is only okay, but I'll probably be choosing other albums over this in the future.<br />
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<b>Khold - Mørke Gravers Kammer</b><br />
Candlelight Records, 2004<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
<br />
1. Åtselgraver<br />
2. Død<br />
3. Niflheimr<br />
4. Hevenerske<br />
5. Med Nebb og Klør<br />
6. Mørke Gravers Kammer<br />
7. Opera Seria<br />
8. Sjeleskjender<br />
9. Vardøger<br />
10. Kamp<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I was surprised to see that Khold was no longer working with Moonfog for their releases and is instead being picked up by Candlelight for their albums. However, it was shortly after this that Moonfog would stop putting out new releases altogether, so maybe the bands on the roster started looking a lot earlier. Well either way, when I saw new Khold released I was looking forward to another heavily groove laden Black Metal album.<br />
<br />
If you've been following Khold so far then "Mørke Gravers Kammer" is just another step along that journey. At this point some people may find Khold's approach to repetitive, but to me these people also go listen to bands like Marduk and Dark Funeral who have been releasing the same album style over and over for quite some time. I'll be honest, Khold isn't something I have in constant rotation, but sometimes I really enjoy listening to it for what it is. It's always been a really different take on Black Metal, so even though this new album is similar to the prior albums, I still quite enjoy it. They write new enough riffs to not feel overwhelmingly the same as prior releases. They are stuck in a rut a bit when it comes to some of their open chord riffs where they then single pick the strings, similar to a "Freezing Moon" idea. However, I think all Black Metal bands are basically re-hashing that at this point, so no big deal. Khold excels at putting their listener in a very specific space with their music and it's so well done that other bands who often try to pull this often fail. Khold is one of those bands that are unlikely to ever be reproduced, so I'll revel in the continued style album after album.<br />
<br />
In the end Khold continue to put out a high quality product with great atmosphere. The production just gets better each album, which further enhances the experience. Gard's vocals still stand as perfection within the framework of this band. If you've been a fan already, you know what to expect.<br />
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<b>Khold - Phantom</b><br />
Moonfog Productions, 2002<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
<br />
1. Dødens grøde<br />
2. Skjebnevette<br />
3. Hekseformular i vev<br />
4. Phantom<br />
5. Fra grav til mørke<br />
6. Døde fuglers sang<br />
7. Slaktereika<br />
8. Ord i flammer<br />
9. Vandring<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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Right on the heels of "Masterpiss of Pain" Khold return with their second album "Phantom". Sometimes when you crank albums out this fast things can begin to stagnate. Is this just a "Masterpiss of Pain" part two? Or something entirely different. Was the band just sitting on a ton of unreleased material? The latter might be the case, but I think there's an argument for that not being true. Either way time to delve into "Phantom."<br />
<br />
With the first album Khold set a pretty impressive precedent for their sound and "Phantom" certainly continues that concept and journey. So, for the quick assessment, if you enjoyed "Masterpiss of Pain" there's no reason you wouldn't enjoy "Phantom". Now we just have more music from a great project. However, "Phantom" is a little bit of a different animal. The signature groove laden riffing is certainly the main focus of the project and that's everything in "Phantom", but the overall structure and atmosphere feels a little different. With the release of the self titled Thorns album in 2001, I think it had a lot of bands reminiscing about that project and "Phantom" really borrows a lot of influence from the way Ruch approaches guitar and bass. So, this feels like a much groovier version of Thorns, especially the opener "Dødens grøde". Not every song sounds like this, but you'll hear hints of those Thorns inspired chords or progressions throughout this album. It's interesting that amidst this mid-paced groove laden album we'll come across a song like "Fra grav til mørke", which is a much faster song complete with blasting and having a far more traditional Norwegian Black Metal approach and feel. However, it's not long before we are back to the heavy grooves of before.<br />
<br />
It's interesting to note that even though Khold changed studios for this album, they still managed to capture that incredible organic, untouched feel to their music. Amidst all the new digital tricks coming into the norm for extreme metal, Khold manages to record some of the most organic, yet fullest and heaviest sounding material around. Their music feels like it has real weight behind it, not because they are writing crushing riffs, but because the production and the way they layer their songs just sounds huge.<br />
<br />
"Phantom" is largely another march down the path of amazing things you can do by keeping things simple. Some people might find this as a rather derivative journey in the face of the first album, but the songs do sound quite different, even though the core sound is here. I can see why some people would say Khold sounds boring, but I find their music exciting and it just pulls me in every time I put this great band on. I'll be pretty surprised if we get another release in 2003, but taking some time to write might be a good thing for the project. Either way, even if their next album is similar to these two, I'll still be happy with them and look forward to whatever is coming next.<br />
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<b>Khold - Masterpiss of Pain</b><br />
Moonfog Productions, 2001<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
<br />
1. Nattpyre<br />
2. Den store allianse<br />
3. Norne<br />
4. Svart helligdom<br />
5. Rovnatt<br />
6. Kaldbleke Hender<br />
7. Bortvandring<br />
8. Mesterverk av smerte<br />
9. Jol<br />
10. Øyne i arv<br />
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<br />
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By the time 2001 rolled around I was already a pretty loyal follower of Moonfog Productions as Satyr had established himself as having quite a discerning ear for great Black Metal. So, before I even knew who was behind Khold I had run out and got my hands on a copy of this CD, I didn't really have any expectations going in and aside from the album title, "Masterpiss of Pain", being kind of stupid I was immediately taken in by this project.<br />
<br />
Now, to really get a good idea of what Khold would sound like, you just need to look up where the members are from. Tulus. Tulus released some of the grooviest and most simplistic Black Metal around and "Pure Black Energy" will forever be a timeless recording in my eyes. However, after "Evil 1999" maybe Tulus was being put to rest and so a new project was formed featuring the Vocalist/Guitarist and Drummer from Tulus working with two other musicians. Eikind on bass, who has been in a number of projects, but guitarist Rinn hasn't been involved in much. Blodstrup, now calling himself Gard, teaming up with Rinn on guitar has created something that truly advances the Tulus sound as far as I'm concerned. It's slowed down quite a bit by comparison and they are now playing on guitars that are tuned far lower, but the focus of this project is generate an extremely catchy groove. The songwriting also stays on the very simple side, but I find that while the songs' challenge level is very low in terms of performance, they do manage to create some really excellent layering between all the instruments. The bass guitar stands out quite a bit compared to, well... just about any other Black Metal release out there and, in fact, the bass ends up being quite the driving instrument in this project. Within this extremely groovy approach they still manage to harness that more atmospheric quality of Black Metal and it's vastly different from anything else out there at the time of the albums release. In similar Tulus fashion these songs are quite short, varying around three minutes each, so the album is actually fairly short. I don't think I need to mention this, but I love Gard's vocals. I've always loved his vocals and they are a massive asset to this project.<br />
<br />
So, if you're looking for something that sort of carries the Tulus torch, but in a slightly different direction then I highly recommend checking out Khold. "Masterpiss of Pain" is an instant success performed by veteran musicians and they've really enhanced their songwriting to a point where this album has always stood out to me and no one has ever really been able to perform something in a similar vein as far as I'm concerned.<br />
<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-81915166950643459952018-07-06T23:31:00.004-04:002019-01-21T00:31:56.137-05:00Blood Stronghold<br />
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<b>Blood Stronghold - Triumph of Wolfish Destiny</b><br />
Witches Sabbath Records, 2017<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Ancient Forest Gates (Wandering I)<br />
2. Born of Steel Obscurity<br />
3. Envenom the Viscera of Revenge<br />
4. Blood Moon Empire<br />
5. Untrodden Fullmoon Paths (Wandering II)<br />
6. The Triumph of Wolfish Destiny<br />
7. The Honoured Liege<br />
8. The Rise of the Wolven Sun<br />
9. Winter Ruins and Memory (Wandering III)<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
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I guess Blood Stronghold isn't signing with Dark Than Black after all? Well, now they're back with Witches Sabbath and their second full-length release. This is simultaneously one of the best and most disappointing releases for me. The whole package and layout are great on this release and Blood Stronghold was certainly taken in a different and forward thinking direction musically.<br />
<br />
"Triumph of Wolfish Destiny" has some of the more interesting music I was able to hear this year. It feels very different when compared with a lot of other material that is typically produced. The major difference here is the incredibly different lead guitar work thrown into the mix. They maintain that sort of Graveland inspired rhythm section, but Nightwolf throws in these really interesting lead guitar lines over the sections to really expand the overall impact and sound of the songs. It gives them this really amazing quality that goes beyond just the "epic" feeling qualities in prior albums. Just listen to the way the lead work plays out with "Envenom the Viscera of Revenge", which really brings the music to a whole other level, but my absolute favorite track on here is "Blood Moon Empire"<br />
<br />
Now, usually Blood Stronghold doesn't bother with printing lyrics, but this time they decided to print lyrics for one of their songs, "The Honoured Liege". Now, given this is out in 2017, I can't help but think the political climate of the world helped motivate this and it appears they're going to double down, which I'm not surprised by. I was always somewhat suspicious of the more NS leanings of this band given the labels they work with. Witches Sabbath has pressed L.S.S.A.H. material, for example and anyone into Black Metal knows Darker Than Black. Now, I don't care if you sing about heritage or your peoples or whatever, hell bands like Rudra do that. But with lines like:<br />
<br />
"14 stars illuminate the true heritage<br />
Sons of Arya, we must secure our existence"<br />
<br />
I'm sorry, the 14, I'm sure, probably alludes to the well known 14 words and please, Sons of Arya... I get it. First off, you're existence isn't threatened. I know people that believe this garbage like to carry around this narrative that our "racial" existence is in danger... it's not. I'm just going to think your ideas on this topic are stupid. The fact that this is the only song with lyrics printed makes me think they really felt the need to make this statement to show their "allegiance". A lot of bands seem to be doubling down in this regard with Famine from Peste Noire going, basically, full NS despite in the past trying to explain how he he's not a Nazi...<br />
<br />
It's a real shame, great music, great album, terrible ideology. Grimspirit of Evilfeast returns to do their intro on this album, but since he put out tapes by Revenge, I'm not entirely surprised to see him running on this side of things. Ah well, readers can do what they want with this info.<br />
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<b>Blood Stronghold - Vengeance in Sacrificial Blood</b><br />
Darker Than Black, 2016<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
<br />
1. Intro<br />
2 Frozen Memory of the Dark Sky<br />
3. In the Mists of the Immortal Past<br />
4. Legacy (Of Wolves, War and Thunder)<br />
5. Blood Split in the Earth's Viscera<br />
6. Dying Flame of a Pale Sun<br />
7. Transgressing the Forest Depths<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
If you've missed out on the early stages of Blood Stronghold you now have a chance to hear this material. This compilation features the demo, their first 7" EP and the recently released demo song now on CD. On top of that the material has been re-mastered, probably to create a level of cohesiveness on the tracks. However, we all benefit from that with having better quality mastering on the older material.<br />
<br />
The major feature of this compilation is being able to get the more rare material on CD for the first time ever. While the track from the split tape sounds a little better, it still feels quite raw compared to the other material on this, but at least people that missed out on the split can finally hear it. The only major complaint I have about this compilation is that the artwork concept did not translate to the high gloss digi-pak format very well. It's extremely hard to read anything on this. It was pretty difficult before, but now it's nearly impossible.<br />
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<b>Blood Stronghold & Duch Czerni - The Fragments of Wandering Souls</b><br />
Darker Than Black, 2015<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
<br />
<u>Blood Stronghold:</u><br />
1. Transgressing the Forest Depths<br />
<u>Duch Czerni:</u><br />
2. Opętujące szepty zagłady<br />
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Side Duch Czerni: ...probably never...not into DSBM<br />
Side Blood Stronghold:<br />
<br />
I was kind of surprised to see a split tape come out from this project in the same year that the EP was released, but this is more of a demo quality tape. Perhaps it's to signify the switch to working with a new label. This tape is limited to 111 copies and there doesn't appear to be any individual numbering. The cassette and booklet are pro-printed.<br />
<br />
When I say the tape is more of a demo quality I'm referring to the production. The Blood Stronghold song feels very under-produced compared to their prior efforts. However, the song itself feels like it's pushing in a bit of a different direction from their previous material. It feels heavier and more epic to a certain degree, so I wonder if this is also signalling a new direction for Blood Stronghold. They are still trying to maintain that general atmosphere of before, but this song sort of ups the intensity levels a little bit more. I'm definitely interested in seeing where the project is going to go after this.<br />
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<b>Blood Stronghold - The March of Apparitions</b><br />
Witches Sabbath Productions, 2015<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. In the Arms of a Fullmoon Night<br />
2. The March of Apparitions<br />
3. Beneath Twilight Wings<br />
4. The Abyssal Call...<br />
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For Blood Stronghold 2015 starts off with a new EP from the project. It spans four songs and only twenty-five minutes. Which is certainly almost a full-length Death Metal album... but this is Black Metal so for us it's an EP. Only two of the songs are truly lengthy and the other two are a more normal song length. The booklet for this EP actually features the lyrics for the songs on the album, so that's a bit of a change from the debut.<br />
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Musically, given how soon after it's coming after the debut, feels like a continuation of the "From Sepulchral Remains" album. The artwork and general layout are nearly exactly the same. Since this material is all self recorded the production value certainly hasn't changed much in such a short amount of time. So, if you really like that blend described in the debut then you'll certainly enjoy this EP as well. It's so similar that it makes me wonder if these were just songs that didn't make it to the debut. The title track feels even more Graveland inspired than anything else Blood Stronghold has ever done, it almost feels like a "Creed of Iron" track at some points. Meanwhile the closing track feels very similar to an Evilfeast song!<br />
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All in all, it's certainly a good EP. It's really not much different than the debut, so if you wanted more of that sound they've certainly delivered. Personally, I'm not a big fan of EP's I tend to listen to them a lot less frequently than full-lengths, so I can't say I'll pull this out more often than the debut.<br />
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<b>Blood Stronghold - From Sepulchral Remains...</b><br />
Witches Sabbath Productions, 2014<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Eternal Wrath of Dark Gods<br />
2. Ancient Mystery of the Moon<br />
3. Stronghold of Forgotten Blood<br />
4. From Sepulchral Remains...<br />
5. Lost Upon the Nameless Wind (Sign of the Forgotten Dawn)<br />
6. To Distant Shores Aflame<br />
7. Fortress of Nightly Desolation<br />
8. The Spirit, Devoured by the Cold Soil of the Earth<br />
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This is the third release from Blood Stronghold in 2014 and we finally get a glimpse into a full-length production from the project. It's shocking to see an EP hit so fast after a demo, but to have the full-length in our hands by the end of that same year is even more ridiculous. Personally, I would have waited and sat on the material instead of cranking out the releases. I remember when these all came out and it seemed like the project was hard to keep up with and I was worried we had another Hellveto on our hands. Luckily that ended up not being the case and this project was easier to keep up with release wise.<br />
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"From Sepulchral Remains" immerses us into the world of Blood Stronghold for a solid forty-five minutes. In this regard I find it to be a much better experience than the overall briefness of the prior two releases, since Blood Stronghold sit in that realm of Atmospheric Black Metal that has a more expansive and epic quality to it. With that being the case I prefer a much longer experience to enjoy the songs. The album has an ambient intro created by Grim Spirit of Evilfeast and it's got that Evilfeast feel to it to a certain degree with the way he plays around with ambiance. Another break from Black Metal on this release is with the song "To Distant Shores Aflame" and this heavily reminded me of some old Arcana material.<br />
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As the full-length unfolds I feel like Blood Stronghold is musically a blend of middle-era Graveland with Nightwolf's other project Eternum. It has that slow plodding feel albums like "Creed of Iron" have, but it's cast in a far more atmospheric light. I will say Krew is certainly a far more solid drummer than Rob. The overall production of the album feels really dense with fairly quiet mastering, so be prepared to turn that volume up! The dense production adds to the cavern like feel of the atmosphere, so it really works for the overall Blood Stronghold experience.<br />
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I really quite enjoy Atmospheric Black Metal and I really enjoyed the debut full-length from this project, but as the years have gone on I'm not sure how much it holds up in the test of time. It's a good CD, but it's not something I've been returning to over and over again because I simply must sit in this musical space one more time. As this project grows that might change, but I haven't listened to this album in quite a while since I first got it a few years ago.<br />
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<b>Blood Stronghold - Blood Spilt in the Earth's Viscera</b><br />
Witches Sabbath Productions, 2014<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Blood Spilt in the Earth's Viscera<br />
2. Dying Flame of a Pale Sun<br />
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A few months after their first demo tape Blood Stronghold returned with two more songs on this 7" vinyl. This EP is limited to 300 hand-numbered copies and I own #292.<br />
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Cranking out an EP this soon after your demo is kind of strange and made me wonder why they just didn't wait and include this material, but when you listen to this material you realize it wouldn't really fit. It's strange to say, but the music on here sounds thematically quite different, so I can understand why a separate release was warranted. If you enjoyed "The Immortal Past" this EP advances that style quite a bit. The first song is very beautiful and has more of a melancholic atmosphere compared to the demo. The second song is really different. "Dying Flame of a Pale Sun" starts off with what we'd expect from this project, but then they really up the tempo at some point. This is by far the fastest from this project so far. The vocals also trend more to the usual screaming kind that is normal in Black Metal and I enjoyed this shift quite a bit. The song still maintains a heavy and dense atmosphere like all the others. The only major issue is that with the production this raw with so much reverb, the fast sections feel more chaotic than anything else. There's almost too much going on too fast to really make out all the elements. However, the entire song isn't fast, so for most of the song we have that majestic atmosphere we're looking for.<br />
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In the end we have two new excellent tracks and I just hope this projects productivity doesn't run away with them. Naturally, I want more songs and I would love to see a full-length from the project at this point soon, so hopefully they can keep up the quality this high.<br />
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<b>Blood Stronghold - The Immortal Past</b><br />
Hammerbolt Productions, 2014<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Frozen Memory of the Dark Past<br />
2. In the Mists of the Immortal Past<br />
3. Legacy (Of Wolves, War & Thunder)<br />
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Blood Stronghold is a bit of a super group considering it's two members have played in quite a lot of projects. The main composer behind the material is from Australia and has done great projects like Eternum and the drummer Krew, has been in so many bands I can't keep track. One of the more well known is Gontyna Kry. In any event when Blood Stronghold released a debut album later in 2014 it went around the web really fast and I wound up back tracking and getting everything else they had put out and I've been a loyal fan ever since. This release was original put out on cassette by Witches Sabbath Records a few months before the CD edition. Since I usually prefer CD's I picked up this version and it comes in a beautiful digipak. The only complaint I have about the design is the font color is so dark you can't really read any of it.<br />
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"The Immortal Past" reminds me a lot of Graveland for some reason. It has a very similar feel and pacing to the music, even the vocals are reminiscent of the Rob Darken style. I've heard some great bands inspired by Gravelend, but a lot of times they mostly clone what Rob does and they don't advance it as much. Blood Stronghold is an entirely different approach to the Graveland foundation, in my opinion. Instead of driving down the path of Paganism and keyboard driven atmosphere, Blood Stronghold just sounds so much darker. They draw more on the creations of Atmospheric Black Metal to build their particular musical space. The result is something that just feels entirely different and really advances that core foundation. Quite a few of the old Black Metal bands had this sort of core approach with their mid-paced compositions, and Blood Stronghold bring back a lot of those ideas, but they also push them forward for the modern era. Which might not be their intention... but that's ultimately what they did. One of the things you'll find most interesting is how this project handles the lead guitars, because the lead material feels really different from what we're used to with these rhythm backdrops. It creates a really dense and beautiful atmosphere. The production is extremely raw, so the production snobs of the modern era need not apply. For example, the lead guitars are blended into the rhythms so seamlessly it's hard to tell they're there, but when a rhythm sections stops you can hear it. They don't cut through, they're more subtle in the mix and creating this really interesting texture.<br />
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As far as debuts go, this is an excellent first effort, but I would expect that from such experienced musicians that have already been well established. The one and only complaint I can level at this is I'm not big on this vocal approach. The low raspy, mostly talked, Black Metal vocal is fairly uninteresting to me. Whenever someone takes this approach I always wonder what it would be like with a better vocalist. These types of vocals are good for certain parts, but a whole release of them can get boring for me vocally. Luckily the music is so strong the vocals just kind of fade to the background for me. So, if you're a fan of mid-paced atmospheric Black Metal or interested in seeing a new take on that old Polish Pagan style of Black Metal, this is a must hear.<br />
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Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-12466374637844378302018-06-22T00:20:00.001-04:002018-06-22T23:22:10.347-04:00Obscurité<br />
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<b>Obscurité - Contemplation II</b><br />
Ossuaire Records, 2015<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Intro<br />
2. Invocation<br />
3. Lointains chants dans l'horizon<br />
4. Le Cosmos: Dans la fuite des saisons<br />
5. Dans l'astrailité de l'esprit<br />
6. Le Sanctuaire<br />
7. L'impasse lunaire<br />
8. In Regeneratione Solis<br />
9. Erêbe<br />
10. Outro<br />
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Obscurité wasted no time in getting back into the studio to release their second full-length and what a massive improvement in just a years time. Obscurité still manage to keep their core epic atmosphere as the main focus in the arrangements, but this time things have been pushed a little more. This CD comes with a full multi-page booklet this time and the lyrics aren't all crammed onto two pages. The cover and back of the jewel case are a little too dark though, it's one of those things where maybe what was on the computer screen didn't translate as well into a printed product. In this case things are a bit too dark. The booklet is beautiful too look at with its images of landscapes and has lyrics for one song per page this time, which works out much better.<br />
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After we get beyond the intro the first thing you'll notice is how much faster the opening song is. This came as quite the shock because we had just gone through quite a lengthy album of slow and quite lengthy material. For "Contemplation II" everything is pushed to the more extreme ends of things and now the album is conjuring up images of early Darkenhöld, which is a truly wonderful image to have. "Contemplation II" feels ancient and medieval and it's only enhanced all the more by the rare keyboard and choir work. Even the guitar tone is much improved on this album and I think a higher gain setting was chosen for this. I think the tempo increase gave Fog a bit more room to be creative since metal drumming is clearly his forté. Don't worry if you're afraid everything is all fast, songs like "Dans l'astrailité de l'esprit" hearken back to the first albums tempo. However, this time they serve to switch up the tempo of the songs and I find this a much more enjoyable experience than before.<br />
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If you enjoyed the first album, I can't imagine why this one would disappoint you, since this really just further advances on the first release. The material feels much better written this time around too and the guitar riffs are truly melodic and epic in nature, much more so than before. This project has turned into something really wonderful and I look forward to what's in store for us next, especially with this much improvement between releases already.<br />
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<b>Obscurité - Contemplation</b><br />
Ossuaire Records, 2014<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Absolu<br />
2. Païen<br />
3. Contemplatio<br />
4. Résistance éternelle<br />
5. Réminiscence<br />
6. Des ailes<br />
7. Elégie<br />
8. L'ivresse nocturne du ciel etoilé (Cycles)<br />
9. L'aurore et la solarité<br />
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Obscurité is a fairly new project out of France and since I've always followed Ossuaire Records, naturally I would wind up with this on my desk. I was also pleased to see that Fog offered drum effort, so I knew the drumming would be quite good. He also offered layout and design treatment and the cover is quite arresting. The booklet which is only two pages has all the lyrics for the entire album, but because it's on two pages it really does feel a bit crammed onto the pages. On Metal-Archives this is listed as Epic Black Metal for the genre, and so I wasn't expecting the usual fast paced barrage of our usual wall of sound.<br />
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Obscurité do have quite an "epic" feel to their take on Black Metal. It just feels ancient and slow moving with the way the material is presented. Blast beats are few and far between and instead the tempo is quite slow. It's, basically, down-tempo Black Metal, if you will. Blast beats are few and far between, but Fog does sneak them in there once in a while. Ash's guitar work is quite good and there are some really exceptional riffs on this release. It sort of reminds me of an album built around the more epic styled Bathory songs or a band like Macabre Omen. I think the one complaint I would level at the guitars is I wish there was more gain on the guitars or something. When they perform the palm muting riffs it feels a little fuzzy kind of like the distortion settings Mütiilation would use, but that's my most major complaint. Vocally Ash is just okay, nothing exceptional in my book. It's sort of like when Demonaz put out his own album and it reminds me of that. They're not bad vocals, but they don't really stand out either.<br />
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In the end this is a pretty good first effort. For me, I'm not sure how much it will wind up in my future listening, because I tend to prefer the faster variant of Black Metal. This being the case "Elégie" is probably my favorite song on this album. I usually like the slower tempo Black Metal as a song or two on an album to break up the monotony of blasting/speed which a lot of Black Metal ends up sounding like. However, if you've ever listened to those songs and said "wow, I wish I had a whole album of this" then look no further, Obscurité is an absolutely fine choice. Ash does a great job of executing that style and making the riffs interesting and, as you can guess, quite epic.<br />
<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-54337342282294374492018-06-18T19:40:00.001-04:002018-06-19T00:01:49.794-04:00Hysteria<br />
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<b>Hysteria - Flesh, Humiliation and Irreligious Deviance</b><br />
Great Dane Records, 2016<br />
Genre: Death Metal<br />
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1. In Belief, Into Nothingness...<br />
2. Sadistic Deviance<br />
3. Visceral Torments<br />
4. Heiress of Disease<br />
5. Ô Father...<br />
6. Succubus Offering<br />
7. The Unhealthy Signature: Haunted by Words of Gods Part II<br />
8. Hérésie<br />
9. Demons from the Past<br />
10. Flesh Messiah<br />
11. Blasphemous Writings (Final Part)<br />
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I sort of lost track of Hysteria over the years and I had no idea the project was still active, sadly I was a couple years late picking up this album. I don't know what made me check up on them, but I was pleasantly surprised a new album was out. I think they got lost in the shuffle over the years, because the last album did come out quite a long time ago. Sadly this album has probably been overlooked by the scene as well.<br />
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"Flesh, Humilation and Irreligious Deviance" really picks up right where "When Believers Preach their Hangamn's Dogma" leaves off. It's almost hard to believe such a large spans of time has gone by between these two albums. Naturally, "Flesh, Humilation and Irreligious Deviance" does advance their sound quite a lot. It's just interesting to think about what catches the public eye, for example Hate has gotten quite popular, but Hysteria is every bit as good as that band. This is really the difference between a large scale touring act, but I still wish it was easier for bands like Hysteria to get their name out there because their music is truly awesome. I can tell already from the first listen that this album will be added to my "go to" list of Death Metal albums to listen to. It's interesting to see how much Hysteria has changed over the years and I feel like they've become even more influenced by the sounds of Polish Death Metal, but their addition of more Swedish styled melodies into the mix really can make their sound feel quite different from the usual Polish masters. One interesting thing I've noticed this time around is their inclusion of varying up the vocals a lot more. Prior to this they stayed mostly in the low guttural style with the occasional higher range scream. But this time they are starting to include some more flat out yelling styles that are really making for a great effect in the atmosphere of the songs. They really stand out quite a bit, because they are markedly different from the way a vocalist like Nergal approaches them.<br />
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In the end the new Hysteria is simply an awesome album. If you liked the last album, I can't imagine you would be disappointed with this release. I feel like Hysteria are finally settling down into their own sound and have found their own unique take on the genre after spending a couple albums trying to find their sound. Since this album and the last are a result of that exploration, I would say two mediocre releases were well worth the wait for something this exquisite. They've really managed to give a truly refined feel to their music that exemplifies their rather diverse approach to the writing of this music. An absolutely must listen as far as I'm concerned.<br />
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<b>Hysteria - When Believers Preach their Hangman's Dogma</b><br />
Trendkill Recordings, 2009<br />
Genre: Death Metal<br />
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1. Sufferings Make Me Almighty<br />
2. Your Kingdom Will Be Mine<br />
3. Still Haunted by Flesh (Work or Torments Part II)<br />
4. Art of Evil<br />
5. The Unholy Creation<br />
6. Lies for Religion Supremacy<br />
7. Stroke Down by Disease<br />
8. Blinded by Religious Doctrines<br />
9. Les écrites blasphématoires<br />
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Hysteria isn't the type of band to crank out albums, but it seems they're content to wait until the time is right and they have material worth showing off, which is something I can totally respect. Once again I picked this album up when it was originally released. We finally have some fairly unique cover art and a really awesome booklet layout to match making this album totally worth buying. The biggest reason this is worth getting is the sheer and immense improvement over the past two efforts.<br />
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It's hard to believe this band ever sounded like "Abyssal Plains of Chaos", because "When Believers Preach their Hangman's Dogma" is such a stellar presentation of refined and well thought out modern Death Metal. It's almost a shame how overlooked this band is given how exceptional good the riffing is on this album. Not one bad song, mind you. I'm doing this review in 2018 and I've had this album in a fair amount of rotation when I'm in the mood for some excellently well written Death Metal. The truly best part of this release is that it's more than just a mere exercise in Death Metal performance, the riffs have some wonderful atmosphere behind them, while maintaining that crushing Brutal Death Metal vibe. Look at how "Stroke Down by Disease" starts? Awesome atmosphere right there before it takes off into really intense Death Metal. Hysteria haven't lost their melodic touch either because the main riff on "Still Haunted by Flesh" feels extremely influenced by the Black Metal band Dawn. However, melody has taken a back seat in favor of more brutal riffing for the majority of the album. It sounds like they are becoming more influenced by the heavy hitters out in Poland like Trauma, but they still blend in this interesting mix of Hypocrisy and Morbid Angel for good measure.<br />
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"When Believers Preach their Hangman's Dogma" is an absolutely superb album and sadly overlooked by the metal community. I think this is a rare gem in a world of mundane efforts. Maybe I'm getting more out of this material than others? But I really enjoyed everything they put together on here a lot. If you enjoy exceptional riffing that is more than just chugging and crushing tone, but a really excellent blend then this is a must listen. They may not be doing anything drastically new, but their particular blend of influences is unique enough to keep me coming back to this album.<br />
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<b>Hysteria - Haunted by the Words of Gods</b><br />
Adipocere Records, 2006<br />
Genre: Death Metal<br />
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1. Haunted by Words of Gods<br />
2. Controlled Existence<br />
3. Martyrs of God<br />
4. My Last Thoughts<br />
5. The Valley of Hinnom<br />
6. From Beyond Reality<br />
7. Unfathomable Mystery<br />
8. Work of Torments<br />
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I remember being surprised when this album hit, because I thought this project was done with just the one EP. I remember liking the EP back then enough to see what the new album would sound like. It was hard to sample music back in 2006 as if it wasn't really on myspace there weren't really many options, but I really liked the album title a lot. The cover was kind of weird though and a lot of other bands were doing very similar graphic design like Sinister, Hate, and Behemoth even. The layout and design of the booklet is pretty cool, but I just remember thinking it was already overdone by the time I got my hands on this release. It's like the genre of Death Metal suddenly hired the same graphic designer.<br />
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Musically "Haunted by Words of Gods" is way better than their EP. It feels like the band has managed to find more of a direction and got much better at blending together their brutal riffing with the more melodic passages. They do a very good job of hitting that brutal Death Metal sequence and the album pretty much hits you with this after the Exorcist sample laden intro. So, right from the start this album hits you pretty hard. The riffing is solid and reminiscent of a Suffocation meets Morbid Angel sort of blend. There's probably a decent amount of Deicide in here too, but not total worship like we hear with a band like Hate. Hysteria switches between the Brutal Death Metal style and a Melodic Death Metal style. Sure there are moments that are melodic and reminiscent of works like At the Gates, but a lot of the parts have more of Hypocrisy atmosphere to them, which is really wonderful as a lot of bands don't do the newer Hyprocrisy style well.<br />
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Production wise this blows the prior album out of the water. Everything is so much more powerful and I feel like I'm listening to real drum set! Albeit it's triggered, but better than a terrible e-kit snare sound. It seems like they put a lot more care into this album and the skill behind the riff writing is far more apparent.<br />
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In the end this is an enjoyable album. I liked it quite a bit when I first got it in 2006, but it has fallen out of rotation. Listening again after all these years, I'm not sure it holds up to the test of time for me. It's not a bad album to have on and some of the riffs are really killer riffs, but as a whole I have other releases that I find to be a lot better. Hysteria is taken steps in the right direction though, so with this release I looked forward to their next album a lot more.<br />
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<b>Hysteria - Abyssal Plains of Chaos</b><br />
Infernal Waves Productions, 2002<br />
Genre: Death Metal<br />
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1. Taking Sides with the Devil... the Ritual<br />
2. Endless Suffering<br />
3. Spiritual Weakness<br />
4. Vision of Chaos - Disruption of the Elements<br />
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I picked up Hysteria's debut release when it first came out and I've been following the project ever since. It's been easily a decade since I've listened to this EP and let's see if this holds up in 2018. Hysteria is a project that no one really talked about and I think I remember buying this as a random purchase on a label because I thought the cover looked cool. Even though this is likely long out of print, it's still pretty readily available on the internet at various locations.<br />
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The early 2000's were a weird production time for extreme metal, suddenly we had access to more affordable digital gear. We no longer had to rely on tape in the home studio and we didn't have to pay for fancy more analog driven studios. You could put an album together and it wouldn't sound like the early 90's harsh demos of the days of yore. However, there were some growing pains with the new technology... especially in the drum trigger market. Triggers sounded atrocious around this time, they've definitely gotten better over the years (nothing beats a real drumset in my opinion though). This Hysteria album sounds like it was recorded with an electronic kit on the drums and as a result it has some of the worst snare tone out there. The performance is great and a lot of early band recordings wound up on the cheap this way. Saves mixing time too, ah well... the guitars sound pretty good... the production was just something that stood out as I turned this one.<br />
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Anyway, musically this album is kind of all over the place. Maybe that's the real source of the band name in some respects. This four song EP ranges from the realms of more Brutal Death Metal to really nice Melodic Death Metal. It kind of circles around these ideas with split second switches at times, but other times the riffing will transform itself more seamlessly. Perhaps they're drawing some influence from the likes of Akercocke and blending it in with the Melodic Death Metal style we hear out of Sweden. There are even moments when they play Thrashier riffs that wind up having a bit more a Black Metal vibe, but this isn't very often.<br />
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In the end this is an okay start for a band. I would like to see them organize their musical ideas better on future releases. I can see why this release has wound up as dead stock in some distros, it's not terrible, but it's only okay. It will clearly get buried by the deluge of more solidified projects releasing higher quality material. Unless you're a really big Hysteria fan this is probably worth skipping.<br />
<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-90917439320283996492018-06-18T17:31:00.000-04:002018-06-18T17:32:06.450-04:00Skinweaver<br />
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<b>Skinweaver - Gratification Eternal</b><br />
Great Dane Records, 2017<br />
Genre: Death Metal<br />
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1. Apotemnophilia<br />
2. Skinweaver<br />
3. Malus Triumfat<br />
4. Salvation<br />
5. Kneedeep in the Flesh<br />
6. Bastion of Butchers<br />
7. Suffer Endless<br />
8. Zombie Holocaust<br />
9. Plague Bearer<br />
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Skinweaver was a bit of a random purchase on my behalf. I was picking up the new Hysteria album and while looking through the record labels releases I came across this release. The name and album cover screamed of "old school Death Metal", which I happen to love. Skinweaver reminds me of the Dismember song "Skinfather", so I was hoping the album was somewhere in that wheelhouse. "Gratification Eternal" is their debut album, with no demos prior and it's rare to find this quality out of the gate.<br />
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I feel like I'm seeing a bit of a resurgence of the old Death Metal style thanks to labels like Iron Bonehead, who seems to do everything the old way and maybe now Great Dane with more of a focus on Death Metal? After hearing this I'm going to start exploring their catalog more, because this debut from Skinweaver is absolutely incredible. It's everything I want from Death Metal, and this is coming from a person who primarily listens to Black Metal. I grew up with a lot of the old greats like Entombed, Dismember, Suffocation, Unleashed, etc. and Skinweaver definitely delivers on that idea. The really excellent aspect of this release is that it doesn't feel like a clone at all. You hear a myriad of influences in this album. You've got Dismember, Carcass, Sinister and old Hypocrisy all rolled together here and I feel like that's the core blend of their main approach. They stay heavily focused on creating catchy grooves and casting them amidst some crushing Death Metal. The production value of the album is excellent as well, everything feels very organic as opposed to the more modern sound where we don't really listen to real drums anymore. Some bands do okay with hyper production like Lost Soul, but most of the time it just sounds bad to me. Skinweaver has a really excellent compromise because it's certainly better production quality than early 90's Death Metal, but it sounds like we have real instruments being played. Based on their pictures of recording we're listening to the guitars driven by Diezel tube amplifiers, which gives a really nice crunchy tone to the guitars. The vocals sit nicely in the mix and have a ton of reverb on them which really works for this release, in my opinion. They never take over the mix either, which is great, because I hear that happen a lot, this way we can enjoy the riffs and this awesome powerful guttural shout their vocalist does.<br />
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In the end I was very happy with my random purchase and I'm going to have to look through and check out other bands on this record label. The booklet is a bit over simplified, but that kind of makes sense for a debut of a fairly unknown project. I'm just happy they went with pressing a CD instead of digital release only. If you miss the old days of Death Metal, well they are alive and well on this album. They pull it off without sounding like a clone and that is, by far, one of the most endearing parts of this album. A really killer debut and I look forward to whatever else they put out in the future now that this project is on my radar.<br />
<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-13987044172752411092018-06-17T19:42:00.000-04:002018-06-17T20:01:00.408-04:00Apolokia<br />
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<b>Apolokia & Inferno Split</b><br />
Sombre Records, 2003<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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<u>Apolokia:</u><br />
1. Acherontis Avari<br />
<u>Inferno:</u><br />
2. Hrdi a silni<br />
3. Sjednoceni viron<br />
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Side Inferno: <a href="http://subjectedtometal.blogspot.com/2013/02/inferno.html">here</a><br />
Side Apolokia:<br />
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It's been a couple years since we've heard from Apolokia and their latest movement comes two years after their last split with Dark Storm. As before this is a Sombre Records release, this time on 7" and limited to 500 copies. I don't see any hand-numbering on my copy, so I guess they didn't hand number all their releases.<br />
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This material came out about the same time as Katharsis' "Kruzifixxion" album, so the material isn't too far off from there. As I mentioned in the last review this project is closely related, however it isn't nearly as chaotic. "Kruzifixxion" is one of Katharsis' most chaotic efforts, so this Apolokia song stands pretty far removed from that. Which works out well because even though it has that Katharsis tone, it doesn't have that Katharsis atmosphere, so it's nice to hear a whole new spin on this.<br />
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Unfortunately, this is the last we heard from the project. Perhaps the two members couldn't find the time to work together, or M.K. just decided to focus more on Katharsis. Either way, this project has been put to rest and it's kind of a shame we never got a proper full-length out of it, because the music was pretty good.<br />
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<b>Apolokia & Dark Storm Split</b><br />
Sombre Records, 2001<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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<u>Apolokia:</u> In Ceremonial Circles<br />
1. Infinite Warscream<br />
2. Cemetary Shrines<br />
3. Thy Eye and Claw of Evil<br />
4. In Ceremonial Circles<br />
<u>Dark Storm: Kult Satan</u><br />
5. Kult Satan<br />
6. Infernal Desecration<br />
7. Eternal Flame of Hell<br />
8. Thy Unholy Light<br />
9. In the Sign of Blasphemy<br />
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Side Dark Storm: <a href="http://subjectedtometal.blogspot.com/2013/04/dark-storm.html">here</a><br />
Side Apolokia:<br />
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Being a fairly big Katharsis fan I somehow missed out on Apolokia and instead I got into them through the bands they did splits with. Their first 4-way split that came out before this one is something I'm missing, but someday I might track it down. Their original demo tape, I'm not so optimistic about, so my reviews really begin here. While I was reviewing Dark Storm these tracks happened to come on and I was really into them, so here we are. This is a 12" LP and is limited to 350 copies.<br />
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Basically, if you like Katharsis you will certainly enjoy Apolokia as the projects are quite similar. Apolokia is M.K. on guitar and drums with vocalist/bassist Azazel. I didn't realize M.K. also played guitar, but in Katharsis I think all he plays is drums. Either way, the Katharsis style is certainly strong in his writing style and you can hear that from the very start of "Infinite Warscream". The major difference is that his music doesn't seem as intensely chaotic as Katharsis usually is. So, it's not exactly a Katharsis clone, it just sounds quite similar. I'm sure they're recorded in the same Katharsis studio, which gives the production quality the exact same treatment, which works very well for this material. The only major off-putting aspect is that sometimes the material feels pretty messy in it's writing and performance. As if the songs weren't practiced very often, but just enough to do a recording. Despite that the material is still good with slightly less chaotic styled Katharsis riffing and generates that awesomely hateful atmosphere the project is known for. So, if you're a Katharsis fan you should also become a fan of Apolokia!Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-74766938898862286262018-06-01T11:17:00.003-04:002018-06-01T11:30:18.774-04:00Gottlos<br />
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<b>Gottlos - Infernal Pandemonia</b><br />
Eclipse Productions, 2004<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Glorious Conquest<br />
2. Mystis<br />
3. A Nocturnal Monologue<br />
4. Kytheria (Astral in the Midnight)<br />
5. The Witches of Symposium<br />
6. Wrath of Katachthonium<br />
7. Mesíášův Konec (Maniac Butcher cover)<br />
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Gottlos is another project somewhat related to Maniac Butcher that has probably been rather lost to the ages of time. I bought this CD around when it was first released and I think I listened to it once or twice back then and now we're in 2018 seeing if this holds up to the test of time. The music is composed by Greek musician Skylepthis and Barbarud Hrom from Maniac Butcher provided the vocal accompaniment.<br />
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Being related to Maniac Butcher I expect some degree of rawness and that's pretty much what we get with the first Gottlos release. The music isn't too bad, however, it is quite monotonous, which is probably the intention. Each songs has, perhaps, two to three riffs, if that. "Mystis" feels like it is only a single riff played for a few minutes. The major problem here is that while other bands like Gorgoroth and Horna have done a decent job with this approach Gottlos doesn't succeed in the same fashion. The riffing mostly feels okay with a few gems shining through here and there, such as the opening to "A Nocturnal Monologue" and there's even another riff in there that sounds quite good. The major problem and reason this winds up sounding so mind-numbing compared to other bands is there are no drum fills, except for one during the middle of "A Nocturnal Monologue". Skyleptis barely gives treatment to the rest of the drum set beyond snare, kick, and hi-hat. The beats rarely vary beyond a blast beat. The moments that do vary really stand out in a big way, because it's so weird amidst such over simplicity. The album closes with a Maniac Butcher cover and its a stark contrast because there are drum fills... so it's not that Skylepthis can't do them, he's choosing not to, which just make the overall release a bit more questionable in its drum arrangements. In fact, it almost seems like Skylepthis is learning drums as he is making this album, because the variation and complexity of the drum beats increases as the album progresses.<br />
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In the end, I'm not sure this was supposed to have more releases, but this wound up being a Black Metal one-off. While some of the riffing was enjoyable, the mind-numbing drum performance kind of killed the release for me. It really doesn't hold up well over time and I can't remember if I liked it a lot when it was first released. I can see why I forgot about the album over the years, because it didn't over enough memorable music for me to return to over and over. If you like incredibly simplistic Black Metal then you might find the lack of arrangements to be a feature.<br />
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<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-84232441835672040442018-06-01T10:33:00.001-04:002018-06-01T10:34:29.422-04:00Nhaavah<br />
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<b>Nhaavah - Nhaavah</b><br />
Unisound Records, 2002<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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<u>Kings of Czech Black Metal</u><br />
1. Death<br />
2. I am Satan, I am God<br />
3. Hate<br />
4. Xenophobia<br />
5. The Law<br />
6. War<br />
7. Nhaavah<br />
<u>Determination, Detestation, Devastation:</u><br />
8. Determination of Life<br />
9. Detestation of Humanity<br />
10. Devastation of Church<br />
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Nhaavah is yet another side project of Vlad Blasphemer, this time only with Maniac Butcher's vocalist Barbarud Hrom. If you missed out on their only two releases, this self titled release compiles everything Nhaavah have ever done for the first time on CD. It was a fairly short lived project and seems more focused on playing fast than playing for anything else. This has one of the most ridiculous booklets I've ever seen, all the information and lyrics are crammed onto the very last panel and when you open the booklet it's just black inside. Probably one of the worst layout designs around.<br />
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If you're unfamiliar with Nhaavah you'll be surprised to see how short the songs are and how fast this album cranks through everything. This is almost akin to Black Grind, given the ridiculous speed with which the drums are programmed. Even though there are bands out there that can play this fast, it sounds ridiculous with the programmed drums, because the ride cymbal doesn't sound real so it's just some strange clicking noise. It's not constant speed, songs like "Hate" have lengthy sections that slow down, but most of it is pretty fast and a lot of the songs are around two minutes in length.<br />
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Maybe Nhaavah has more substance if your into more of the Grind style than I am, but Nhaavah is one of their projects that doesn't really have much for me. It might have a few moments where the riffs are pretty good, but it's very short lived. Nhaavah isn't trying to construct a Black Metal atmosphere, I think they're just trying to assault our senses with blisteringly fast music, it doesn't really matter if the riff is good or makes sense.<br />
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<b>Nhaavah & Katharsis Split</b><br />
Sombre Records, 1999<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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<u>Nhaavah:</u><br />
1. Detremination of Life<br />
2. Detestation of Humanity<br />
3. Devastation of Church<br />
<u>Katharsis:</u><br />
4. Raid of Destruction (The Ninth Age)<br />
5. I... Am... Redeemer<br />
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Side Katharsis: <a href="http://subjectedtometal.blogspot.com/2012/12/katharsis.html">here</a><br />
Side Nhaavah:<br />
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While I had heard both Nhaavah and Katharsis, I'll be honest, the reason I bought this was for Katharsis. This is Nhaavah's second release, the first being their only demo tape. Here they have a split 7" with one of Germany's finest. This is on the legendary Sombre Records and limited to 500 hand-numbered copies, of which I own #480.<br />
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The material on this split basically picks up where "Kings of Czech Black Metal" left off. The production is a little more clear, but that's about it. We still have the same blisteringly fast Black Metal played in under two minutes. The only reason the first song breaks the two minute mark is because there is an ambient styled intro. The insert of the 7" describes the music as "Raw War Black Metal" and I'd have to say that fits. It's almost as if this is what Marduk is trying to achieve sometimes, but they can only play so fast and they're a little more reasonable with adding memorable riffs into the mix.<br />
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Either way, Nhaavah certainly isn't for everyone and this project was fairly short lived. Focus on Maniac Butcher makes way more sense for these two musicians, in my opinion. I sort of imagine Vlad mainly fooling around with this saying "see, we can play ultra fast too!" as a response for all the speed based projects that were coming out in the late 90's.<br />
<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-68516561120943086022018-04-12T00:24:00.003-04:002018-05-29T23:28:17.694-04:00Panphage<div>
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<b>Panphage - Jord</b><br />
Nordvis Produktion, 2018<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Odalmarkerna<br />
2. Måtte dessa bygder brinna<br />
3. Ygg (En visa om julen)<br />
4. Skadinawjo<br />
5. Den tyste åsen<br />
6. Som man sår får man skörda<br />
7. Osådda skal åkrarna växa (Outro)<br />
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2018 started of with a band with the announcement that Panphage was unleashing a new album. After how incredible "Drengskapr" was, I assumed "Jord" would be, yet another, spectacular addition to their discography. However, the excitement didn't last as long as I would have liked, because this announcement also heralded the end of the project. "Jord" is to be the last chapter in the Panphage journey. Part of me feels like Panphage hasn't been around long enough, but this project has been active for over a decade now, so perhaps Fjällbrandt wants to challenge himself with a different project. Or this album is just the pinnacle of the Panphage sound and he wouldn't want to try to exceed it.<br />
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Either way "Jord" is quite the force to be reckoned with. This is certainly wind up in the top ten this year, it would really take an awful lot to push this record aside. "Jord" takes all the wonderful writing we found on "Drengskapr" and somehow just enhances that experience. It's dark, it's folky, it's somber, it's atmospheric all at once. It's a veritable assault on the senses and encompasses a lot of areas I love about Black Metal in a single project. The impressive thing about Panphage is that none of this work feels disjointed and instead is just seamlessly executed on "Jord". The project has come quite far from the first demo tape, which is hardly worth the experience... and ends on such a well composed high note that it still leaves us craving for more.<br />
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"Jord" is an immense swan song of an album and it's basically everything we've ever wanted out of a Panphage album. I sort of hold out hope that in a few years the project will get resurrected if more inspiration comes along. However, at the same time, it's also a very good idea to leave a project ending on a high note. "Jord" is a killer close to an era and an absolute must hear as far as I'm concerned.<br />
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<b>Panphage - Drengskapr</b><br />
Nordvis Produktion, 2016<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Gettir Àsmundarson<br />
2. Landrensningen<br />
3. Glam rider husen<br />
4. Glamsyn<br />
5. Utlagr<br />
6. Drangey<br />
7. Blodshämd<br />
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It's only been a year since the first debut "Storm" came out, but I feel a lot has changed in the Panphage camp. There's just been some extreme refinement in the song writing and it hit around the split with Thul. This is also one of the first Panphage releases to to be published on CD, aside from the compilation earlier in 2016. With this change comes a label change as well and Nordvis has put together a really nice digipak design, which I've come to expect from the label. They always do an excellent job supporting and artists musical and art directions. Panphage has always favored simplicity, but there's a track by track explanation of the story that inspired the song.<br />
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"Drengskapr" feels more hyper focused on striking that chord between folk and Black Metal, which makes this feel like even more of an advancement of the early Arckanum sound to me. The primitive nature of everything just seems so reminiscent to those early albums I still listen to quite often today. Now, Panphage isn't a rip-off by any means, they're doing a lot of different stuff, but it still hits that similar atmosphere for me. Panphage just escalate it and take things to an entirely new level for me. Where Arckanum went more the meditative/droning route, Panphage went the upbeat/catchy route. However, Panphage still manages to remain with a dark atmosphere for the most part. The folkier lead guitar licks are certainly more upbeat, but it's usually performed amidst more sorrowful segments. You'll even hear touches of ambience underlying the song, giving that droning touch to the songs a little bit. One of the more brilliant things that happened on this album is "Glamsyn", which is this clean guitar segment with absolutely loads of reverb/delay. It's a wonderfully haunting track and when it first shows up you think that's all it is. Perhaps this is a bit of musical foreshadowing, because when we get to "Blodshämd" we find this is the main riff of the song, in all its glory of heavily distorted guitars.<br />
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"Drengskapr" is quickly becoming one of my favorite albums out there. It will easily hit the top ten for 2016, that's for sure. If you've been following Panphage for a while, then this album is a real stand out effort in their discography. This is by far the ultimate starting point to delve into this project and I can't imagine people being disappointed. Even though the production is more on the raw side, everything is still pretty easy to hear and in this case it really adds to the overall atmosphere of the album. That raw natural grit is simply perfect for music like this!<br />
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<b>Panphage - Genom Konst & Krig</b><br />
Ætergap Productions, 2016<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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<u>Disc 1:</u><br />
<u>Jotunmodi:</u><br />
1. Thul: Bloteld<br />
2. Utgårdahovet<br />
3. Muspel<br />
4. Urthurs<br />
5. Jotunmodi<br />
6. Thursamodir<br />
<u>Ætt Loka:</u><br />
7. Thule: Offergap<br />
8. Olios<br />
9. Likrå<br />
10. Ormblot<br />
11. Thriggia Thursa Fadir<br />
12. Urthurs Pt. II<br />
<u>Ursvöl:</u><br />
13. Thule: Maran<br />
14. Skall & Skalv<br />
15. Svartinånfödda yngel<br />
16. A Haugi<br />
17. Ursvöl<br />
18. Illa Sett (Glum cover)<br />
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<u>Disc 2:</u><br />
<u>Gradr Nedan:</u><br />
1. Thul: Hämnaren<br />
2. Dögun i undirheimum<br />
3. Thrudmodgi Iotunn<br />
4. Under Sotröda Vingar<br />
5. Sökkdalir<br />
6. Gradr<br />
7. Lemlästad & i Snö Förborgad<br />
8. Nedan<br />
<u>Nordlandets Dödsande:</u><br />
9. Thul: en Objuden Gäst<br />
10. Nordlandets Dödsande<br />
11. Svarta Vågor<br />
12. Kynjamein<br />
13. Fredlös<br />
14. Livlös<br />
15. Thul: Hlidskjalf<br />
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This is an extremely impressive re-release of all the material released under the Ætergap banner. This collects all the previous demo tapes plus "Jotunmodi". The only material it doesn't include is the material released on Satanic Propaganda in the very early years. Based on the very first demo tape I own, I can see why this early material wouldn't fit into what Panphage eventually became. However, starting with "Jotunmodi" makes some sense because it's where the writing took a far more serious turn as far as I can tell.<br />
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If you missed out on the relevant prior tapes then this is a must own collection of material. It comes in a beautiful A5 digibook packaging. In addition to all of the music collected under one banner there are newly composed intros by Thul, which is the Ambient side of Panphage. We heard this on the last tape "Ginnheilagr". The Ambient material newly designed for this release is similar in feel as what we heard on the previous tape. However, it's more infrequent, so it stands out more solidly to me. I think having every other track of Ambient is what made that a more challenging release. Luckily that problem doesn't occur on here. The material has gone through some slight re-mastering to bring everything together more coherently. So, this is a slightly improved listen if you also have the original tapes.<br />
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Inside the digibook you'll find the two CD's that span the collection and a booklet (also A5) glued to the inside cover. I usually prefer my booklets being entirely separate from the packaging, but we don't get much of a choice here. The booklet is actually really well done. Inside there is commentary on each tape release on what was being used for inspiration. There is also a song or two where the lyrics are published for each tape release. They don't have all the lyrics published, which was slightly disappointing, but having a couple songs that were meaningful to the creator are always nice to read through.<br />
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If you're a Panphage fan I would consider this a must have. A lot of the material on those tapes is really well made, especially the last two tapes. Truly excellent and inspiring material. I'm glad they were able to give the material the light of day in this format for those that couldn't track down the original tape releases.<br />
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<b>Panphage & Þul - Ginnheilagr</b><br />
Ætergap Productions, 2015<br />
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Genre: Black Metal/Ambient<br />
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1. Þul - Canis<br />
2. Panphage - Konungr/Lopt<br />
3. Þul - Lynx<br />
4. Panphage - Släkten solen ser i åkrar sjunka ned<br />
5. Þul - Ursus<br />
6. Panphage - Ginnheilug goð<br />
7. Þul - Ginnheilagr<br />
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This split tape would be hard to review if you split up the releases. Basically this is a split between Black Metal and Ambient, which have always crossed paths, essentially, since both genres have existed. The way they've formatted this release the Ambient of Þul is intertwined with the Black Metal of Panphage as they alternate tracks on this release. I believe this tape was limited to 300 copies and it comes with a pro-printed booklet and stickers on the cassette itself.<br />
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The Þul material somewhat outweighs the Panphage material, but that's probably because these Ambient pieces serve as an intro and outro the album as a whole. The Ambient pieces retain that meditative quality that you expect from Ambient, but it also has a more primitive old world sort of atmosphere and edge to them. A lot of this is generated through the sheer simplicity of it and the more organic and natural feel of some of the instruments, even if they were digitally re-created. At times it reminds me a bit of the tracks created by Rajna, since they used a lot of authentic old instruments.<br />
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Now, the Panphage material is some of the finest Panphage material ever created and it's almost a real shame that we only get four songs out of this release. The first song "Konungr/Lopt" is by far my favorite Panphage song ever created. It's a track I can listen to over and over again with that overly catchy opening lick just instantly pulling us in. Sometimes when a track this good appears on a release it tends to overshadow the other songs on here. Luckily this doesn't happen to much on this release. While "Lopt" is, no doubt, the strongest track the other two Panphage tracks really hold their own quite well too. Every song has incredibly ear-catching riffing and an atmosphere that is just perfect for the project.<br />
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As with the other Panphage tapes, this release was later pressed to CD. Similar to the other releases this was pressed by Nordvis in 2017 and it features a new booklet with different artwork. It also features lyrics for two of the songs, but, sadly, it does not have my favorite one.<br />
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If you are a Panphage fan then this split is an absolutely must hear experience. If you're turned off by the ambient, at least with the CD edition you can skip all that stuff now... but it probably does take away from the overall intended experience. Either way, all three Panphage tracks are really well done.<br />
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<b>Panphage/Jarnvidr - Gøthalandom</b><br />
Ætergap Production, 2015<br />
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;">
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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<u>Panphage:</u><br />
1. Söner av Orsämjans Länder<br />
2. Hagalaz Automat<br />
3. Black Dawn Guerilla<br />
4. Tag till Vapen<br />
5. Gøthalandom<br />
<u>Jarnvidr:</u><br />
6. Helveteseld Faller från Himmelen<br />
7. Hagelstorm<br />
8. Klockringing i Dalen och Åkallan av Makterna<br />
9. Det Svarta Vattnets Gåva<br />
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Side Jarnvidr: ...coming eventually...<br />
Side Panphage:<br />
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Unlike the "Storm" album, the material composed on this split was actually written in 2015. So, it's nice to see Fjällbrandt returning to writing for this project again. He seems to go through massive creative bursts with this project that span years, but then it tapers off, then a few years later returns with more material. This also seems to be one of the first CD's released by Ætergap Productions, but like the tapes this is limited to 300 copies as well. It comes as a beautiful digipak with additional booklet inside. The booklet has pictures and art for both projects as well as liner notes.<br />
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Even though there is some decent time in between the recorded material of "Storm" and this, the material on this split basically picks up where "Storm" leaves off. In some respects I feel like this material is a bit more primitive in style and recording, but still maintains that solid blend of Black Metal and folk-ish style. "Black Dawn Guerrilla" is, by far, one of the catchier songs from Panphage ever written. The whole concept of this material is dedicated to the Westrogothian men from the 1400's who fought the nobility. As usual with Panphage, the songs are very well written and have that atmosphere that has been ever present on their earlier recordings.<br />
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<b>Panphage - Storm</b><br />
Ætergap Production, 2015<br />
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;">
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Lugnet<br />
2. Storm<br />
3. Vid Kusten<br />
4. Sävgetens Folk<br />
5. Frusna Varsel<br />
6. Hemmavid<br />
7. Förfäder<br />
8. Fenomen<br />
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It's been quite a while since Panphage has put out material after producing something consistently every year. However, after such a long wait they return with their debut full-length album after existing for ten years. The material was composed between 2011 and 2012, but between 2013 and 2015 it was finally cut to tape. This tape is limited to 300 copies and comes in some excellent packaging. The tape comes in a velvet bag with the tape inside and a scroll of paper. The tape is housed in a simple slipcase with the above featured cover. The scroll features a thank you and liner notes as well as a track by track explanation behind each songs motivation. Overall a very special product to commemorate these ten years of Panphage.<br />
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I was a little late to the Panphage game and I believe "Storm" was actually my first experience with the project, which prompted me to track down everything I could find. Since this music was composed so closely to "Nordlandets Dödsande", "Storm" is certainly similar, but there's a certain level of refinement in the writing on "Storm" that I feel pushes the Panphage ideology even further. I think this is where Panphage truly solidified its sound and simply ran with it. There's nothing out there that quite sounds exactly like this, the combination of rawness, hatred, and traditional themes reminds me quite a bit of what Arckanum is famous for. However, Panphage builds on what Arckanum has done before and adds in more and more layers that make for an even more exciting listen, in my opinion. The manner in which the catchier sections are composed has a lot more force behind them than in a lot of other projects I've listened to and at the same time Panphage manages to construct this timeless atmosphere that is somewhat modern, but feels like it hearkens back to the days of old.<br />
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Now if you had the misfortune of missing out on the original tape release, "Storm" was finally re-released on CD by Nordvis Produktion in 2017. They produced a beautiful multi-panel digipak edition for us. It features new artwork and the lyrics to two of the songs on the album. I assume the two songs chosen have more meaning for Fjällbrandt, or they convey more of what he wants for the Panphage project. I doubt the material was remastered, but music, even more raw Black Metal, is recorded on computers these days, so cutting the digital extract onto CD probably maintains the full sound a lot more. So, "Storm" feels a lot more loud and full compared to the original tape as far as I can tell.<br />
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Every time I listen to a Panphage recording, I feel inspired. There's something about Panphage that feels triumphant amidst all the disdain and hatred for the modern world and modern man. I hope with the release of "Storm" we'll have a steady wave of releases of this nature. At least that's what I was hoping back when I first heard this release and I certainly got my wish... can't wait for the next installment!<br />
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<b>Panphage - Nordlandets Dödsande</b><br />
Ætergap Production, 2011<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
Genre: Black Metal</div>
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1. Nordlandets dödsande<br />
2. Kynjamein<br />
3. Svarta vågor<br />
4. Fredlös<br />
5. Livlös<br />
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A mere few months since the last release and we already have a new Panphage tape ready to go! After the last release I was really excited to hear what "Nordlandets Dödsande" would bring us. As with before, it's released on cassette with a pro-printed tape and booklet. This time all the lyrics are published for us to read...and for those of us who understand Swedish, which is not me.<br />
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Now, "Nordlandets Dödsande" is a good and solid release, but it just doesn't have the same level of magic for me that "Gráðr Neðan" possessed. There's just something in the writing on that release that was immense and "Nordlandets Dödsande" feels more like a return to the earlier release style. Which is great stuff, but doesn't hit as hard. "Nordlandets Dödslande", while being in the vein of Raw Black Metal, has a decidedly more upbeat approach to all the songwriting. This is probably an attempt to incorporate the "happier" sounding folk melodies, whereas before he would usually choose more triumphant of darker styles. "Nordlandets Dödsande" still has that quality triumphant sound, it's just painted in a more positive light this time around, but it still manages to remain in the realms of raw and grim. A lot of the material is still making me think of projects like Arckanum quite a bit.<br />
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In the end, even though I didn't like this as much as the prior release, it's still very good material. The experiment he delved into felt like a faster version of Storm at times, so it had a lot more emphasis on Folk aspects. Even though he will change up the sound and approach of the project from time to time, I still look forward to what's to come, because even though there have been slight changes here and there, all the material is still quite good at the end of the day.<br />
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<b>Panphage - Gráðr Neðan</b><br />
Ætergap Production, 2011<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Dögun í undirheimum<br />
2. þrudmoþgi iotunn<br />
3. Under sotröda vingar<br />
4. Sökkdalir<br />
5. Gráðr<br />
6. Lemlästad & i snö förborgad<br />
7. Neðan<br />
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Another year and another Panphage tape. This one really pushes the envelope from "Ursvöl" in a truly excellent direction. As before this is released on cassette with a pro-booklet and pro-tape. The booklet is a really nice multi-panel booklet with the lyrics to a few songs written out.<br />
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Gráðr Neðan is a far more expansive journey than the previous releases, mainly due to the fact that it simply has more tracks. However, the musical composition feels a lot more mature and well thought out. This release marries the Black Metal atmosphere with some excellent Thrash and Folk moments to really hook us in like never before. Every song is wonderfully crafted. For me, "Gráðr Neðan" is where Panphage took a turn artistically into something of a higher quality project. There aren't any songs that stand in the background, and I daresay there aren't even any filler riffs. Everything feels attention grabbing, and maybe that's one of the reasons I feel like this release is much more intense than the others.<br />
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When a band finally hits this caliber of composition I want them to stop making these shorter releases and put out a full length. So, hopefully Panphage will be heading in that direction soon. However, if you're first delving into the world of Panphage, while the prior releases are pretty good, this is where the material starts to grow far beyond the original material, so starting here is a good spot.<br />
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<b>Panphage - Ursvöl</b><br />
Ætergap Production, 2010<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Skall & Skalv<br />
2. Svartmånfödda Yngel<br />
3. A Haugi<br />
4. Ursvöl<br />
5. Illa Sett (Glum cover)<br />
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Another year yields, yet another tape, from Panphage. Given the constant improvement of the project I was certainly looking forward to new material. As with the other tapes on this label the cover is pro-printed and is limited to 300 copies.<br />
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"Ursvöl" isn't as heavy in style compared to the prior release. It's probably closer to the material we heard on the "Jotunmodi" release. Rather than heaviness, this album creates a generally darker atmosphere overall. However, those catchier guitar licks and riffs that have become a staple of the Panphage sound are still ever present throughout the release. "Skall & Skalv" is clear demonstration of this. This material feels even more infused with Black Metal, and for some reason I keep coming back to Arckanum whenever I hear Panphage material like this. Although, "Ursvöl" seems like it is more influenced by the more melodic styled Black Metal bands out there. At times hear early Enslaved and early Einherjer in their sound a bit as well, but this is probably due to the dose of folk style meshed into the sound.<br />
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I quite prefer the style on "Ursvöl" a bit more than the last tape. It has more of the atmosphere I am looking for in my music. Either way this is, yet another, great Panphage release and I look forward to whatever comes next. Since, I'm sure there will be another tape for us in the following year!<br />
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<b>Panphage - Ætt Loka</b></div>
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Ætergap Production, 2009</div>
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Genre: Black Metal</div>
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1. Olios</div>
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2. Likrå</div>
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3. Ormblot</div>
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4. Thriggia Thursa Fadir</div>
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5. Urthurs Pt. II</div>
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A year after Panphage's foray into the digital world they swiftly returned to tape releases. This time on a new label for Panphage. This comes with a pro-printed cover and is limited to 300 copies. "Ætt Loka" builds on "Jotunmodi," but also experiments with different elements than before.</div>
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This release winds up being a much heavier release than "Jotunmodi". Those catchy riffs built on the back of more folk elements are still ever present in the sound, of course, but he's upped the general intensity and heaviness this time around. Here you'll find a lot more palm muting riffs than before, but Panphage manage to keep everything sounding like they're mainly in the Black Metal realm for writing this material. The songwriting is much improved as well and everything feels a lot more cohesive in the grand scheme of things. It feels more like he wrote an "album" than a collection of songs that sort of fit thematically. I also appreciated "Likrå" a lot, because it has a similar idea to the closing track of "Jotunmodi", but this time I feel like everything fit together better. Unfortunately, the main riff on "Thursamodir" fit with the female vocals even better. The other strange thing you'll here is the experimentation with some more dissonant riffing a few times in this album. Just listen to the opening of "Ormblot", I would expect that more from a Blut aus Nord release.</div>
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I think the only major complaint I can level at this is I feel like atmosphere has been sacrificed for heaviness. Which was probably the intended goal given how it is persistent throughout the whole release. However, I enjoy the stronger songwriting this time around and it maintains enough of that groove from the prior album to keep my attention and enjoyment through the release. Again, looking forward to even more of this, because it sounds like the material is getting even stronger. Maybe he'll find a good balance between heaviness, atmosphere, and catchiness on future material.</div>
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<b>Panphage - Jotunmodi</b></div>
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Self-Released, 2008</div>
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Genre: Black Metal</div>
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1. Utgårdalhovet</div>
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2. Muspel</div>
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3. Urthurs</div>
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4. Jotunmodi</div>
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5. Thursamodir</div>
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Unfortunately I have never heard the Panphage material prior to this release, except for the very first tape. After a string of demo tapes released on Satanic Propaganda Panphage turned to the digital market and self-released this material onto the internet. It doesn't have any kind of cover associated with it, which is disappointing. However, I did read that "Jotunmodi" is quite different from the earlier demos and this is where the Panphage legacy really begins in sound and motivation.</div>
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"Jotunmodi" is a really cool demo with some good ideas and experimentation of the newer Panphage sound, there's also some ideas that don't work out as well, but for the most part it works. All the songs feel heavily rooted in an Arckanum style and recording approach to the music. There's also a fair dose of a folk feel injected into the music, so it feels reminiscent of the older days of Viking Metal at times. This adds an interesting groove to the Arckanum style. I think Fjällbrandt is still sorting out the particulars of composing Panphage material. He has some chuggier guitar moments that don't fit with some of the groovier sections. Then in "Jotunmodi" there's this random shred solo that immediately kills all hope for atmosphere. "Thursamodir" is one of the best and one of the worst tracks on this. It has this immense atmospheric riff and when the female vocals kick in over it, it's absolutely spectacular. But his bridges and some of the other riffs thrown in here pull us out of that amazing atmosphere he was building. It really is too bad, because this could have been one of the best Panphage songs ever composed... I almost wish he would revisit this song and re-work it a little bit. In light of that, the first two tracks are probably the strongest on this release. "Utgårdalhovet" has some wonderful atmosphere and especially nice riffs to catch our attention.</div>
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I don't know what earlier Panphage sounded like, but "Jotunmodi" is a very strong showing for shifting styles. I think there are still some kinks to work out, but Panphage has some rock solid foundation to build on with this approach. I really look forward to hearing what's in store next.<br />
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<b>Panphage - Panphage</b><br />
Satanic Propaganda Records, 2005<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Intro<br />
2. Elva Stigar Skymtas<br />
3. Av Röta Besatt<br />
4. Akhera Goiti-Akher Beiti<br />
5. Pan Panphage<br />
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When back tracking Panphage's catalog this tape and the following two demos are very challenging to find. However, I was lucky to get my hands on this material and I purchased this out of curiosity because it seems Fjällbrandt sort of ignores this very early material. When Panphage re-released all their old demos it started at the release of "Jotunmodi" and ignored these first three, so I was wondering how primitive or terrible they might actually be. These early Panphage releases were put out on Satanic Propaganda Records and no limitation is listed, though I'm sure there is some type of limitation. This comes with a pro-printed insert on a dubbed tape. The insert isn't anything special, just the cover and a panel with track listing and line saying "recorded during fullmoon and fever in december 2005." So, this basically went from recording to release in a month.<br />
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Musically, this isn't anything particularly special. However, we get hints of what Panphage would later morph into in songs like "Elva Stigar Skrymtas" and "Akhera Goiti-Akher Beiti". In fact the riff in the latter was certainly re-used to better purpose on a different song. Tracks like "Av Röta Besatt" are really different from the more usual Arckanum inspired Panphage material. This has almost depressive Black Metal elements in it, but it has some heavier moments, but it lacks that strange upbeat dark groove that Panphage can generate. The songs lack any real cohesive style throughout the tape, so each song is just a disjointed sequence of riffs that may or may not fit together. There are some decent on ideas on here, but Fjällbrandt is sort of correct to leave these demos to history, since the style did become far more cohesive and well developed.<br />
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In the end this is a fun curiosity to have in my Panphage collection. As you can tell on this site I like hearing everything from my favorite projects whether it is good or bad material. Panphage clearly got off to a fairly rocky start, but over the years the sound was refined and turned into one of my favorite projects around. Unless you're truly a die-hard Panphage fan and must hear this early material it's mostly worth skipping this. Maybe a single listen out of curiosity, but it really doesn't have much in the way of replay value.</div>
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Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-74106002806394600002018-03-27T09:42:00.003-04:002018-03-27T09:44:06.080-04:00Sarrgh<br />
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<b>Sarrgh - Black Hate and Doom</b><br />
Christhunt Productions, 2005<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. The Last Northern Warrior<br />
2. The Path of Despair<br />
3. Ancient Sky<br />
4. Black Hate and Doom<br />
5. Cold Winds of Grimly Forest<br />
6. Die Kalte Klinge<br />
7. Satanischer Zorn<br />
8. Salute to Christ<br />
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I ran across this release when I was looking at Maniac Butcher's page and found that Vlad played bass in this project. Naturally, I missed out on this release when it first came out and didn't delve into it until 2018. It truly is hard to get all the releases out there when they're first released, but I tracked this down and got the copy recently. This CD is limited to 666 copies, but I'm sure there are many still floating around since this release didn't exactly tear through the scene as a must have.<br />
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As you can imagine this is Black Metal of the raw variety, it truly has that early 90's production, but it's made well enough to hear everything. The mixing is a bit suspect and the cymbals sound weird at times. The vocals are probably the worst part of this album, they're really blown out and don't sound very good at all. Other than that, musically, this reminds me a lot of the German material that was coming out in the late 90's, but with some more Heavy Metal moments thrown in more in line with Darkthrone's combination. It's more than just sawing away at a guitar for five minutes on every song, so in that regard Sarrgh is a bit more interesting to listen to. However, as far as a debut release goes, the material isn't that bad and the songs capture that cold ancient atmosphere from the early era of Black Metal.<br />
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I would never say Sarrgh is a must have and you rush out and buy it right away, but it is a cool little release that does a good job of paying homage to bygone era. If Sarrgh had continued to release material I do wonder if this project would have improved a lot, since bands that start like this tend to improve their writing a lot more as they continue on. Unfortunately after this they only released a 7" that I have yet to track down and we haven't heard from the band since.<br />
<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-23543892878464821302018-03-24T17:43:00.001-04:002018-03-27T00:26:41.487-04:00Funeral Winds<br />
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<b>Funeral Winds - Sekhmet</b><br />
New Era Productions, 2015<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Seven Arrows, Knife and Flame - Sekhmet<br />
2. Sinister Creed<br />
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After the successful release of "Nexion XUL" I had no idea Funeral Winds would essentially go on the back burner for quite a while. Just when I thought Funeral Winds was about to hit their prime the whole project just stopped. Well here are eight years later and suddenly I started seeing posts surface about new recordings. I was, naturally, very excited about this since I really enjoyed the last two Funeral Winds albums. Probably to prove the project wasn't dead they quickly released two new songs on this 7" release, which I ordered as soon as I could. This release is limited to 500 copies, but no limitation is listed on the packaging.<br />
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The two new songs from Funeral Winds are certainly promising. Sadly Balgradon is no longer drumming in the project, I imagine things got too busy with Infinity, since that is his main project. Funeral Winds is now down to just Hellchrist and a session from from Germany calling himself MZI. MZI drums for the band Kvltist. He does a great job with the Funeral Winds material, he's a bit more heavy on the blasting than Balgradon was and he, naturally, lacks the overall flair Balgradon threw into his arrangements. Unfortunately, most drummers don't do that kind of arranging. So, the new Funeral Winds falls into the brand of Black Metal that is a more punishing blast heavy style. Luckily Hellchrist's riffs match this style perfectly and we get a very evil and intense sounding composition. The second song "Sinister Creed" has some serious Gorgoroth worship going on and that was interesting to hear, because with the Gorgoroth style drums it creates this sort of grinding effect (no, not like the genre). Switching between that and the more standard arrangement for Funeral Winds created quite an excellent song, the only bad part of the song is that it is quite short at under three minutes. However, if this is is indicative of what's to come from Funeral Winds on a future full-length I am absolutely excited and eager to hear it. It may not be like the glory days, but it sounds like it will certainly be a great release nonetheless.<br />
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<b>Funeral Winds - Nexion XUL</b><br />
Sadolust Records, 2007<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. The Old Serpent Stirs<br />
2. Fasten Upon Mankind the Eye of Death<br />
3. The Blood of Chaos<br />
4. Anzu<br />
5. The Cursed Bloodline<br />
6. The Luminous Dissolves<br />
7. Den of the Malignant Ones<br />
8. Alkatu Destroyed<br />
9. I Call Upon the Deep<br />
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After the amazing "Koude Haat" I was really excited to hear the next album from Funeral Winds. At least we didn't have to wait as long between albums this time around, but it still took a while before this one came out. Still, I'm more a proponent of not rushing an album and I'd rather musicians work slowly and really put out the best material they can come up with rather than just put out albums for the sake of putting out albums. Now, if you were expecting "Koude Haat" part two, that's not really what we've got here.<br />
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"Nexion XUL" is a pretty good follow-up to "Koude Haat", but I'm still reeling from how excellent that album was. Personally, I don't think "Nexion XUL" is a better album, but it is a very good album nonetheless. Funeral Winds have finally put that extra something into their music that makes me coming back for more. There is a lot of similarities between the two albums, but "Nexion XUL" sounds more powerful and evil and a lot of that is coming from the production as well as the riffs. Just listen to "The Cursed Bloodline" and you'll see what I mean. It seems Hellchrist has gotten tired of dealing with other studios and merely created his own. Balgradon recorded the drums in his own studio. The end result is production that seems a bit cleaner, but also feels a bit more compressed compared to the insanity of "Koude Haat". "Nexion XUL" has much better production and everything is a lot more balanced, so the strength of the recording really shows through quite a bit more. "Koude Haat" felt a lot more untamed by comparison, but it also felt way more vicious and intense because of that fact. "Nexion XUL" feels more tame, but at the same time a lot darker and more evil, which I believe is really what Hellchrist has always wanted his music to sound like, but just wasn't achieving that feel, especially in the early days. Back then he wasn't writing riffs that sounded very threatening, but on "Nexion XUL" they're all over the place, so it makes for a much more immense listen.<br />
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While "Nexion XUL" sounds and feels different from "Koude Haat" it's still an excellent album. It's has a lot of great songs on here and a performance that certainly exceeds what we heard on "Koude Haat". It will certainly be interesting to see where Funeral Winds takes things from here now that I believe they're starting to lock into their sound.<br />
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<b>Funeral Winds - Koude Haat</b><br />
Death to Mankind Records, 2004<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. When the Funeral Winds Cry for Revenge<br />
2. Soul Harvest<br />
3. Koude Haat<br />
4. Carnage in the Temple of Jeruzalem<br />
5. From the Depth of the Earth<br />
6. The Wicked are the Wise<br />
7. Dawn of the Bestial Bloodshed<br />
8. The Beast Within<br />
9. Raised by the Fury of the Ancient Ones<br />
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Funeral Winds has had quite the hiatus going since the release of their debut and even longer when you consider that album was recorded back in 1995. So it's been nearly a decade since Funeral Winds has reared its hateful head. The hiatus proved to be a good thing in my mind because here we have "Koude Haat", one of the most hateful and vicious sounding Black Metal albums around.<br />
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As seems to be typical with Funeral Winds there have been more line-up changes, but here we have a new drummer that truly fits perfectly with this sound, Balgradon XUL. Balgradon is from the band Infinity and I highly encourage people to check out this project as well! "Koude Haat" wouldn't be nearly as awesome of a release if it wasn't for Balgradon's masterful drum work taking Hellchrist's riffs and making them into a punishing force. It sort of reminds me of the work Endstille is putting out at this time. This raw and cold style of Black Metal, but Funeral Winds throws a good deal more catchy riffs into the mix. The real stand out for that is the chorus to "Koude Haat", which is by far my favorite song on the album. I actually quite like the production on this album, because while it has this sort of raw lo-fi quality, you can still hear everything pretty well. It has this razor sharp thinned out guitar feel, but with the roaring bass to fill out the rest of the spectrum it works really well. The drums are really powerful, perhaps a bit too loud in the mix at times, but it works well enough.<br />
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"Koude Haat" is an extremely good album and quite a shock coming out of Funeral Winds, because their prior material wasn't exactly like this. This album has such raw cold hatred underlying every moment that it is just perfect from beginning to end. Now that Funeral Winds has hit this level of composition I'm really looking forward to anything they do next, I hope they won't be on hiatus for nearly as long and they don't have line-up changes. I, especially, hope they don't lose this drummer because he is perfect for this project.<br />
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<b>Funeral Winds - Godslayer XUL</b><br />
Daimonion, 1998<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. For the Glory of XUL<br />
2. A Diabolical Meeting<br />
3. Thy Eternal Flame<br />
4. Visions of Afterlife<br />
5. Resurrection of the Five Winds<br />
6. When Twilight Shines Over the Forgotten Fields<br />
7. Screaming for Grace<br />
8. Night of the Utterdark<br />
<u>Inferi:</u><br />
9. The Raven's Son (Birth of a Warlock<br />
10. December (Cry for War)<br />
11. Siren Voice of the Ancient<br />
12. In the Sign of Chaos<br />
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It seems like it took quite a while for Funeral Winds to finally get a full-length out and when you read into this release there were a lot of problems. When you read the liner notes you'll find this was recorded all the way back in 1995, but it didn't see the light of day until 1998. It's strange because there were some serious line-up changes from even the split with Abigail. They have an entirely new drummer on this release. I also missed out on the original 1998 press of this release and I own the re-release from 2002 published by Death to Mankind Records. This has bonus tracks from a side project called Inferi that also features almost everyone in Funeral Winds. However, this was a side project called Inferi which were recorded in 1997, but were never released until now.<br />
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The debut album from Funeral Winds covers a lot of new territory and features re-recordings of some earlier songs. I wonder if they just wanted to hear the earlier songs with the new drummer who is clearly much better than the original drummer they had, but he was getting much better with every release, so it's strange to see them switch. Anyway this album starts off with the campiest intro song ever, "For the Glory of XUL". If it only had the "eerie" keyboards it would have been fine, but then the guttural vocals kick in saying something stupid and it just kills it. It sounds lame and campy. So, I was surprised that after such a bad start things picked up quite a bit better. I sort of new what to expect after hearing the other Funeral Winds albums, but I was impressed with how good the new drummer sounds. He's a lot more solid and clearly much faster, I think he outpaces the guitars in a couple parts so it feels off here and there. This was recorded in the same studio as all their other material, but this album sounds quite a bit better than everything else they've done so far. Even "Thy Eternal Flame" came out a lot better than the original version. For a 1995 recording this sounds pretty good, I think it was just released way too late and by 1998 this had become quite generic, so the release would fall on fairly deaf ears. I certainly don't remember anyone mentioning the band to me during this time frame and I ordered music from all over the world back then too. "Godslayer XUL", unfortunately, is merely an okay debut album, they're getting better, but they still don't capture my imagination with their writing yet.<br />
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The Inferi tracks are quite different, but they're also much newer in terms of composition. I really liked this material and I'm glad they decided to finally release it. The songs are a good deal more atmospheric and have a much more mature writing style. Hellchrist did the vocals on this and they sound a good deal better than any of the vocalists he's had in Funeral Winds. Anyway, these Inferi tracks really make this re-release worth hearing.<br />
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For a debut album, "Godslayer XUL" is certainly a lot better than the previous releases, but it still lacks that certain something that would make the album truly good. Instead it sounds like a lot of other basic Black Metal that's been released over the years. Hopefully Funeral Winds will keep writing and working on songs to try and come into their own and write something truly worthwhile. The Inferi tracks show that they are clearly capable of that.<br />
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<b>Funeral Winds & Abigail - Screaming for Grace</b><br />
Warmaster Records, 1995<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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<u>Funeral Winds:</u><br />
1. Twilight Shine Upon My Crypt<br />
2. The Fiery Winds of Our Revenge<br />
3. Resurrection of the Five Winds<br />
4. Screaming for Grace<br />
5. Liar of Golgotha<br />
<u>Abigail:</u><br />
6. Attack with Spell<br />
7. Dead God - King of Kemet<br />
8. The Crown Bearer<br />
9. We Shall Not Await the Dawn<br />
10. Darkness Steals<br />
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Side Abigail: ...maybe not coming...<br />
Side Funeral Winds:<br />
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Funeral Winds continues to make improvements in their overall sound and to present their new material they do it through a split with Japan's Abigail. I probably won't review the Abigail side because their discography is huge and I'm not really into their project anyway. I much prefer Funeral Winds anyway.<br />
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So, one thing people should know about this release is that even though it lists five tracks there are only three from Funeral Winds. The first three tracks on the Funeral Winds side are actually all in a single track. I don't know if that was an error or intentional, but either way that's what happened. I think Funeral Winds are starting to come into their own a little bit more with this release, at least they're starting to blend together more than just Darkthrone or early Gorgoroth worship. The riffs are written much better, the recording quality is stronger and the band is much tighter as a whole. I think Funeral Winds is finally on their way to putting out some solid material, especially since they're starting to write in a more mature fashion. It's not quite there yet, but it's almost there. The song "Screaming for Grace" is by far my favorite on this recording, it reminds me of another band I like, but I'm drawing a blank on who that band is.<br />
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In the end if you missed out on the material before this I'm not sure you've missed out on much, this is an excellent starting point for getting into Funeral Winds. The songs are far more interesting and they have a much stronger atmosphere. They're still worshiping the Norwegian style of Black Metal, but on this recording they do a much more interesting job of it.<br />
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<b>Funeral Winds - Thy Eternal Flame</b><br />
Black Arts Productions, 1994<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Thy Eternal Flame<br />
2. Steps of Ritual<br />
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This is the first 7" vinyl EP Funeral Winds put out and it came very shortly after their demo on Pagan Records. It may seem like they're repeating material here, but even though these songs showed up on the last tape they were actually live recordings. These are studio recording of these two songs.<br />
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This is just a continuation of the material and writing style we heard on "Resurrection..." However, the recording quality is a little bit better, in my opinion anyway. It seems the band has gotten better at playing as a unit this time around. The music feels like a crossover of Gorgoroth and Darkthrone, especially "Steps of Ritual". It sounds like the band is doing well enough to the point where they can start delving into full-length territory, provided they consistently write enough material. After hearing these re-recordings I'm a bit more interested in hearing what they have in store next. The opening of "Thy Eternal Flame" kind of sounds like Dani Filth with the way he basically chirps the vocal line, so that sounds a little off, but the rest is pretty good old school Black Metal... or well general Black Metal, seeing as how this was written and released so long ago.<br />
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<b>Funeral Winds - Resurrection...</b><br />
Pagan Records, 1994<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Demon Overture (Intro)<br />
2. Dawn of the Apocalypse<br />
3. Resurrection of the Five Winds<br />
4. Steps of Ritual<br />
5. Thy Eternal Flame<br />
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This is actually Funeral Winds' third demo tape. The first being a rehearsal I've never seen before and the second being "La Majestie Infernable", which I have only heard a couple tracks from. I the early 2000's a bunch of bootlegs showed up around the world and that was one of them. Even though it bears the name of the second demo, it only has two songs from that tape and features most of the songs on this tape and then their split with Abigail. So, I've only heard two songs from that demo and they were noisy, harsh, and generally not that great. That brings us to "Resurrection..." and this is a pro-printed cassette on Pagan Records. It's pro booklet with stickers on a dubbed tape and while I'm sure there's a limitation, none is listed on the tape itself.<br />
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"Resurrection..." certainly sounds a lot better than the material I heard from "La Majestie Infernable." The music isn't as noisy and even though it still has that raw do-it-yourself approach, it's mixed in a much better fashion. The band is also tighter and feels more together than the prior demo. "Resurrection...", while not a bad demo, still feels more like a major Darkthrone clone than anything else. The songs are spectacularly stand-out, but I don't remember much from when Funeral Winds first came out and listening to it in 2018 in retrospect is kind of hard to put into perspective. There's just been so much tried and true Darkthrone worship demos in my life.<br />
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If you're a fan of the band and really interested in the roots of the project then this is certainly worth checking out. Only Hellchrist Xul is still involved in the project, since it's his project, so it was interesting to delve back into the past and hear the first members of the band. Either way it's fun to listen to how bands start out.<br />
<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-5919764253199212022018-03-14T00:09:00.001-04:002018-03-23T17:59:08.073-04:00Trist (Ger)<br />
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<b>Trist - Willenskraft</b><br />
Cold Dimension, 2009<br />
Genre: Dark Ambient/Black Metal<br />
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1. Bewusstsein<br />
2. Wagemut<br />
3. Zweifel<br />
4. Herzenswunsch<br />
5. Verhinderer<br />
6. Wandlung<br />
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Here it is, the final installment of Trist before putting the project to rest. This time returning to Cold Dimension for the release and put out in the usual digipak format to match up with the others. There's no booklet and no limitation listed, but this is certainly limited in some capacity.<br />
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This seems to follow an alternating format of Ambient track then Black Metal track. This album is a little disappointing in this regard, because it seems like it would be a favorite of mine, but it's really not. The Ambient parts of this album are even more lackluster than "Initiation". That strong dark and horror vibe from "Fort" is not developed here, in fact it's not even present. I feel like Tristan was trying to make something more majestic than horrifying. The Ambient tracks all sound the same and they're basically a sample of ocean waves crashing on the shore. Again, this would make for great intro/outro filler between Black Metal tracks, but they're full on songs, so its a solid eight minutes of this. The first song with Black Metal in it, "Wagemut" sounds like a one riff Lunar Aurora song. There might be vocals, its hard to tell if they are samples or screaming by Tristan because its so far in the background. This time around though the balance between the guitars and drums is much more balanced. By the time the second Black Metal song shows up, "Herzenswunsch", I'm convinced that these are just riffs from Lunar Aurora's "Andacht". In fact, a lot of the metal parts feel like they are off that specific album. Tristan started composing this album shortly after "Andacht" was released, so maybe he got really obsessed with that format. "Andacht" also features a lot of crashing waves and while this worked wonderfully for Lunar Aurora it really doesn't work on Trist.<br />
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Unfortunatley, it seems "Willenskraft" doesn't end on much of a high note, because I'll just be listening to Lunar Aurora's "Andacht" instead as it is a far better album for my tastes. Sadly it stands that Trist's best release was "Hin-Fort" and it seems to be a one time thing. Perhaps the similarities in "Andacht" brought this project to a close as there was way too much overlap of the projects, but who knows, perhaps Tristan just lost the inspiration to try and compose this kind of material. It takes a great amount of patience to listen to this material and I can only imagine it demanded even more to compose.<br />
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<b>Trist - Initiation</b><br />
Kunsthall Produktionen, 2008<br />
Genre: Dark Ambient<br />
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1. In die schwarze nacht<br />
2. Toter raum<br />
3. Kalt<br />
4. Nirgendwo<br />
5. Schatten<br />
6. Darunter<br />
7. Traurige geister<br />
8. Hindurch<br />
9. Fragmente<br />
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After the success of "Hin-Fort" it seems there was some demand for the earliest Trist experimentations. Here we have "Initiation" which is Ambient recordings made between 2000 and 2003 before the first album was released. You could consider this the Ambient demo that had yet to be officially released. Trist returns to Kunsthall for this release and like the debut it is limited to 500 hand-numbered copies, of which I own #302.<br />
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While I wasn't a major fan of the debut, you can imagine that "Initiation" has sort of the same response from me. If you're really into drone ambient then you may find this release extremely appealing. For me, this was before his Dark Ambient really improved on releases like "Hin-Fort". I can see why he wouldn't want to release this material as the first thing to put out there. It's not outright terrible or anything, but it just lacks some of the substance I usually prefer in Ambient releases. The atmospheres aren't as rich as some of the more stand out artists of the genre. I mainly feel like this material would serve as a great backdrop for black metal, such as the "Hin" section of the previous release, but as a stand alone release the material isn't that compelling.<br />
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If you are curious about the project and want to see the first experiments in Ambient for Tristan then this will be a novel journey to take. It's not as reach or dark as his later work, but you can see how he developed the project over the years.<br />
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<b>Trist - Hin-Fort</b><br />
Cold Dimensions, 2006<br />
Genre: Ambient Black Metal<br />
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<u>Disc 1: Hin:</u><br />
1. Hin<br />
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<u>Disc 2: Fort:</u><br />
1. (Keine) Angst<br />
2. Unterdenwolken<br />
3. Hilfe<br />
4. Schlaflos<br />
5. Lichtausi<br />
6. Nachtflug<br />
7. Fort<br />
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It's been a while since we heard from Trist and they return with quite the release in this double CD format. I think Trist's original concept was to be an Ambient side project, as is usual for a lot of metal musicians, but based on this release I guess Tristan just couldn't keep away from the Black Metal. This album comes as a 2CD digipak with a fairly limited layout, but that's probably because they had to press two CD's. It's minimalistic art wise and fits the whole Trist atmosphere pretty well as usual.<br />
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The first disc is a single song lasting exactly one hour, which is fairly impressive in its own right. "Hin" is straight up Atmospheric Black Metal similar to Paysage d'Hiver, only they take us to task with the droning guitar work. The material has less variation than a Paysage d'Hiver song, but Trist is going more for a droning Ambient motif, so in this regard the track succeeds. It's extremely hypnotic and flowing, you can barely make out the riff changes as all the guitar parts are very similar. But, again, this works out brilliantly as casting Ambient music in terms of Black Metal. There's also a long monologue from someone talking about really weird space stuff and how they are space, it really works in the track, but it was still really strange. For me "Hin" worked out pretty well, however, it doesn't have the same kind of replay value as a Paysage d'Hiver song, it's probably too droning and meditative to really warrant repeat listens. It doesn't capture you the same way a Paysage d'Hiver riff does. The other slight problem with the track was how far away the drums were in the mix, but I'm pretty used to that with this type of music, Paysage d'Hiver has similar issues on their recordings. The guitars create this huge wall of sound that just dominates the audio spectrum, but that's also kind of the point.<br />
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"Fort" on the other hand is straight up Dark Ambient. I think Tristan's original concept behind the project caught up with him and he wanted to do another type of Ambient release. As with "Tiefenrausch" it bears resemblance to Atrium Carceri a lot and this Ambient goes more for a Horror type of droning feel. Coupled with the samples from all the horror movies throughout the disc you can see where this idea is coming from. I did find it amusing to hear a sample from the movie Boogeyman in "Nachtflug". I've seen some of the movies sampled, but not all of them, since I'm not a big horror movie buff. I just thought it was funny to hear Boogeyman show up, because it seemed like such a stupid movie, but the samples Tristan took actually work pretty expertly in the moments of this Ambient. I will say the Ambient journey of "Fort" is definitely a step up compared to "Tiefenrausch".<br />
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In the end if you're obsessed with the droning sounds of terror this is a must listen. You'll enjoy both sides of this release for sure. It maybe not have a huge amount of replay value, but it is exceptional at creating that mood and atmosphere it is designed for. There are very few releases out there like this as far as I can tell, at least in terms of the breadth and scope of the droning atmospheres, which is why "Hin-Fort" is probably a very highly sought after release. Very few releases do as good a job at generating this type of atmosphere as well.<br />
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<b>Trist - Tiefenrausch (Ein Abstieg in 5 Stufen)</b><br />
Kunsthall Produktionen, 2003<br />
Genre: Dark Ambient<br />
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1. Wintermondlicht<br />
2. Geräum<br />
3. Kraftfeld<br />
4. Novembernebel<br />
5. Tiefenrausch<br />
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One of the things that attracted me to this project, aside from the fact that it is entirely done by a member of Lunar Aurora, is the fact that Kunsthall Produktionen put this out. If it's good enough for Wintherr, then it's probably more than good enough for me. As usual with Kunsthall the packaging is beautifully done with a very nicely made digipak that has art that really exemplifies the atmosphere of this project. The release is also limited to 500 hand-numbered copies and I own #210... I think... it might be #216 it's hard to tell.<br />
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I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this release at first. I had a vague idea, because I had seen comparisons to Paysage d'Hiver and Darkspace... although Darkspace put out their demo not too long before this was released, so Paysage d'Hiver is probably a far more apt reference. I guess I was expecting there to be Black Metal, but there is none. It's just Dark Ambient with most of the songs clocking in at over sixteen minutes. Now it's good ambient, don't get me wrong. It's very dark and very ominous. It also has this quality to it that makes it feel rather spacey. You can hear some clear Atrium Carceri influence in a lot of the recordings. However, I feel the Atrium Carceri is a far more exciting Ambient project compared to Trist. Trist seems to focus primarily on drones and creating a sort of hypnotic state. This isn't all that different compared to the type of ambient Paysage d'Hiver attempts to put out, except that I feel Trist has a darker sort of cosmic feel to it. Perhaps similar to the more droning Darkspace aspects, but Darkspace is really just using it as a backdrop for their music, whereas in Trist's case it is the music. The only major variations that show up is during the spoken word sections, which appear in every song. But it's rather sporadic, so it doesn't interrupt that meditative or droning flow of the music that much.<br />
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The fact that I saw this being advertised amidst Metal projects is a bit confusing, since this appears to be an Ambient side project of a Lunar Aurora member. This is a very common thing in Black Metal since Fenriz had Neptune Towers, Satyr had Wongraven, Ihsahn turned Thou Shalt Suffer into one and there are many more. Aran's Ambient side project is no different really, so it really depends on what you expect going into this project. If you were expecting Black Metal on par with Paysage d'Hiver you will be sorely disappointed. I confess, I was a little disappointed, I would have preferred to know this album was entirely Ambient up front, because then I just spend all my time waiting for the moment when the Metal kicks in and it never arrives... so, if you're not a fan of droning Dark Ambient that doesn't really go anywhere and instead puts you in a meditative state, then you should steer clear of this release. However, if you're an Ambient fan like many of the Black Metal listeners out there, then this might be something worth checking out. Personally, I think I have far better Ambient from the straight up Ambient artists. I will say Trist is quite a bit better than the Ambient tracks found on Paysage d'Hiver, but, to me, Ambient is not Paysage d'Hiver's strong suit, so at least Trist is more successful in that regard for me.<br />
<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-5284263316291000092018-02-26T22:15:00.004-05:002018-03-09T23:44:31.093-05:00Infinity<br />
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<b>Infinity - Hybris</b><br />
New Era Productions, 2017<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Arousing the Sleeping Serpent (Intro)<br />
2. Destroy the Human Within<br />
3. Wrath of the Djinn<br />
4. The Fall (Prelude)<br />
5. Hybris<br />
6. At the Crossroads<br />
7. Oracle of the Dead<br />
8. The Mountain of Oath<br />
9. The Prometheus Unbound<br />
10. LCF<br />
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It is with great pleasure that I present you with one of the best albums released in 2017. Given how often I listen to this thing since it was released, I'll probably have to name it as my top album. Apparently working on albums for a great length of time is working to Infinity's favor, so I won't expect them to release something again for a while, but in a few years I now expect one hell of a release! I didn't think they were going to be able to do much beyond "Non de Hac Terra"... but I, very much, stand corrected.<br />
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"Hybris" is an incredible and wonderfully intense album. It seems they went through some line-up changes again and Andras has left the band leaving it down to Draconis and Balgradon and what a team they appear to make! As with the last album the Dissection influence is clear, but I was surprised to hear quite a bit of influence from "Reinkaos", given how that wound up being a far more popular sounding album and quite a few of the die-hards out there weren't a fan. However, just listening to the opening of "Wrath of the Djinn" and you'll see where I'm coming from. Now, "Hybris" doesn't just re-work that type of album, no, "Hybris" brings us back into the fold of Black Metal and gives us an album that I would expect as the follow-up to "Storm of the Lights Bane". "Hybris" is the album that I think everyone wanted to hear from Dissection, but we just never really god. Now we have Infinity filling that gap for us and this is a style they do extremely well, only with a bit more of a focus on the Black Metal edge. In the prior albums they've been experimenting with catchier riffs and Draconis has found some seriously excellent moments, in fact, he's probably the best guitarist that has worked with the band. The music is so much more well thought out than ever before and the writing is top notch. Not only are there catchy riffs spread throughout the entire album, they've even injected a bit of groove into sections of some songs, making for an extremely varied experience. You can even hear some really Thrash inspired riffs, especially in songs like "At the Crossroads". I also assume "LCF" is influenced, in some part, by the movie "The Ninth Gate", because the book that inspired the movie had little to do with that. It's quite the album closer as well.<br />
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As with the prior albums they've gone all out with their layout and booklet. This one is even better than the last and I feel the lyrics are even better this time around. It's tough to top a song like "The Opponent", but they manage to pull it off on this album. It's absolutely worth having a physical copy to look through as far as I'm concerned. This is also the first album not recorded by Balgradon and instead the band has turned to the might Necromorbus studios and it naturally sounds incredible. Few studios out there today really achieve the immense and powerful nature of Black Metal, while still having the music feel very organic, while still being quite polished.<br />
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In the end I'm rather shocked this isn't blowing up in the metal scene more. Sure a lot of people have heard and enjoyed the album, but I would have thought this would be Infinity's breakthrough album to major popularity just given the nature of an album like this. Either way, this album is an immense journey. A journey that I highly recommend taking.<br />
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<b>Infinity - Non de Hac Terra</b><br />
New Era Productions, 2013<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Non de Hac Terra<br />
2. The Opponent<br />
3. Reginam Aeternum Noctis<br />
4. Beyond the Stars...<br />
5. The Grey Stone Monument<br />
6. Onwards the Funeral Pyre<br />
7. Unholy Sacrament<br />
8. The Inevitable Darkness<br />
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I thought Infinity had fired back with a monumental album for them with "The Wisdom of Arcane Shadows" and I'm happy to be very corrected with the release of "Non de Hac Terra"... this thing is a monster of an album. If you haven't been paying attention to Infinity, because there were always other bands of similar ilk doing similar things, well now it is time to stand up and pay attention. "Non de Hac Terra" launches a whole new level of Infinity's musical career and they absolutely have my attention now, more so than ever before.<br />
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With the re-recordings of the last release we saw the addition of Draconis on guitars and this is the first album he truly appears on. He and Andras have hit upon a winning formula in my opinion. Infinity are still playing their signature Swedish style of Melodic Black Metal, but with Draconis it feels like the Dissection influence has been increased quite a bit. However, it doesn't sound like a rip-off by any stretch of the imagination, because along with this more complex song writing composition we have some excellent stand-out riffs! There's at least one per song and they're so good that they just elevate the entire experience. They also manage to give their music a soaring epic quality, which is something a lot of the Melodic Black Metal acts didn't have as much. Sacramentum hit upon it from time to time, but it wasn't really a mainstay of their sound. I think Infinity take the Swedish Black Metal formula and merely enhance it and build upon those ideas, so this album sounds quite fresh in the grand scheme of things. Coupled with the fact that Balgradon is not a boring drummer and we really have a winning album on our hands here.<br />
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As with "The Arcane Wisdom of Shadows" they went all out with the booklet design and really makes owning a physical copy worth it. Really beautiful layout and design once again! I like how they take the time to come up with a design that really complements the music and fits with the lyrics quite a bit.<br />
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In the end this is an amazing album. Infinity certainly deserve a lot more recognition than they've been given over the years. It's almost like Sacramentum all over again, I remember when they were putting out albums people didn't seem that interested in them. Fast forward ten years later and people absolutely love that band... well I loved them when they were active! Same goes for Infinity, just show anyone the song "The Opponent" and I guarantee they'll be hooked. I'll be suitably shocked if Infinity manage to top this album, because this is one of the finest in their discography for sure.<br />
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<b>Infinity - Back to the Source</b><br />
New Era Productions, 2012<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Back to the Source (Summon the Black Flame)<br />
2. Autumn Storm<br />
3. The Birth of Death<br />
4. Frozen Cries<br />
5. The Ancient Shadow<br />
6. Earth's Last Picture (Darkthrone cover)<br />
7. Unsilent Storms in the North Abyss (Immortal cover)<br />
8. Sacrifice (Bathory cover)<br />
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It's been quite a while since we've heard from Infinity once again and it's interesting to see them fire back with this. "Back to the Source" is not an album of new material from this project instead it features some re-recorded material and old covers they recorded a while ago. It comes in a bit of a digipak style packaging. The release is limited to 250 hand-numbered copies and I own #229.<br />
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The re-recorded songs are a blend of a few songs from "The Birth of Death" and "Nostalgia for the Dark Age". It seems they've been sitting on this re-recordings for a while, because they were made back in 2009. This also features a new guitarist named Draconis. He actually played guitar on the Dissection cover from the previous album. Perhaps Draconis is going to be filling a bigger role alongside Andras and they decided to re-record some older material. It certainly sounds a lot better than the original material, a testament to how far Balgradon has come as a sound engineer. The cover songs are a little different since they were recorded back in 2004, so they don't sound as good as the recordings from 2009. This isn't to say they are bad or anything, they're just a bit more harsh production value wise compared to the rest of the album. Naturally Infinity does a great job on the covers and really captures of the atmosphere of the original.<br />
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I think this is really a release only for major collectors, hence the low limitation. I really enjoy Infinity and the works they put out so I'm happy to have this in my collection even though it's not something I would ever really pull out all that often. It's enjoyable for what it is, but unless you're really fond of Infinity this probably really isn't worth tracking down in the grand scheme of things.<br />
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<b>Infinity - The Arcane Wisdom of Shadows</b><br />
Bloodred Horizon Records, 2008<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Precatio Luciferius<br />
2. From the Eternal Sea He Rises<br />
3. Our Merciless Rage<br />
4. The Rise of Azazel<br />
5. The Legacy of the Ancient Ones<br />
6. Within the Timeless Winds of the Beyond<br />
7. Stare into the Void<br />
8. The Mysteries of the Depths<br />
9. Choronzon<br />
10. The Legend of the Sunken Monastery<br />
11. Night's Blood (Dissection cover)<br />
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Infinity have stopped their album per year trek and it's actually been a little while since we heard from the project. Since they changed labels, I actually missed out on this release for a while, because it really never made it into the U.S. I'm glad I back tracked and picked this up though because this is an excellent album. Infinity have steadily been progressing to writing better and better music and this album is no exception. I was surprised to see the band went through some line-up changes in the years between the last album and Quasar has left the project and now it is just down to Balgradon and Andras.<br />
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The first thing I notice on here is the quality album layout and design. It's a really excellent digi-pak setup with a full booklet inside. It's really beautiful designed and great to look through as your listening to the music and reading the lyrics. After the ambient and chanting intro the first thing you'll notice is how ear catching the first song is. That's right, they finally injected a layer of catchiness into their guitar work and it has worked out splendidly. A lot of the prior albums have had riffing that was a bit overly droning at times and not enough of the riffs really stood out, but with "The Arcane Wisdom of Shadows" that changes and here we have a solid blend of the two riffing. They flat out even have driving rhythmic moments like in "The Legacy of the Ancient Ones". Either way, I think there's about one or two stand out riffs per song and they tend to sing over the more droning riffs, which really makes for an excellent listen. They've also got a serious dose of melody injected into the guitar lines making this album feel like a blend between Dissection and Emperor, minus the keyboards. They don't use acoustic guitars as much as they used to, but there is at least one or two songs where they show up again. Towards the end of the album we take a bit of a strange ambient break with the song "Choronzon" and with only two songs left on the album it's kind of a strange thing to do, especially when one of those songs is a cover song. Granted the final song "The Legend of the Sunken Monastery" clocks in at eight minutes and is a killer song as well.<br />
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This is probably the best Infinity album in their discography so far. The guitar work is immensely enjoyable compared to prior releases and Balgradon's drum work is spectacular as usual. One of the things that really stands out about him is that he creates fairly interesting drum arrangements and isn't solely relying on blasting his way through an album. So, I really appreciate the effort he puts into working out arrangements that really complement and album! I really hope this is a whole new direction for Infinity and I really look forward to the next release from this project.<br />
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<b>Infinity - Enter Thy Labyrinth of Hell</b><br />
Total Holocaust Records, 2005<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Enter Thy Labyrinth of Hell<br />
2. Under Crimson Wings of Hate<br />
3. Through the Mirror of Dreams<br />
4. Whispers from the Swamps of Despair<br />
5. The Necromantic Kiss<br />
6. In the Spell of the Dreaming Dead<br />
7. Funeral of the Soul<br />
8. The March of the Luciferian Empire<br />
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Infinity has been on track to release a new album every year and 2005 is no exception to that. Like their prior albums "Enter Thy Labyrinth of Hell" is a steady improvement over the prior releases as well. This album comes with a really nicely multi-page booklet and looks really well designed overall. The only major complaint I have is that the font choice is a little difficult to read, but that's really about the only complaint I have. The font choice does look very good in this context and fits the overall atmosphere, it's just hard to read.<br />
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Musically this album basically continues where "The Birth of Death" left off, but this time around it just sounds better. I think the writing has gotten a lot stronger and the whole atmosphere feels much more intense than before. It also seems like the band increased their overall speed and can play far more intense songs than before. Now, it's nothing like Setherial's "Hell Eternal",which is mostly all blasting, but "Enter Thy Labyrinth of Hell" is certainly far more varied. I prefer my Black Metal to be more like this where it switches up arrangements a lot more and Balgradon does an excellent job of doing that on the drums. The guitar lines may not be the most interesting in the world, but his drum arrangements help them stand out a lot more and really make the difference between this being bland versus interesting. They've gotten a bit stronger in the riff writing department as well, songs like "The Necromantic Kiss" do catch my attention with the riffs alone, whereas before they didn't do that as much before.<br />
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For Infinity this is quite a stand out album so far and I think they're finally hitting on a formula that works really well for them. While I certainly enjoy Infinity whenever I listen to them, I don't think they're putting out music in such a way that it's better than other bands I've already got in my collection... so it's tough to say this is must hear music. However, if you're on the search for solidly performed Black Metal that is also fairly well recorded then Infinity is certainly a project that is worth checking out. I would absolutely recommend this album, because it's got some killer material on it and the overall album is very well done.<br />
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<b>Infinity - The Birth of Death</b><br />
Total Holocaust Records, 2004<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Our Cruel Vengeance<br />
2. Flames in Hunger<br />
3. Back to the Source<br />
4. Heart of Stone<br />
5. Corvus Corax<br />
6. Frozen Cries<br />
7. The Birth of Death<br />
8. The Sun No Longer Rises (Immortal Cover)<br />
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The second album from Infinity, even though it was released very quickly after the first feels like an even better and far more cohesive album. On this album Balgradon recruited another guitarist named Andras to join Quasar. On this album Balgradon only played acoustic guitars, but the rest was up to the other two guitarists. I'm sure Balgradon still writes a lot of this music, one of the tracks, "Corvus Corax" comes from their first demo.<br />
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"The Birth of Death" sounds a lot better compared to the prior album and it's clear Balgradon's engineering skills are getting a lot stronger! He's managed to capture that perfect balance between sounding raw and having the instruments sit in the mix well enough to hear everything. I actually really like the way the album sounds in that regard. Musically I still think things feel pretty closely related to Funeral Winds, and Hellchrist even offers up some guest vocals on one of the songs. I hear a lot of the Swedish style of Black Metal in this album for some reason, some Dark Funeral here and there, but then there are riffs in songs like "Heart of Stone" that aren't exactly like other areas. The use of the acoustic guitars in some sections reminds me a bit of what Christ Agony will do quite often, however, Infinity play a much faster version of Black Metal. All of this combines into a very good second effort. While Infinity certainly aren't doing anything original, they are still quite good at what they do and they've put together a pretty good album. The only thing some people may complain about is that a lot of the riffs aren't that memorable, nor do they hook you. A couple riffs here and there stand out, but not through every song. Even though this is the case, Infinity have still crafted an album with some great atmosphere in the raw Black Metal spectrum, which is more what I would look for anyway.<br />
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If you're a fan of raw Black Metal Infinity is probably a band worth checking out. They do a good job at what they do and I really enjoy listening to them when I have them on. The one problem is that I don't really gravitate towards it, having that burning need to hear it again and again. But in the end, they still generate that excellent hateful atmosphere that I look for in this style. I'm definitely going to stick with the project, because they've improved massively compared to the first album. "The Birth of Death" is much more elaborate and carefully composed that I think Infinity will improve upon their sound even more in the future.<br />
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<b>Infinity - Nostalgia for the Dark Age</b><br />
Spectral Arts Productions, 2003<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. The Cold Dungeons of Solitude<br />
2. The Conquering of Humanity<br />
3. The Ancient Shadow<br />
4. The Astral Gate to Infinity<br />
5. Nostalgia for the Dark Age<br />
6. Autumn Storm<br />
7. Endless Sight<br />
8. The Center of Chaos (Domain of the Ravens)<br />
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I missed out on the original Infinity demos, so my collection begins with "Nostalgia for the Dark Age", which also includes the material from their second demo, so I figure this is a good place to start. I've yet to ever hear the first demo though. The main reason I wound up finding Infinity is because I'm a fan of Funeral Winds. At the time Balgradon was still drumming in Funeral Winds and I've always enjoyed his drum work quite a bit. Who knew he played guitar and did vocals as well?<br />
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This album is split into two different sections. The first is the latest recorded material, which are all new songs except for one, which is a re-recording of a song from the demo version of this album. The second half is just the original demo under the same name. It looks like Infinity originally started as a solo project of Balgradon, but later another guitarist appears named Quasar, which probably helped to flesh out their sound a bit more. It's certainly a much better section than the original demo. Also, they've gotten a lot better at engineering their own material, so the overall mix and production quality is much better. I still hear quite a bit of the Funeral Winds style in the Infinity, sound, but I guess that should come as no surprise. The songs that were done just by Balgradon are okay, but the're a little boring at times. However, when you add Quasar into the mix, things are a little better. The songs feel more full, Balgradon probably just got better at writing by that time frame at least, but there is more of an atmosphere and essence to the music that the original demo doesn't seem to share. The older material sounds a lot more like your fairly standard mid-90's Black Metal, which is good, but nothing that really grabs your attention this time around.<br />
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So, Infinity is clearly off to a strong beginning. Even the differences between the two recording sessions is fairly major and I'd love to hear what kinds of improvements the project builds upon in the future. Nothing really stands out on the release, but nothing is outright bad either. Solid mid-range Black Metal, as far as I can tell, so it's a good starting position, now we wait and see where the project goes from here.<br />
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<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-57971355909820124282018-02-20T23:29:00.001-05:002018-06-17T23:21:21.252-04:00Djevel<br />
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<b>Djevel - Blant svarte graner</b><br />
Aftermath Music, 2018<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
<br />
1. Saa begynner det<br />
2. Her er ikke spor af mennensker<br />
3. De danser rundt soperlimet som om den var deres mor<br />
4. Paa vintersti skal hun synge en gravsang som aldrig ender<br />
5. Naa er hele livet paa ravnens bord<br />
6. Det svartner paa likbleik hud<br />
7. I denne gamle falne kirke<br />
8. Banker som doedningeknoker<br />
9. Alt som her var er naa borte<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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The new Djevel has finally reached my hands from across the ocean and, naturally, I was really looking forward to this. This album is, once again, published by Aftermath Music and there were two editions of the CD released. One was a limited box edition, but I decided to opt for the standard edition. It's more like an elaborate cardboard sleeve edition called a "digisleeve" rather than a proper digipak release. Inside one sleeve you find the CD and in the other the booklet. The booklet is quite the minimalistic design, but it really does work splendidly with the overall design. Inside you'll find the lyrics over a white background and that's it. When you open the digisleeve it has a picture of the band members with an informational section.<br />
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If you've listened to Djevel before you know what to expect, but if this is your first experience with the project you're in for a real treat. However, some people may be disappointed to find there have been some line-up changes. Their long time vocalist Hjelvik has decided to leave the band and Mannevond will add vocals to his duties alongside bass. Dirg Rep has also given up the drum throne and now Faust is sitting behind it. The album starts with a beautiful acoustic folk styled intro, which really sets the atmospheric tone for the album. I've always said Djevel was a like a blend of Ulver, old Gorgoroth, and old Satyricon and "Blant svarte graner" really holds that torch higher than any of their other albums. As before they take that old style Black Metal from the heart of the 90's and curate it perfectly. It's not exactly modernized, but it just sounds so much more full. A lot of that might have to do with modern production value, but "Blant svarte graner" holds the old guard spirit at its heart and just sounds exquisite overall.<br />
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If you grew up with the early 90's Norwegian Black Metal scene then this will feel like quite the homecoming. T. Ciekals really outdid himself with the guitar compositions this time around. I'm sure this album will land somewhere in my top 10 this year, because it really is that glorious. The real question is going to be where could the project possibly go from here? Personally, I'd be pretty happy with a string of albums similar to this to sit comfortably given how outstanding this riff work is. Absolute must by for Black Metal fans!<br />
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<b>Djevel - Norske Ritualer</b><br />
Aftermath Music, 2016<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
<br />
1. Vi slakter den foerste og den andre, den tredje lar vi gaa mot nord<br />
2. Jeg maner eder alle<br />
3. Doedskraft og tri nagler<br />
4. Med christi legeme og blod under hoeire fod<br />
5. Til mitt kjaere Norge<br />
6. Med tornespiger var han haengt<br />
7. Maatte vetter rase som aldrig foer<br />
8. Afgrunds Engle<br />
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<br />
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After just one year Djevel return with a brand new album. Usually when the turn around for a new album is this quick I'd worry that the material might be too quickly written, but "Norske Ritualer" puts those worries to rest upon hitting play immediately. "Norske Ritualer" comes packaged as a sort of digi-sleeve package. While the packaging is nice and the layout is well designed, I hate this kind of packaging. It may be cost effective, but have the CD in a slip case instead of a tray is, frankly, annoying to deal with. So, I'm hoping the packaging will be a bit better for the next album.<br />
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In any event, the music on here is extremely good. It's an immediate attention grabber and opens with an absolutely wonderful song. While the prior Djevel's felt a lot like a celebration of the best Norwegian Black Metal ever created, "Norske Ritualer" seems to actually build on those ideas and push things a little more. This album sees Djevel sort of coming into their own and building on their influences. The opening track reminds me a bit of a continuation of "Nattens Madrigal", which made for an excellent listen! Not to be forgotten, the second track delves into more of their Folk inspired Black Metal, hearkening to a bit of old Satyricon/Storm, but with some groove thrown in similar to what Isvind has pulled off in their music. "Norske Ritualer" tends to meander around these two main focal points, but none of it feels like it's a complete re-hash of what we've all been listening to for the past few decades. I think this album leans more heavily in the Ulver direction, especially with the beautifully played acoustic interludes.<br />
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If you've been following Djevel for a while then I doubt you will ever be disappointed with how excellent this album is. If you're new to the band, you're really in for a treat. This is a real monster of an album and so wonderfully executed. Unless Djevel puts out something better, this is probably going to be my "go to" Djevel album when I want to listen to this band. Every songs is an excellent journey and feels more than just a reconstitution of the old material. Definitely an amazing job and I really look forward to wherever else this project takes their style.<br />
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<b>Djevel - Saa Raa og Kald</b><br />
Aftermath Music, 2015<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Skritt for skritt mot mareritt<br />
2. Vaar forbannede jord<br />
3. Hode og hals i doedsvals<br />
4. Om prest og pest<br />
5. Norges land og rike<br />
6. I en iskald grav<br />
7. De som hadde onde oeyne<br />
8. Salmesang og knokkelklang<br />
9. Saa raa og kald<br />
10. I vaar herres navn...<br />
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After improving a bit with the second effort, I'm not surprised to say things have stayed quite good with "Saa raa og kald". I don't think there has been much improvement, but rather a consistent excellence that persisted throughout the last album. This time we get a bit more of an elaborate booklet with some extra pictures that compliment the listening experience. It's really beautifully made even if it is quite simple.<br />
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At first glance this album feels a bit more raw than the prior releases, and that's more of a production observation than anything else. It sort of makes this album feel older than the prior two in that regard. This album also intro's a little strange with a meandering bass line for the first song before launching into the usual Black Metal style for the next song. It's pretty rare to find anything intro with just the bass, usually we hear that as a break in the middle of a song. Either way, the songs maintain that usual feel of Norwegian Black Metal, being sometimes folky, most of the time being standard Black Metal. I notice they try to include some clean guitar sections a lot more than compared to the prior albums. Some of the riffs are way catchier than before, such as in the song "Norges land og rike" and reminds me a bit of the old Taake days to some degree. The guitar tone has shifted a little bit, as far as I can tell. The guitar tone sounds quite a bit more like a Gorgoroth of Dødheimsgard feeling to the guitar. I think this makes the Gorgoroth influence stand out quite a bit more when it happens.<br />
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In the end Djevel continue their signature celebration of all things classic Black Metal, but this time I feel like there is a distinct infusion of the Dødheimsgard sound a little bit with a further more heavy dose of Gorgoroth. All the songs are quite enjoyable and I don't think there is a bad track on this release, so if you want to hear an updated version of the early Black Metal years with an extremely solid performance then this album will not disappoint.<br />
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<b>Djevel - Besatt av Maane og Natt</b><br />
Aftermath Music, 2013<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Besatt av maane og natt<br />
2. Aapne graver og tomme kister<br />
3. Marefar<br />
4. Tornekroner og geitehorn<br />
5. Blant fjell og falne<br />
6. Stjernesluker<br />
7. ...Og englene dinglet fra galgene<br />
8. Saa tok alt slutt<br />
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After a very good debut Djevel return with their second album. There was a demo 7" released on vinyl between the two, but I'm skipping out on that since both songs on the vinyl appear on here. This comes as a digipac with a very minimalist booklet, but it really does work well for the whole layout of this release.<br />
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Already Djevel has had a slight change in the line-up and the drums are now being handled by Dirge Rep. Naturally, given his experience, the drums are done masterfully on the album and his arrangements compliment the guitars wonderfully. Djevel, pretty much, pick up where Dødssanger left us, playing really well made Norwegian styled Black Metal. I think there has been a bit of refinement in the overall writing, because the songs feel even more compelling than before. All the major influences I referenced on the first album are still present on this recording as well, but they're a little less blatant, instead the influences are combined far more cohesively in the writing. This makes Djevel sound a lot more as being on their own and the influences are a more subtle ever present feel in the music. The songs manage to have a bit more of an epic feel at times, such as "Stjernesluker" and I've noticed this element show up in a couple other areas. Not like the Ulver more sorrowful feel, but something akin to what Enslaved would pull off or Keep of Kalessin, which makes for a very excellent element to put into the mix.<br />
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Once again Djevel is like a celebration of everything I grew up with in the Norwegian Black Metal scene, but distilled into a single band and playing only the best of the genre. It's surprising that they manage to improve on this approach, but somehow they've managed to work it out. I'm looking forward to even more from this project at this point, because if they manage to keep doing this it will make for a really pleasant journey.<br />
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<b>Djevel - Dødssanger</b><br />
Aftermath Music, 2011<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
<br />
1. Ingen vei tilbake<br />
2. Djevelheim<br />
3. Mørkerfødt<br />
4. Da kvinnene brant<br />
5. Djevelslått<br />
6. Paakallelsen<br />
7. Vi malte verden i sort<br />
8. Paktens ende - i Satans eie<br />
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Even though I listen to quite a few projects from all the musicians behind Djevel, I was really late to this project for some reason. I think I wound up listening to Djevel when I was looking something up about Koldbrann, which is a band I like quite a bit as well, so I took a chance and looked them up. I was immediately taken with their material an I swiftly tracked down and purchased everything I could from the project.<br />
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Djevel waste no time with demos and immediately dive right into the full-length territory. Given the caliber of musicians behind the project it makes sense for them to take this route, because I would be shocked if they produced something uninteresting. Some may find Djevel to perform fairly standard fair Norwegian Black Metal, but there's just something special about this material for to me. There's a quality, a higher caliber of writing and musicianship carved out through the years of playing Black Metal by all those involved. The end result is an immediate and mature effort that really celebrates the years of Black Metal. This works for a solid debut album for Djevel, as if the musicians gathered together to work on music that reminded of what influenced them in the past and put it down to permanence. Perhaps Djevel will further refine their sound and influences and meander into something more unique, but for now I will merely enjoy the time spent delving into the old times of Black Metal. This is like a more well recorded version of some of my favorite albums growing up in the mid-90's era of Black Metal. Each song has remnants of Enslaved, Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, and, I'm sure, others that have been lost to obscurity over the years. Or at least buried in my demo tape collections from that bygone era! Blended in with that it has a lot of old Satyricon, even moments that remind me of Storm a little bit and probably a decent dose of early Ulver.<br />
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In the end I think Djevel created an excellent debut that really covers the gamut of an older tier of Black Metal. The major complaint, I would imagine, from people would be that it doesn't sound like anything new. But this is wishful thinking for debut albums these in the overwhelming majority of cases. Frankly, I think Djevel write very good songs and compose with a masterful atmosphere for the genre. Djevel is certainly a band worth checking out and I'm eager to hear what might be next from this project.<br />
<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-6260531322686204712018-02-07T17:57:00.002-05:002018-02-19T23:54:49.370-05:00Pestilential Shadows<br />
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<b>Pestilential Shadows - Ephemeral</b><br />
Seance Records, 2014<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Throes<br />
2. Mill of Discord<br />
3. Fragments<br />
4. Sorrow of Tongues<br />
5. Hymn of Isolation & Suicide<br />
6. Ephemeral<br />
7. Expire<br />
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The new Pestilential Shadows is finally upon us and what an incredible experience it is. "Ephemeral" is such an immense journey, even though it is really shorter in length than the other albums. The songwriting is so on point that it just hits all the right emotions and feels so much more immense as a result. Once again under the Seance Records banner we have some extremely well designed album art that persists through the booklet. Unlike "Depths", though, the lyrics are easily read in a fairly standard font, but again, this does not impinge on the actual design of the album art.<br />
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For the album "Ephemeral", Pestilential Shadows has really upped the Atmospheric content in their music. They are keeping that Nazxul core as the back drop of their main sound, but here they inject a solid dose of Woods of Desolation and similar bands, but I feel Woods of Desolation is the main similarity, whether it's true or not for the authors of this album. However, rather than be primarily a somber experience, Pestilential Shadows has a serious edge to their sound and this is where I hear a bit of Erebus Enthroned in their writing, which should come as no surprise with Decay being the guitarist of that project too. Pestilential Shadows, to me, weaves the sound of these three major Australian bands into one absolutely engaging experience. They even manage to throw in some catchier moments like on the song "Sorrow of Tongues". Then there's the title track, which has one of the most emotional and engaging lead guitar moments around. This album really is on another level in terms of overall composition and design. I'm certain "Ephemeral" will really stand the test of time as a great album that I'll continue to return to again and again for years to come.<br />
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In my opinion, "Ephemeral" is a must have album. If you're a fan of this project already you, absolutely, will not be disappointed, but if you're new to listening to this band, then "Ephemeral" is probably the pinnacle of their efforts. It's not that back tracking into their catalog is a bad journey, but, for me, a lot of the other efforts tend to pale in comparison.<br />
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<b>Pestilential Shadows & Corvus - Broken Spheres</b><br />
Seance Records, 2012<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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<u>Pestilential Shadows:</u><br />
1. Dynasty of the Bones<br />
<u>Corvus:</u><br />
2. Crowned in Fire<br />
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Corvus: ...coming eventually...<br />
Pestilential Shadows:<br />
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After releasing the excellent album "Depths" they wasted no time in getting a split out there with fellow Australian band Corvus. This is released on 7" vinyl and limited to 250 copies. There's no hand-numbering, but there is a lyric sheet insert with the vinyl.<br />
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I love the title of the Pestilential Shadows song on here and made me wish it was part of a bigger concept. "Dynasty of the Bones" is, basically, a continuation of "Depths", but it feels a bit more raw. There's even some riffing that is far catchier and somewhat breaks from the atmospheric approach of their overall sound. I found this a pleasant addition musically, but the moment feels all too brief and wish they had used that a bit more. I always appreciate it when a band can throw some catchier riffs into a really atmospheric piece, because that is really hard to pull off. Either way "Dynasty of Bones" is another excellent song from Pestilential Shadows and I doubt those who enjoyed "Depths" will be disappointed by this track.<br />
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<b>Pestilential Shadows - Depths</b><br />
Seance Records, 2011<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Lost Geists of the Sunlight Sphere<br />
2. Tribulations of Man<br />
3. Choirs Beyond the Blackened Stars<br />
4. Architects of the Spear<br />
5. Shrine<br />
6. Poisoner<br />
7. Putrid Earth<br />
8. Depths<br />
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Just looking at this cover and layout immediately speaks of a change in the quality of product Pestilential Shadows is trying to convey. This began with "In Memorium, Ill Omen" where the musical process took on far more care and quality, seeking out more organic tones, which always sound more appealing to me. I think this approach has culminated with the release of "Depths", which is where the Pestilential Shadows discography really starts to take off for me. They really did an amazing job on this layout and really fits the overall feel of the music quite a bit. The booklet is really engaging to look through, unfortunately the font is difficult to read for the lyrics, but at the same time it really fits in terms of design. It gives this ghost like ethereal quality to the overall presentation, which works great.<br />
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Musically the best reference I can make is Nazxul's album "Iconoclast", which should come as no surprise since Balam played guitar on that and their session drummer Basilysk performed drums on that album as well, so naturally there will be some similarities. However, Pestilential Shadows isn't really a rip-off or anything that extreme, the atmosphere and feel of the music is actually quite different. At times it feels even darker and more primal to me. The project experiments with minimalism in tracks like "Choirs Beyond the Blackened Stars" which is over seven minutes of the same riff and drum beat, similar to what Horna has done at times and like Horna it manages to feel engaging the entire time. Naturally, not all songs are like this and most are far more varied in terms of Black Metal, but everything is extremely well arranged and feels like a cohesive album. They even throw in some lead guitar parts in some songs like "Poisoner" that just elevate the overall listening experience so much more.<br />
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"Depths" is an extremely well done album and it really matures the sound Pestilential Shadows has been trying to achieve since they began. I'm really glad Balam has stuck with real drums for this recording, because it really made a huge difference on the last album. It gives a much deeper experience to their music in my opinion. If you were a big fan of Nazxul's album "Iconoclast" then I would recommend this project quite a bit. "Depths" delves into darker territory at times and really builds off that core Nazxul sound while not being a complete re-listening of "Iconoclast". So, it's a highly recommended album from me and, frankly, rather unexpected given the work Pestilential Shadows has done up until now.<br />
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<b>Pestilential Shadows - In Memorium, Ill Omen</b><br />
Pulverised Records, 2009<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Weapon Against the Sun<br />
2. Beautiful Demise<br />
3. With Serpents I Lay<br />
4. Of Loss and Suffering Inherit<br />
5. For Man and Heaven's Ruin<br />
6. Sundered<br />
7. Ecclesia Moriendi<br />
8. Bathed in Ashes<br />
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It's been quite a few years since we've heard from Pestilential Shadows and in looking through the booklet it's rather apparent why that probably is... there have been some major line-up changes going on here. It seems Meririm left the band shortly after "Cursed" and Balam has taken over his vocal duties as well as playing guitar. Desolate and Wraith are still involved, but the biggest addition is an actual drummer! Here we enjoy the actual drum performance from Sorrow. This is a shift in their sound that really show cases how much better it is to have a live drummer behind the drums.<br />
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One of the other instantly noticeable aspects of this is how raw and stripped down everything seems to be on this album. The foreboding ambience that we enjoyed on prior albums is all but gone and this album is far more focused on a traditional approach to their Black Metal. They present some really solid riffs and a very good Black Metal atmosphere heavily rooted in the Scandinavian sound. This time they feel more akin to the likes of Ondskapt, with the odd moments of melodic riffing thrown in for good measure, something the likes of Ondskapt never does. This creates an interesting feel to their music, because most of it is really dark and sinister, but then these melodic passages hit and it creates this really soaring aspect to their music. This is, basically, what Balam brought to Nazxul, so you'll find a lot of similarities to "Iconoclast" when you listen to this.<br />
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While I miss some of the atmosphere of the earlier works, I do really like the way this album turned out. The production, strangely, feels more raw than the others, but that's how it goes with drums being added in a lot of times. The guitar tone is a lot better this time and feels a lot more organic in the mix, which is a really nice change. Balam proves to be a very capable vocalist, and frankly, a better vocalist for this style overall anyway.<br />
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In the end I hope Pestilential Shadows continues to perform with a real drummer. I'm also extremely curious to see where they go from here. Will they stick with this style in the more traditional approach? Forsaking atmosphere for more solid riffs? Or will they bring back the atmosphere and try to blend in more ear-catching riffs? Either way, I'm curious for what will be next.<br />
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<b>Pestilential Shadows - Cursed</b><br />
GoatoWarex, 2006<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. To Ruin<br />
2. At One with the Void<br />
3. Impaled by the Moon<br />
4. Cursed<br />
5. The Black Eucharist<br />
6. Blood for the Master<br />
7. My Scorn<br />
8. And May Empyrion Fall<br />
9. The Last Herald of God<br />
10. Life Turned to Dust<br />
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After hearing "Impaled by the Moon" I was given a little bit more hope for this project and seeing one of the songs from that tape appear on this album gave me more hope for this release. Another factor contributing to this is the fact that Pestilential Shadows move beyond the two man band dynamic and have now added two more members. A second guitarist and dedicated bassist have joined the ranks and it has really served to flesh out their sound.<br />
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"Cursed" is a far more cohesive album compared to "Embrace After Death". It feels like every aspect of this album fits together much better. The songwriting also feels meaner and darker than before, which is a very welcome shift in their sound. The first half of the album is pretty consistently intense and feels like a darker Mysticum sort of blended with Naglfar-ish riffing, with some Diabolicum thrown in for good measure. However, after after the first instrumental piece "The Black Eucharist" the album takes a much slower and brooding term. Sure, there are still faster moments, but songs like "The Last Herald of God" generate a slow and ominous atmosphere. The way the album breaks up into sort of two chapters works pretty well and feels like a far more interesting journey into the world of Pestilential Shadows than their prior efforts.<br />
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This is, certainly, not a perfect album, but it really showcases that they are finally getting into a sound that really works for them. The guitars are still extremely thinned out, but I do like that this makes pretty decent room for the bass to be heard. The programmed drums sound kind of ridiculous, sometimes taking on the feel of the early 90's programmed drums like Mysticum used. They did a way better job with the vocal production this time around. "Embrace After Death" was horrific in the vocal department, but "Cursed" sits the vocals very nicely in the mix. They feel far more ominous and dark this time around, which really fits the general atmosphere of the album so much more.<br />
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In the end I think Pestilential Shadows is starting to find a good workflow for their music. You can't expect a band to do no wrong as they try to find their niche, but it looks like things are back on track for Pestilential Shadows if they can keep building on these ideas I think they'll eventually create something really excellent. I do enjoy the far more atmospheric feel of their riffing and I hope they continue to develop along these lines in the future.<br />
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<b>Pestilential Shadows - Impaled by the Moon</b><br />
Asphyxiate Recordings, 2005<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Impaled by the Moon<br />
2. Decay<br />
3. Sombre Winter Death<br />
4. Shell Rot<br />
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After their first debut on CD Pestilential Shadows promptly went back to the tape EP format. If this was my first experience with the project I would say maybe the tape EP works best for them, because as soon as we hit that first song it's a lot better than the music on the full-length. This tape has a pro-printed booklet and other sites list it is limited to 200 copies, but there is no limitation listed on the tape itself.<br />
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"Impaled by the Moon" opens with the title track and we are immediately treated to a faster more aggressive Pestilential Shadows than we've ever heard before. However, the songs do go back to that moodier and darker atmosphere that they are more known for. On this recording they managed to do a good job with the raw production value, in this case it is adding to the overall atmosphere of the recording instead of detracting from it. The recording doesn't feel overly thin, it's still thin, just not so much that it feels like nothing is there. The guitar tone is a bit more cleaned up as well, which I appreciate quite a bit. The music also feels a lot more up front in the mix this time around. They've also put enough reverb and saturation or distortion on the vocals so that the vocals sound pretty good in this mix. They really fit the feel of the music a lot more this time around.<br />
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The song writing for this EP is far more similar to "Putrify", but with an injection of faster moments to up the intensity level a little bit. Songs like "Sombre Winter Death", pretty much exemplify their title and it's more of that mid-paced style of Black Metal that has a more melancholic atmosphere. This time, even though it is over ten minutes, it manages to keep my attention. Unlike "Embrace After Death" I feel like the song writing, overall, has been markedly improved and so this EP is a far more enjoyable listen. We'll see how things go by the time the next full-length rolls around. I really hope the project sorts out some of these inconsistency issues and makes something solid.<br />
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<b>Pestilential Shadows - Embrace After Death</b><br />
Asphyxiate Recordings, 2005<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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<u>Part I: The Fate</u><br />
1. The Pestilential Shadow<br />
2. Plague Eclipse<br />
3. Church Incinerate MMIII<br />
4. The Fate of All that Lives Pt. II<br />
5. Eternal Decomposition<br />
<u>Part II:</u><br />
6. Haunting Gallows<br />
7. Of Earth & Eerie<br />
8. Forever Dark<br />
<u>Putrify:</u><br />
9. Sentinel of the Epidemic<br />
10. Amongst Famine<br />
11. Putrify<br />
12. The Delusion Trail<br />
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After an intriguing EP with "Putrify", Pestilential Shadows wasted no time in getting to their debut full-length. This was originally released as a CDr by Dark Icon Productions in 2004, but the most readily available edition seems to be the Asphyxiate Recordings version which features "Putrify" as bonus material. So, it's really worth getting the Asphyxiate Recordings version for sure.<br />
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The album is actually subtitled "The Fate of All that Lives II", which references their first demo from 2003. They don't re-record any material from this original demo or anything, so this recording is entirely new and different. One thing that strikes you immediately is how thin and lo-fi the overall production quality is. "Putrify" wasn't all that different, but for a full-length it was somewhat surprising. For the most part they manage to make it work, but I'm sure these drums are programmed now that they're a little more balanced in the mix. Even then, it's weird all of the music feels pretty far away, which has its plus and minuses. Now the vocals sit far more in the front of the mix and we realize that the vocals are not particularly great. They seem similar to Rob Darken of Graveland, who doesn't have impressive vocals, but it works in his project... they don't work so much here.<br />
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Musically this album feels a bit over-long... frankly the experience tends to drag on and you stop paying attention to it after a while. The riffs don't really grab your attention, at least not like some of them did on "Putrify". Musically everything is just pretty good, it doesn't stand out, but it's not awful either. Sometimes the production can really get in the way, such as when the acoustic styled track "Eternal Decomposition", the guitar is heavily marred by the production. It's almost like the mastering compressor was way too loud and so you get this annoying hiss. That hiss actually persists through the entire recording and becomes obvious when things get quieter. I felt like the first two songs on "Putrify" were far darker than the songs on here and things felt deeper in the overall production, not thinner.<br />
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This is only first full-length from Pestilential Shadows so they'll eventually sort their sound out. For now this debut kind of falls flat and doesn't garner the interest I expected after hearing "Putrify". It's a real shame, because I had rather high hopes for this album, but if you're more familiar with Pestilential Shadows later discography, then you might want to stick with that unless you're a completionist like me.<br />
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<b>Pestilential Shadows - Putrify</b><br />
GoatoWarex, 2003<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Sentinel of the Epidemic<br />
2. Amongst Famine<br />
3. Putrify<br />
4. The Delusion Trail<br />
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I missed out on the very first demo from Pestilential Shadows, so my collection really begins here with "Putrify". I missed out on this demo and had to track it down way after it came out, which surprises me because I was keeping up with the GoatoWarex label in the early 2000's as they always put out fairly good Black Metal. I didn't get into this project into quite a few years after it started and I think I found them when I was looking up who was currently involved in Nazxul when they put out the "Iconoclast" album. When I first heard Pestilential's third album, I was hooked and back tracked from there. So here we have "Putrify" their first EP of only four songs published on tape with a pro-printed booklet. I'm sure it's been limited in some capacity, but that's not listed anywhere.<br />
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Even if I hadn't heard this projects later material first "Putrify" would have gotten me fairly interested in what they were doing. Even going back this far you can plainly hear what Balam brought to Nazxul in terms of guitar work. "Putrify" is a very mid-paced style of Black Metal, but it generates such a soaring yet bleak atmosphere to the point where the music is actually extremely engaging. There's this underlying darkness in the writing, but then sometimes these lead sections flow in and are actually really wonderful in the mix. There are only two members listed on this tape, so they either programmed drums or had someone do session drums. The drums are pretty buried in the mix so it's tough to tell, they sound real enough I think.<br />
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In the end, I'm definitely interested in seeing where the band goes from here. The first two tracks are the best tracks, in my opinion. The title track is just a guitar instrumental and "The Delusional Trail" is a pretty epic length 10 minute plus track, but it just doesn't have the same impact as the first two songs for some reason. So, "Putrify" is a pretty good first venture into this project and I think its worth checking out.<br />
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<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-11965775218829500082018-02-05T23:22:00.001-05:002018-02-06T00:04:35.972-05:00Vermeth<br />
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<b>Vermeth - Suicide or Be Killed</b><br />
Drakkar Productions, 2008<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Intro<br />
2. Suicide or Be Killed<br />
3. Ave Satanas<br />
4. Necromancer<br />
5. From the Depths...<br />
6. Total Annihilation - Armageddon<br />
7. Malediction<br />
8. The Gates of Chaos<br />
9. Flame of Hate (Torgeist cover)<br />
10. Outro<br />
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It's been quite a while since we've heard from Vermeth, but when I saw a new album was out I ordered it right away. I always enjoyed Torgeist, so I was always happy to hear more Black Metal from Beleth Rim. This Vermeth album has quite a different quality to it compared to the prior album and other LLN styled material. It's interesting to note that there is a lengthy essay in the booklet calling out all the bootleggers that have copied the LLN material and capitalized on it. While I tend to agree, but in some cases its the only way some of us could have ever heard the material. For example, Black Murder was never officially released, but "Feasts" is a great album and I'm glad I was able to hear it... ah well.<br />
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"Suicide or Be Killed" is rather different from the debut album. It feels a lot more further removed from the original LLN sound and seems to be more of a Bathory/Darkthrone style of a release. Even the song "Malediction" sounds an awful lot like a Bathory song in my opinion. Sure, some of the songs have fast sections, but for the most part a lot of the guitar riffs are actually quite catchy. I, honestly, wasn't expecting that from a Vermeth release. I was expecting more of that sinister tortured riffing I've come to hear more prominently in these projects. I also wonder if this was recorded in the Black Legions studio, because its not mentioned on the CD anywhere. The production is totally different and a lot more thinned out, which gives the songs this razor sharp vicious edge. It actually reminds me of the type of production Katharsis uses.<br />
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In the end the Vermeth album works out pretty well. It's more in line with what Torgeist worked on, but with even more Bathory worship thrown in. If you're a fan of this raw and vicious sounding style of Black Metal, Vermeth is probably one of the better projects, so it's certainly worth checking out in that regard.<br />
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<b>Vermeth - Your Ruin...</b><br />
Drakkar Productions, 2001<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Intro (Your Ruin...)<br />
2. The Black Legions<br />
3. Eternal Dark Being<br />
4. Let Blood Flow<br />
5. Unholy Rapture<br />
6. Black Remembrance<br />
7. Die Bastard<br />
8. Outro<br />
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If you followed the LLN from their early days in France then surely you'll know of the project called Torgeist. Well after the LLN disbanded Lord Beleth Rim wasn't really done performing that kind of Black Metal and instead started Vermeth. Unlike Torgeist its mostly just him doing all the music this time. Even though there is no drummer listed on here, I do wonder if there was one involved. Vermeth seems to be the only band really carrying the torch of the Black Legions though, if you look at the booklet you'll see the three inverted crosses symbol. One of the songs is called "The Black Legions" and all the wording is the same as what the LLN produced. This was even recorded at the Black Legions studio!<br />
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Vermeth sounds like what you would expect from an LLN project, maybe this is really a continuation of what Torgeist was eventually going to sound like? To me, it sounds like a blend of Vlad Tepes, Mütiilation and Belketre. It has that raw fuzzy riffing common to the other bands, but as with Torgeist the music doesn't seem as messy. In terms of performance Torgeist was always one of the better sounding projects, the other bands eventually got a little better, but Beleth Rim was always a pretty competent musician and Vermeth is no exception here. The recording quality is still extremely raw, almost to the point where it gets in the way of the recording. Even though this was recorded in 2001 it doesn't to have had that much updates with regards to the studio sound, so if you were in love with that LLN sound, it's still pretty well preserved on this recording. It's also a lot better than a lot of the other LLN material, so it's a really great compromise for hearing what kind of music the LLN was actually trying to play.<br />
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Vermeth mixes up the LLN sound a lot more than the other projects, where I remember a lot of them being more mid-paced on most recordings, Vermeth tends to speed things up a lot more. They have their mid-paced moments, but there are some far more intense moments, which wasn't that common with the other bands. Vermeth really brings back memories of the old demos and for that I think there is a special place for this project. After this there might not be much of a place for music like this, because Black Metal has changed quite a lot in the late 90's, but if Vermeth can keep at least a small portion of this style alive it will be interesting.<br />
<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-73879754292933002362018-02-05T00:06:00.002-05:002018-02-05T00:50:31.266-05:00Mémoire de Neige<br />
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<b>Mémoire de Neige - Sous le Joug</b><br />
Angels are Whores of Satan Prostiductions, 2011<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Sous le joug de la misère et de las ouffrance<br />
2. Derniers soupirs<br />
3. Aux confins du Néant...<br />
4. Empreintes de guerre<br />
5. Nostalgia<br />
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This second release from Mémoire de Neige is actually quite a bit longer with less songs. Here we have all new songs from the project and it seems the only recording they ever made of this music was a live recording in Paris. I'm not sure what happened with the project after this, but it appears to have split up after this, I'm not sure how shortly after, but they never made studio recordings of any of their songs. They released this, once again, as a tape only release with a pro-printed booklet and limited to 123 hand-numbered copies, of which I own #32. This is certainly one of the more random limitation numbers I've come across...<br />
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The recording quality is the first thing that will probably put people off to this recording, but you can only expect so much quality from a live recording like this. For what it is, the recording quality actually isn't too bad, you can certainly hear everything, but sometimes hearing crowd conversation or other crowd noise during songs kind of takes you out of the space. There have a been some line-up re-arrangements by the time this recording rolled around. S. Hassvarth, now called Wolfkrieg, is no longer only handling the guitars. Désolation has also moved onto guitar, but has kept the vocal position and a new bassist Affliction has become involved. This has kept the core sound of the first demo present in the new songs, but they've allowed for a bit more interplay between the two guitars. For example, there are a couple guitar solos here and there. Thankfully, it's not many, because they are not all that great and don't seem to fit with the music that well.<br />
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I'm sure this music would have sounded a lot better if it wasn't a live recording. There are certainly moments that sound great, so the music is likely on par with the first release. However, the recording quality and crowd kind of mar the level of enjoyment you would really get out of this material. I feel like Désolation upon having this project end and moving onto Caterva Runa took a lot of influence from this project and put it into Caterva Runa. In the end, if I ever decide to delve into this project in the future, I'll probably stick with listening to the first release, because it has a far better listening experience. Again, I wish they had recorded this material in better quality, because a lot of this music is actually very well composed. Ah well... all we have of these projects are the two tapes and I suppose it is better than nothing in the grand scheme of things.<br />
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<b>Mémoire de Neige - Aux funérailles de l'hiver</b><br />
Infernal Kommando Records, 2009<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Intro<br />
2. Quand la neige recouvre le passé...<br />
3. Aux funérailles de l'hiver<br />
4. Terre de souvenirs et de légendes<br />
5. Forêt d'antan<br />
6. Outre Monde<br />
7. Outro<br />
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Delving once more into my demo tape collection and looking through a bunch of these French demos I have. This time I have another project related to Svartkrig and Hasserben, but this project produced only two demos and called it quits. Mémoire de Neige sounds quite a bit different from those other projects and from what I hear on this demo it was a rather promising project. This tape has a heavy cardstock type of booklet and a dubbed tape.<br />
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Mémoire de Neige is a far more somber project than the other projects that these members were also involved with. There is even a bit more of a melodic touch to the music, which gives the structuring a much deeper feel to it rather than your standard Raw Black Metal that just sounds like Darkthrone worship. Some songs have that sinister dissonant chord structuring that we tend to hear from the French camps, but Mémoire de Neige really does switch up their songwriting quite a bit in its style. They do a good job of writing excellent riffs that range from droning, moody to fairly catchy. They also have a bit of that distinct medieval quality to a lot of their songs that I love hearing in more ancient Black Metal. If they had recorded this with better production I'm sure this would have caught peoples attention a lot more instead of having the project disappear into obscurity.<br />
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I think this is an excellent first demo from this project and I wish they had done a lot more with it. Either way, if you're looking for demos that were actually pretty well done, then this is one of them. The production could have certainly been a little better, but the song writing is there and it's well done in that regard at least!<br />
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<br />Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-14731323351173777072018-02-02T09:45:00.000-05:002020-07-20T23:22:37.024-04:00Precambrian<br />
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<b>Precambrian - Glaciology</b><br />
Primitive Reaction, 2019<br />
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<u>Glaciology:</u><br />
1. Voice of Snow<br />
2. Cryolithozone<br />
3. Firn<br />
<u>Proarkhe:</u><br />
4. Basalt<br />
5. Lava<br />
<u>Aeon:</u><br />
6. Permafrost<br />
7. Sulphur<br />
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I've been eagerly awaiting new material from this project for a quite a while, to the point where I was worried Saenko had lost interest and was giving up on writing new material for it as he has with so many of his other projects. Then all of a sudden "Glaciology" was out! This is not a new full-length, but instead a trilogy of EP's of sorts. It features the new Glaciology EP and the previous two EP's for the first time on CD. I guess it took so long to get this project going again that they just decided to put out a CD version of the new EP with the old ones. I think this was a stellar idea, as I do like having CD versions of what I own on vinyl.<br />
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The new material from "Glaciology" is very good and certainly in line with the prior two releases. "Voice of Snow" was less than a minute ambient intro and I was sort of disappointed that was how the EP was introduced, hoping for three new entire songs. But then when we look at "Cryolithozone" we see that this song is an epic length clocking in at nearly fifteen minutes. No wonder they had to explore other options outside of a 7" release. "Cryolithozone" is actually quite a different direction for Precambrian, because it has lot of ambient breaks in between the intense metal parts. The Ambient sections drone on for a while, but it has that interesting harsh rawness that I love about Precambrian so it fits.<br />
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"Firn" is a more reasonable length of nearly eight minutes and this one doesn't feature any of the ambient elements of "Cryolithozone". In fact, "Cryolithozone" is probably a similar length if you get rid of all the ambient sections. "Firn" sits comfortably within the Precambrian atmosphere having that sort of droning quality to the riffing. I think these two new songs are even more droning than the previous songs now that I'm re-listening to things like "Basalt". "Basalt" has a couple sections that groove very nicely, but the "Glaciology" EP seems to be more about harshness and flow, I assume to keep within a theme of flowing ice.<br />
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I really can't wait for a full-length from this project and I hope one will eventually surface. Now that they've transitioned to printing CD's maybe there is hope for one in the coming future... Either way "Glaciology" is a great addition to their discography and if you're just delving into the project it's a great starting point as it collects all the prior recordings.<br />
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<b>Precambrian - Aeon</b><br />
Primitive Reaction, 2016<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Permafrost<br />
2. Sulphur<br />
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After a couple years the musicians behind some of the best Ukrainian Black Metal are back with two more tracks in their latest project called Precambrian. "Proarkhe" was an excellent release that had especially good atmosphere amongst the intense Black Metal. I was sort of hoping they'd move onto the full-length with this project, but if all they're going to do is release two songs on a 7" release once in a while that would actually be a really interesting medium to present the project. As before there is no information on the limitation on the release. I really like the album art they're choosing for these projects and it really fits the music very well.<br />
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This release opens up with "Premafrost" which actually breaks from the intense atmosphere for some really catchy moments that work extremely well in the grand scheme of things. The first thing you'll notice about this track is that the drum performance is far more elaborate than on the prior release. The only complaint I could render to this is they go a little overboard with hitting the china cymbal. Or at least it's way too high in the mix, to the point where it's distracting. Other than that it's another excellent song. The only other issue with the recording is the vocals are far lower in the mix than the prior release, so that kind of hurts the recording a little bit. Not too much though, because the songs really do manage to hold their own. "Sulphur" doesn't have has much of an issue and the drummer didn't add any over the top elaboration this time around, so the track feels a lot more smooth. However, this song doesn't have the kind of riff that hooks you like the first, so "Permafrost" stands out a bit more to me on this release.<br />
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In the end this is another excellent installment of Precambrian and I hope there will be more to come over the years now that the Blood of Kingu project has been put to rest. I almost wonder if they're going to shift gears over to Precambrian instead and maybe work on releasing material in this regard. If we lose Blood of Kingu to gain Precambrian, I'll be all right with that. Excellent songs, I look forward to hearing more from this project!<br />
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<b>Precambrian - Proarkhe</b><br />
Primitive Reaction, 2014<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Basalt<br />
2. Lava<br />
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The members of Drudkh, Blood of Kingu, Rattenfanger... and well lots of other projects apparently had some extra material kicking around from when they were working on new music and it just didn't quite fit into their other project concepts. So now we have Precambrian. The Precambrian is an historical period that spans back to the earliest formation of the Earth before the explosion of life in the Cambrian period. Just by the name alone you can expect a far more earthy and primitive sound. The cover even features lava floes.<br />
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This first release of two songs is pressed on 7" vinyl and I'm sure it's limited in some capacity, but there is no limitation information listed. The music is, essentially, what you'd expect from a project featuring these musicians. I usually enjoy the music they create and I'm not surprised to find I quite enjoy this material as well. The music in terms of mood and atmosphere is a little different from their other projects, but it's probably most closely related to the final Blood of Kingu album. However, I feel like Precambrian is even darker and moodier than that material. The song "Basalt" has some incredible moments in there where the guitar riff is so dark and atmospheric and just puts in you in a wonderful hypnotic space. The vocals are more on the higher/mid-range style and fits this music extremely well. I'm glad they didn't go for the low vocals of Hate Forest and instead focused on these, since it really adds to the overall musical space.<br />
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In the end, two songs isn't nearly enough for me and this would have made for an incredible full-length. Either way it's a compelling project and I look forward to hearing more from them. For now we have two excellent songs to enjoy!Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-23980858927163369482018-01-26T23:37:00.001-05:002018-01-27T00:06:42.859-05:00Torgeist<br />
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<b>Torgeist - Time of Sabbath</b><br />
Self-released, 1995<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. March of Black Assemblies<br />
2. Sweet Death<br />
3. Flame of Hate<br />
4. My Soul for Your Victory<br />
5. Bloody Tears<br />
6. Time of Sabbath<br />
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As with a lot of the other LLN material, by the time we got to 1995 things have improved a bit. As before "Time of Sabbath" was originally released as a demo tape, but I missed out on that as well, so I only have the 2008 Drakkar CD edition. The rip from the demo tape isn't as good as the first demo tape, weirdly enough. The original tape probably suffered from being played too much, since this is the better release.<br />
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"Time of Sabbath" is not as much of a dramatic improvement as some of the other LLN projects as they put material together in 1995, but it is an improvement over "Devoted to Satan". The demo opens with some Mortiis inspired dungeon synth, which is a major improvement over the spoken word bits. The music feels darker and more intense. Torgeist doesn't play around with weird dissonant pieces, instead favoring a far more straight forward approach. Some parts of this release made me think of early Gorgoroth in their style. "Time of Sabbath" both the album and song feel a lot heavier than other LLN releases as well and again the riffing has parts that remind me of that grinding style Gorgoroth pulls off.<br />
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I feel like this project is a bit of an outlier compared to the rest of the LLN projects, it certainly has the best drumming of any of them, so that's a stand out feature of Torgeist. There's also quite a bit of energy in the music on this demo, which is a bit different from the melancholic, almost depressive, feeling of a lot of the other LLN bands. In the end I thought "Time of Sabbath" was an excellent demo and it uses that raw production to it's advantage. So, if you want to check out one of the better projects from the LLN I definitely recommend this one. Some may find it too samey to Black Metal that already exists, but I still think Torgeist did a good job with this demo.<br />
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<b>Torgeist - Devoted to Satan</b><br />
Self-released, 1994<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. Intro<br />
2. Follow Him<br />
3. Devoted to Satan<br />
4. Dark Place<br />
5. Evil Prevails<br />
6. Outro<br />
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Torgeist is one of the stranger bands in the Les Légions Noires because they don't record at the LLN studio and their Black Metal is a lot more straightforward. It's not the weird and twisted kind of Black Metal found in the other projects. As with the other LLN material, this was originally released to a limited edition demo tape. I missed out on that original release, so I managed to pick up the 2008 CD when Drakkar repressed the material.<br />
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Torgeist's debut feels rather similar to something like Darkthrone or Moonblood, but even simpler and more raw than either of those projects. There is also a decent dose of Punk or Thrash Metal styled riffing thrown in. It's not too bad for a first demo, some of the songs are pretty catchy, but I wouldn't say they are particularly memorable in the grand scheme of things. Torgeist just play straight forward raw Black Metal on this release. Even for its time in 1994 it wasn't really anything revolutionary or strange because many bands from elsewhere were already building on this sound. At this point in time, other bands have done this sound better, but it's a pretty solid place to start for a new project. The only outright awful parts of this recording are the spoken word parts over the ambient sections. Those just sound, well... childish. They don't sound evil or foreboding, they just sound kind of dumb compared to the rest of the music.<br />
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In the end the first Torgeist is certainly worth hearing, at least once, but I'm not sure if it has a lot of replay value over the years. It may be worth waiting for something more solid to come along, but if you're a fiend for that raw Black Metal edge then I'm sure this will be a must listen for anyone that falls into that description.Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7195094063411103678.post-66310213348674147792018-01-26T22:50:00.002-05:002018-01-26T23:16:08.757-05:00Black Murder<br />
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<b>Black Murder - Those Dark Desires that Torment My Soul</b><br />
Le Mond Mort Records, 1999<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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<u>Promo 1994:</u><br />
1. My Satanic Hatred<br />
2. Those Dark Desires that Torment My Soul<br />
<u>Feasts:</u><br />
3. Deadsex<br />
4. Fresh Flesh<br />
5. The Last Supper<br />
6. Tower of Tortured Ones<br />
7. Interlude<br />
8. Charnel<br />
<u>Those Dark Desires that Torment My Soul:</u><br />
9. Those Dark Desires that Torment My Soul<br />
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Giving up on tracking down an actual copy of these demos I've resorted to seeing if the bootleg market had anything, since it doesn't seem Drakkar is going to be releasing the Black Murder material anytime soon. I came across this old CD-R version which compiled all the Black Murder material on a single release. They actually did a pretty good job putting this together. The transfer of the original material came out fairly well.<br />
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The major reason I wanted this wasn't for the 1994 demo, but for their 1995 demo called "Feasts". Where the first demo kind of fell flat, "Feasts" is really quite excellent! I don't know what happened between the first demo and this one, but they really got their recording quality under control and the drums are much better this time around. Black Murder have managed to put together some very dark and moody sounding Black Metal with really excellent atmosphere. It has this strange disturbing dissonant quality underlying a lot of the songs. This is one of the reasons I think LLN had a pretty large impact on the French Black Metal scene, because a large portion of the Black Metal bands following in the footsteps of these projects often like to play around with similar layers of dissonant riffing. It has a bizarre twisted feel to it that you can't really find in too many other places. The final song on here is a re-recording of a song originally found on "Promo 1994" and what a huge difference the production makes. In this recording you can actually tell the song was actually pretty decent.<br />
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In the end "Feasts" is really the release that makes Black Murder worthwhile and I would really love to see Drakkar re-release the material in full. They're re-releasing so much of the other LLN stuff, that I would love to see this one get out there. It beats having all kinds of stupid poorly ripped bootlegs out there. I'd certainly by an official copy of the Black Murder material. Maybe someday...<br />
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<b>Black Murder - Promo 1994</b><br />
Self-released, 1994<br />
Genre: Black Metal<br />
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1. My Satanic Hatred<br />
2. Those Dark Desires that Torment My Soul<br />
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I've enjoyed raw Black Metal for quite some time and there are few projects out there even remotely as raw as what the groups in the Les Légions Noire were putting out. Black Murder is one of the massive amount of side projects. It was never a main project, but it did release a couple great demos. The first release was only a two song demo. I feel like these guys got together and just wrote music and if it didn't fit with a current project they made up a new one and here we have Black Murder as a result. As you can tell by the cover of my tape, it's not a real copy, I definitely have a bootleg. I do have some real LLN releases, but this isn't one of them.<br />
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Like many of the LLN projects it's a rather sloppy foray into somewhat haphazard Black Metal. Some of the riffs and atmosphere are really interesting, but sometimes things are just inaudible and then the drums just get sloppy. In "My Satanic Hatred" I want to assume whoever is playing drums is stopping frequently because they can no longer hear the music. Despite all this noise, they do come up with some pretty solid ideas. The acoustic aspects in "Those Dark Desires that Torment My Soul" worked really well.<br />
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Overall the first demo is almost too much of a mess to be truly enjoyable. The drums are extremely sloppy and even the "blast beats" just sound ridiculous. The first Black Murder promo is probably a miss for me, a few good ideas on here can't carry the tape very far.Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09940885809440958435noreply@blogger.com0