Reviews 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.
Showing posts with label Italian Black Metal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italian Black Metal. Show all posts
Mascharat - Mascharat
Seance Records, 2017
Genre: Black Metal
1. Intro
2. Bauta
3. Médecin de peste
4. Mora
5. Vestibolo
6. Simulacri
7. Iniziazione
8. Rito
9. Outro
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.
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.
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.
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.
Thy Winter Kingdom/Permixtio Split
Black Tears of Death, 2012
Genre: Black Metal Thy Winter Kingdom - Gnosis:
1. Mourning Star
2. The Serpent's Spell
3. P.O.S.
4. The Dance of the Ancient Queen Permixtio - Resurrezione:
5. Resurrezione I
6. Limbo
7. Resurrezione II
I usually try to do full band discographies, but I've never heard of Permixtio. The reason I bought this split was for Thy Winter Kingdom, but after a sever and shockingly poor performance from the project that brought me here, I decided to see how Permixtio would fare.
Compared to Thy Winter Kingdom's side, they are certainly much better. Now, this doesn't exactly make them a good project, but it's much better. I don't know what their prior albums sound like, but there are some solid moments in these songs for sure. There is a decent amount of keyboard use throughout the songs, but not enough to really make this an outright symphonic project. They sort of bear the subtlety of Emperor in the mix. Like the Thy Winter Kingdom side though, the guitar tone is entirely too fuzzy and just doesn't sound particularly good in the mix, despite the fact that there are strong riffs. For some reason, one of the first things that came to mind was that Permixtio felt like a French version of Evilfeast, but not nearly as good. I know this project is from Italy, but sound wise, there's this sort of awkwardness at times that reminds me of French compositions such as Mütiilation, but it's just not done nearly as well here.
In the end Permixtio was much better, but it didn't really capture my attention enough to listen to other releases by this project. It also touches into the realms of the Depressive Black Metal style at times, and that's not a genre I'm particularly into (except for very specific bands)... but the fuzzy guitar tone makes more sense in that context. The project has, apparently, been put to rest after this split as well. Maybe it will be resurrected one day, but as of this writing it's finished. Either way, if this description intrigues you, you may find more merit in checking out this band than I did.
Thy Winter Kingdom/Permixtio Split
Black Tears of Death, 2012
Genre: Black Metal
Thy Winter Kingdom - Gnosis:
1. Mourning Star
2. The Serpent's Spell
3. P.O.S.
4. The Dance of the Ancient Queen Permixtio - Resurrezione:
5. Resurrezione I
6. Limbo
7. Resurrezione II
It's been quite a while since I'd seen something from Thy Winter Kingdom and I was really excited to hear what new material the project had churned out after all these years. "InnerSpectrum" was a fairly strong album, so I was confident things would be steadily improving as their writing only got better and better.
Well, I wish I had better news to report, but the Thy Winter Kingdom of old is no more. Unless this is a creative blip on their march towards well written songs, this split is sorely lacking. Production wise, this album just sounds awful. It sounds like they were trying to make things "heavier", but instead it just sounds fuzzier with too much bass in the mix. As if they were using really awful amp simulators to get this guitar tone... Then there is mention of drum programming, which would only make the rest of this sound very poor.
The songwriting has also taken quite a dive in quality as well. There are moments that outright sound cheesy, and I'm not quite sure what they were thinking. I imagine they were under the impression it would sound scary, but it really doesn't. And then "P.O.S." shows up and one can only ask..."what on Earth were they thinking when they made this..." It's awful. Just outright awful.
This is a huge let down... I don't even know what more to say on this split. I was excited to hear some new razor sharp Black Metal, but they barely presented us with something competent. Aside from atrocious production, the songs are plagued with poor writing and outright goofy ideas. I really hope this band can get its act together if they decide to release more material... after this, though, I'll be buying with caution from now on.
Thy Winter Kingdom - Opus II: InnerSpectrum
Black Tears of Death, 2004
Genre: Black Metal
1. Preludium
2. Lucid Misantrophy
3. Old Throne Divine
4. Bleeding Scars (of Suppression)
5. Nocturnal Monologue
6. Path through the Forests of Bliss
7. Black Void
After a few years we finally see this duos first full-length surface. This was the first release that introduced me to the project. I quite enjoyed the album and was a little surprised when I went back and listened to the debut. Basically, everything I found problematic in the first EP has been rectified here.
They've definitely made some steps in upping the production quality and that's one of the first things we notice. The guitar is a little thicker, but it still has that signature thin tone, so it's razor sharp in the mix. The drums are mixed a little better, with the kick more up front, but the tom's fall into the background way too much. They also lengthened up their average song quite a bit, some tracks are even over six minutes on this release. This is a perfect framework for their music and I don't feel like their songs are suddenly ending. Instead they bring us on this wonderful vicious and cold journey, which imbues us with this atmosphere, but it never leaves us too soon.
Musically this album, for me, sits somewhere between Darkthrone and Satyricon. Most of the Darkthrone is heard in the first song "Lucid Misantrophy" and the rest feels more drawn off of Satyricon and Gorgoroth. However, Thy Winter Kingdom has a slightly more modernized approach to the writing, but it is certainly rooted in the feel of those projects. Just listen to how "Castle of Ice" plays out. The only tracks on here that are kind of useless are their interlude/ambient tracks. Sometimes, those can really add to an album, but on this they kind of break up the intensity poorly.
In the end though, the overall package is actually quite good. I thought "Opus II: InnerSpectrum" was an excellent Black Metal album. They're definitely on the more raw spectrum, but that only adds to the overall sonic quality. So, if you're a fan of the type of Black Metal Italy has been producing, this album is certainly worth checking out.
Thy Winter Kingdom - Opus I: Discipline of the Elements
Black Tears of Death, 2001
Genre: Black Metal
1. Preludium...
2. Fire
3. Water
4. Air
5. Earth (Mother)
6. Postludium...
I thought tonight I would sit down and review a much lesser known Black Metal band. I've had their material in my collection for a while now, so it's been a while since I've listened to it. Their debut album was notoriously difficult to track down and I've only recently gotten my hands on it in 2017, so it's kind of inspired me to delve into this project once more!
The debut EP from this project is only under twenty minutes in length, but nonetheless it is actually some pretty solid raw Black Metal. They bring us through a concept album on harnessing the elements, but there are no lyrics printed so we're left in the dark about their concept. While they're certainly not re-inventing the wheel here, the EP has a very good atmosphere and hearkens a lot to the Scandinavian sound of Black Metal. However, there's this extreme thinness in the guitar tone that I feel is more common to the Italian bands, such as Tenebrae in Perpetuum, and I think this adds a fiercer layer into the overall feel of their songs. In a lot of cases I would hate extremely thinned out guitar tone, but bands like Thy Winter Kingdom make it work within the framework of their sound and it doesn't detract from our listening experience.
If I had to level a complaint at this debut, it's that the songs are really too short. They manage to establish some very compelling atmosphere, but then it's over before we know it. The song "Water" feels like it just cuts out and ends. They try to include some Ambience and atmosphere into their songs and I find this just makes the songs end that much more abruptly. I think they do a really wonderful job of establishing this killer atmosphere and I feel their songwriting would be more satisfying if they merely extended things and extra minute or two in order to let us bask in their sound for just a little more time until we feel satisfied.
I think this is a fairly strong beginning for this project. I'm not sure it has a vast amount of reply value, simply because I quite enjoy raw Black Metal and I would really like it to leave me satisfied and they just don't build on their themes well enough to fulfill me. I do like their riffs and ideas, but I just want them more solidly arranged. However, this is just the beginning, so we'll see if future recordings leave us in a more positive note.
Earth and Pillars - Earth I
Avantgarde Music, 2014
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
1. Earth
2. Rivers
3. Lakes
4. Tides
I feel like every year I spend scouring the Black Metal record labels for that one gem that will, hopefully, define the year for me. Last year Csejthe was that band, in fact the majority of the Québécois scene simply entranced me, but this year has left me with a rather lackluster search. I've purchased only a small amount of material from 2014, nothing really grasping my imagination in the same way. There have been some very good releases and I have thankfully found new projects like Infamous that really struck a chord with me, but this... this Earth and Pillars, this is something different. This is special.
Just opening this package up provides arresting beauty for the listener. The packaging is simply stunning and I'm glad to see Avantgarde is dedicated to continue this art form. Music is more than just a recording, it's the whole package and Earth and Pillars clearly understands this. This album, "Earth I", which leads to the hope that there will be future installments, creates a wonderfully bleak, yet majestic vision of our planet. Looking through the artwork and lyrics really nails that sense to the listener making this listen even more imperative with a physical copy in my hands. The album opens with five minutes of an Ambient styled track. While this would be a full song for most bands, Earth and Pillars follows in the footsteps of Paysage d'Hiver and Darkspace with extremely long songs following this. "Earth" gives the sense of travelling a fog laden forest, where a copse of trees opens into a bending river. From here the album follows a theme of water, which makes me wonder if the band intends to follow a concept series amidst the elements found on the planet. I would think it would perhaps follow a theme of the old Greek Atomic Theory of the four elements, but with "Earth" being the first track, perhaps that will not be the case. We wend our way through the beauty of the Earth's surface, which is mostly covered in water and the album keeps a sort of "flow" feel to every song. At times we are calmed by the gentle rocking of the rhythms, but tempestuous waves can grow and become quite a concern for travelers where fear begins to develop in the likes of "Tides". The Paysage d'Hiver influence grows bigger in this song with the droning Ambience in the middle, but I think Earth and Pillars is a bit more sensible with its inclusion of Ambience. There isn't a point where it just becomes overwhelming and droning on for nigh ten minutes in length, here it is kept as a sensible portion of the song.
Earth and Pillars has brought me on, probably, the greatest journey I'll hear all year. As someone who purchases nearly a hundred albums a year, this one is standing tall above the rest so far. Shockingly, I may even fall to this more often than the latest from the might Darkspace. Perhaps it is simply because it is new, but the atmosphere being created here is exactly what I wanted to hear this year. "Earth I" paints a beautiful picture of our planet, but there is an underlying taint, a dark bleakness to it. I feel like this has a slightly different bend on the environmentally themed work. It doesn't feel as much a worship of nature, as there is an underlying failing in the world around us. The Earth, itself, isn't dying, the environment is changing so that it will no longer sustain life in this form. So, while we can marvel at the glory of nature, we must remind ourselves that in the near future the Earth may not sustain life in the way we recognize it, namely our own. Do we mourn a world whose environment is changing in a way that will ultimately kill off humanity, or is this to be celebrated? I feel like these bleak indecision is where the Earth and Pillars album takes me.
In the end, if you are a fan of Atmospheric Black Metal, I absolutely consider this a must buy. It will likely hit my top five releases for this year very easily, if not number one. Very well done.
Infamous - Tempesta
Eremita Produzioni, 2015
Genre: Black Metal
1. Preludio
2. Verso il Tramonto
3. Rinascera' dal Fuoco
4. Sangue e Suolo
5. Tempesta I
6. Tempesta II
7. Tempesta III
8. Lugore II
After the excellent release of "Rovine e Disperazione" I was surprised to see Infamous return so quickly with "Tempesta". I really shouldn't be, looking at how often they release material it makes sense, I just lost track of time and wasn't paying much attention to anything! Either way, I was one of the lucky ones to get a copy of this wonderful digipak release limited to 100 hand-numbered copies, of which I own #5.
As we've come to expect "Tempesta" is harsh dose of Sargeist infused Black Metal. A lot of the atmospheric elements typically found in the Infamous style seem to have been stripped away from "Tempesta" in the first few tracks. I'm a little saddened by this, because looking at that cover I thought things would get even more atmospheric! I also felt that atmosphere put into their works is what really separated Infamous from the Finnish style and made them stand-out as a real interesting blend. The atmosphere takes over the song "Sangue e Suolo" and at this point I'm hoping this is sort of a prelude of things to come for the title arc. Even though the song starts with a heavy Horna opening, it quickly transitions into a cold and meandering atmosphere, which truly reflects the cover of the album and what I was hoping to find somewhere on this release. The "Tempesta" trilogy isn't very atmospheric, but it's still quite good. Here we return to the Sargeist style, with an interesting deviation for "Tempesta II" where the song is far more up beat than the others. The album closes with the beautiful and somber "Lugore II", which is an instrumental track, but extremely well written Black Metal nonetheless.
In the end, I did quite enjoy "Tempesta", but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I'd really like to see Infamous up the ante a bit more and blend those somber and atmospheric elements into their Sargeist core a lot more. I think that would really create a stunning and interesting listen. "Tempesta" is a bit more stripped down and a grittier album, which really lives up to the "Torrid Black Metal" moniker behind the CD. So, if you really love the Finnish sound then the new Infamous will not steer you wrong, it has that infusion of the really thin and haunting feel I hear from the harsher Italian sound, so in that regard it's a bit of a regional blend. I still want to see if Infamous can push things further though, you can really hear the potential throughout their catalog, which could trend to something quite interesting and unique. I'm definitely looking forward to hear what could possibly be next for us!
Infamous - Rovine e Disperazione
Eremita Produzioni, 2014
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
1. Disperazione I
2. Rovine I
3. Rovine II
4. Rovine III
5. Disperazione II
It is with "Rovine e Disperazione" that swiftly caught my attention when I started hearing samples during its time of release. Infamous have truly crafted something wonderful with this album. As soon as I heard the samples for this I swiftly tracked down this album and I was lucky enough to get a copy. Like their first album, this is also limited to 200 copies.
Prior to this, I had really only heard one song off this album and decided to back track their discography first. "Rovine e Disperazione" is definitely the high point of their discography. This album returns to just S.A. handling everything and this makes things all the better, because I do prefer his vocals over the vocalist he had participate on "Abisso". I think S.A. has a darker quality to his voice that melds with Infamous' sound a lot more cleanly... also, the no clean singing works better for this band. "Rovine e Disperazione" really brings this bands sound to the highest points. I hear tinges of ColdWorld being melded with their usual Sargeist core riffing and this creates a wonderfully cold and desolate blend to the music. All the while having this sort of majestic and soaring quality. It's actually a blend I've been experimenting with in my own music and it really creates a wonderful texture to the music. Infamous' dense production really makes that blend work quite well, which is where that hopeless desolate feeling comes into play for their sound. Their additional inclusion of more clean guitar sections really pulls this album together in an even stronger fashion, if that's possible at this point. We saw that showing up with "Abisso", but here they've included it in more sections and the blend with music is simply beautiful. It really gives the music a more dynamic quality where it lulls the listener before returning to the Black Metal, which is perfect for a more atmospheric approach to the music.
"Rovine e Disperazione" is an album that really impressed me. The palette with which S.A. is playing is very interesting and isn't just a rehashing of things we've heard before, despite the fact that the blend is from well known projects. He's managed to bring us something that sounds relatively fresh from the nature of the production quality and so on. There's a decent chance this will wind up in my top 10 for 2014 list, it really is that strong. I highly recommend this for fans of Sargeist, ColdWorld, and more atmospheric Black Metal in general.
Infamous - Abisso
Novecento Produzioni, 2013
Genre: Black Metal
Infamous return after a couple years with only an EP... I'm actually not entirely sure how this qualifies as an EP being six songs and over thirty minutes in length... but that's what they're calling it. There has been some slight shifting in the line-up. The core musician writing and performing the music is still here, but in addition a vocalist has been added with Wlku and they have also written the lyrics. Given how much I liked S.A.' vocals on the prior split, I'm sort of sad to see this, but Wlku did a decent job with the music.
Infamous continue where their debut left off with their strange interplay between upbeat sections and utterly depressing passages, fueled through riffing inspired by Sargeist. I think they are still playing with how to best execute these elements, but "Abisso" offers some decent material. If you enjoyed the debut "Abisso" really picks up where that left off and I can't imagine anyone being too disappointed in this release. They've moved away from keyboards to create that melancholic texture during sections, and instead have fallen into using clean guitar styled passages. This sounds a lot better with their sound and chord structurings. Just listen to how well "Life's Erosion" closes. I would really love to see them do more in this vein. The only complaint I have with this recording is that with the new vocalist they seem to experiment with some clean vocal sections. Luckily this is not something that shows up very often, but in the opening song there are a couple parts with clean vocals. Here they work okay, because they're quite low in the mix and give a sort of dark feel to the music. However, when they show up again in "III", they're more in the foreground of the mix and it just sounds awful. Again, this is only one section of the song, but it really marred the whole thing for me.
Overeally, this is a decent EP/Full-Length, depending on what you'd want to call it. I don't think it's quite as good as "Of Solitude and Silence", but they are experimenting with elements that could make their songs stronger. Other elements make it weaker, so you wind up with ups and downs quite often on this release. Hopefully, some of the experimentation will be sorted out by the next release. I do like the vast majority of the material.
Désespoir / Suicidal Years / Infamous / Lux Funestus - Anthems of Misery
Maa Productions, 2013
Genre: Black Metal
Désespoir:
1. Intro - Anthems of Misery
2. In My World of Silence
3. Morgen: Grauen
4. Im Auge des Sturms Suicidal Years:
5. No More Life
6. In My Dreams
7. The Last Sail Infamous:
8. Ground's Entrails
9. Shadow I
10. Solitude Lux Funestus:
11. July Sound
12. Ausencia de Sentimientos
13. When the Summer Breeze... Brings Your Memory
Side Désespoir: ...coming eventually...
Side Suicidal Years: ...coming eventually...
Side Lux Funestus: ...coming eventually...
Side Infamous:
I've missed out on the prior years compilation, so my collection picks up with this four way split. A couple of the tracks from the compilation are re-recorded here. I tend to hate these kinds of splits, because bands can be drastically different, but sometimes good material can show up here. As with other releases involving Infamous, this is limited to 500 copies. Also, as with Infamous releases, there isn't much in the way of a booklet. Just a folded sheet with band names and liner notes about the recordings and members only. Since it covers all four bands things are a little cramped in the interior of the book.
Infamous submit three songs to this compilation. It opens with a new song called "Ground's Entrails" and it is quite short. It doesn't have the usual atmosphere from Infamous though and feels very different. It's a very upbeat song in the vein of Sargeist, but also has some atmospheric moments as before, but it's hard to get immersed in the song since it is only a little over three minutes in length. Plus the abrupt mood changes makes the song feel fairly flawed at times. I hope this is not a new direction for the band, but I will say I like the vocal performance a lot more. They're more of a mid-ranged style of Black Metal as opposed to the higher pitched screams on the debut full-length. At times the tone feels similar to M. from Mgla. The other two songs are much better in my opinion. "Shadow I" appeared on the compilation from 2012, but I have no idea what year this was originally made. This song is quite well done and more in line with what heard on the debut album. It has its upbeat moments, but it really closes on this dense and dark tone that is just awesome. I really love where this song wound up going. The closing track "Solitude" is actually taken from the demo from 2011. This is a really great song and it conjures up memories of what Cendres has done on their tape. It has this tense dissonance to the song, which creates this sort of chilling and haunting feel. I thought this was pretty well done. The only issue, is that since this is an older song, they tried to use the more high-pitched vocals the whole time, which sort of takes away from the musical experience a little bit. But overall it is a fine song.
In the end we have three extremely different songs from Infamous. I tend to like the older lengthier material. Perhaps the new song was just an experiment, to see how it would be received in the community and hence it only appears on the split. Regardless, based on the full-length, I look forward to what is coming next from this project.
Infamous - Of Solitude and Silence
Novecento Produzioni, 2011
Genre: Black Metal
1. Of Solitude and Silence
2. Rex Verminorum
3. Grey Euphoria
4. Human Scum
5. Spiritual Desolation
6. Lugore
I got interested in this project when I heard their recent 2014 release. From there I decided to start back tracking the project and despite having a name that isn't very good, the music is actually really well done. So, naturally by this time I had long missed out on demos, of which there is one before this. I've also missed out on the original pressing of this album, since it was limited to 200 copies. So, I've since picked up the repress by Obscure Abhorrence from 2013 pictured on the right.
I think I prefer the original layout a bit more, the new art direction seems extremely hard to read.
The first thing you'll notice about this band is how dense the production feels. It's almost as if you are under water in many ways, and while many people will likely make-fun of that quality, it really works with the style Infamous going after. The majority of the riffs on this album seem to be inspired from Sargeist primarily, but giving it this production quality gives the music an extremely different feel. Not all of the riffs keep this feel though and there are aspects of songs I don't like that much, such as "Spiritual Desolation" when the slow riff plays with the keyboard. It just doesn't feel in place with the atmosphere of the album. Some parts just sound uplifting amidst all the depressive elements surrounding those sections. Infamous does seem to pull a lot from the Depressive Suicidal scene of Black Metal, but their approach to the creation of the music feels very different. While they do seem to have the higher pitched vocal element, the vocals are mixed so far in the background as to not be annoying or overwhelming. This is probably one of the major reasons I could get into this release.
This is actually a pretty good debut album. It certainly doesn't bring that much new to the world of Black Metal, but it does have a certain level of quality that I can appreciate quite a bit. For the listeners, now it is just a waiting game to see if Infamous can write something that goes beyond their mere influences, something that is entirely their own really. Starting with a strong debut like this gives me a lot of hope that better things will come. Failing originality, at the bare minimum we are guaranteed some well done Black Metal.
Tenebrae in Perpetuum & Krohm Split
Debemur-Morti Productions, 2010
Genre: Black Metal
Tenebrae in Perpetuum:
1. I
2. II
3. III Krohm:
4. The Black Bridge
5. Toccato dalla Desacrazione
6. Sentinel Monolith
Side Krohm: ...coming eventually... maybe
Side Tenebrae in Perpetuum:
With this split some truly sad news comes to light. The Tenebrae in Perpetuum project has also been put to rest. First Beatrik and now Tenebrae in Perpetuum with no other project starring Atratus as composer on the horizon. Strangely though, you should not expect this to be new material from Tenebrae in Perpetuum. The music was composed between 2006 to 2007 and recorded in 2008. It was originally written for an entirely different project that never saw the light of day, so they've decided to finally release this lost material.
I think it definitely fits under the Tenebrae in Perpetuum moniker and has leanings of a blend between ideas found in Beatrik with the "Antico Misticismo" album. As you can imagine this makes for some really compelling material. That really chilling cold that was missing from "L'Eterno Maligno Silenzio" is ever present on these tracks. I have no idea what other project would use this material other than Tenebrae in Perpetuum, but I'm quite glad it was eventually released. The razor sharp guitars presenting an ice cold backdrop to the utterly desolate feelings of Beatrik makes for a really impressive experience. It is almost a real shame that the prior full-length didn't take this form, because I think it would have made for a more compelling product in the end. This just adds a level of bleakness that wasn't on "Antico Misticismo" if you can believe it... just listen to how "II" closes with clean guitars and terrifying screams.
I am, honestly, glad the last release ever from Tenebrae in Perpetuum wasn't "L'Eterno Maligno Silenzio". Instead, we can experience the band in all their glorious strength, rather than something that is just good. I am sad to see the projects put to an end and even more disappointed that the musician behind this art that influenced me quite a bit will likely be silent for many years to come. Perhaps stopping when you've hit the high marks is the wise decision though, outdoing some of the top material would be nearly impossible and Atratus has likely pushed this style as far as he can go in the end. Rather than force mediocrity... lets bask in the high points of his history. Drummer Vidharr is playing with another project named Chelmno now though, so it doesn't appear that his music career is over, which is good, because we need solid drummers participating in Black Metal. Vidharr has always given rise to some of the best drumming accompaniments for Beatrik and Tenebrae in Perpetuum.
Tenebrae in Perpetuum - L'Eterno Maligno Silenzio
Debemur-Morti Productions, 2009
Genre: Black Metal
1. Percepire la Luce Attraverso il Sepolcro
2. L'Eterno Maligno Silenzio
3. Dissoluzione in Preghiera
4. Incubo Rosso Cupo
5. Il Morto Cthulhu Aspetta Sognando
6. Dei Corpi Silenti
7. Rapitemi, Anime della Natura
8. Oltre i Confini Umani
It's been a few years since we've heard from the realms of Tenebrae in Perpetuum and 2009 sees the release of their latest full-length. After the incredible "Antico Misticismo" it will certainly difficult for Tenebrae in Perpetuum to outdo that release and I had really high hopes for "L'Eterno Maligno Silenzio" when I saw its release, but I have to be honest it just doesn't compete on the same level a "Antico Misticismo". This time we are treated to a rather nice digi-pak release which has interesting art all done by Atratus.
The band has also undergone some drastic changes and I imagine Atratus is too, since he's put the Beatrik project to rest shortly after "Antico Misticismo" was released. Luckily he's marching on with Tenebrae in Perpetuum, but one feature I was disappointed in was the addition of vocalist Ildanach to the roster. I have always loved Atratus' vocal approach to his own project and I feel he was always able to do it best. Ildanach is, certainly, a decent Black Metal vocalist, but that haunting reverb quality of Atratus' is nonexistent on this release and that is something I certainly do miss. The vocal quality manages to sound very good on the track "Oltre i Confini Umani" where Ildanach adopts a more mid-range tone and it really enhances the sound of the band quite a bit. Perhaps Atratus didn't have the lyrical effort in him and Ildanach did... so we are presented the music in this way.
Realistically this is not Tenebrae in Perpetuum's best release, but it is still quite a good release as far as Black Metal is concerned. There is a very heavy reliance on blending more Norwegian elements into their sound, so this release comes off as deeper Mayhem worship blended with old Gorgoroth and Dødheimsgard at certain points. With this in mind I feel Ildanach tries to cater to that fan base a bit too much by having moments where he emulates Atilla and includes some of the chanted clean vocals. Unfortunately, I'm not sure these really worked within the context of the Tenebrae in Perpetuum sound, luckily they don't dominate the vocal performance as on the track "De Mysteriis dom Sathanas".
In the end I think the album is pretty good overall, but the fact that prior to this we had a true masterpiece makes it hard for me to write about this in more than a mediocre light. It is an unfortunate circumstance, but on a good note, Tenebrae in Perpetuum weren't kidding themselves and trying to just re-make "Antico Misticismo". So, at least they opted to record some solid Black Metal, which made for an enjoyable experience overall. If you are a long time fan of Tenebrae in Perpetuum you probably won't be disappointed in this release and you will probably embrace the more intense and vicious style they opt for this time around. However, I sure miss the cold...
Tenebrae in Perpetuum/Chelmno/Near/Lorn - From the Ancient Dolomitic Forests
Self-Released, 2007
Genre: Black Metal
Tenebrae in Perpetuum:
1. Trasfigurazione Chelmno:
2. Under There... Near:
3. Gaola Spirito Lorn:
4. Laments from the Crevass
Side Chelmno: ...coming eventually...
Side Near: ...coming eventually...
Side Lorn: ...coming eventually...
Side Tenebrae in Perpetuum:
This is a fairly interesting release. It's a self-released four way split by already fairly well established bands. I'm actually surprised a label didn't pick this up to release. Each band has submitted one track to the effort and the tracks are relatively short, you can imagine, because this is only printed on a 7" vinyl. The gate-fold feels a little flimsy from the printing, but overall it looks like a very nice product, but it is only limited to 500 copies.
The track Tenebrae in Perpetuum submits to this split is an entirely new track, but because of the amount of bands it winds up being rather short and clocks in under four minutes. It looks like it was recorded on the heels of "Antico Misticismo" so it really is a continuation of that albums presence. It could have easily served as an eighth track on the album, so naturally, I mark this as a great track to have and I am glad I was able to secure a copy of this split for my collection. Yet another piece of music worth hearing from this vastly great project.
Tenebrae in Perpetuum - Antico Misticismo
Debemur-Morti Productions, 2006
Genre: Black Metal
1. Crepuscolo di Misticismo
2. La Soppressione delle Fedi
3. Sub Zero
4. Terrore Spirituale
5. Un Sogno Oscuro
6. Mutilaioni Celesti
7. Sconsacrato con l'Odio
This is the album I've been waiting for Tenebrae in Perpetuum to release all this time! To some degree I thought they might be able to pull something like this off based on the early setting of "Onori Funebri Rituali." However, I'm going to be honest here, there are few albums that get released over the years that audio essence of chilling cold. There's even a track on here called "Sub Zero" as if they were well aware of the freezing nature of their composition. This is another album, that I feel, is severely overlooked by the community and it really is ashame.
"Antico Misticismo" is the full package of Black Metal, with compositions being steeped in the formula of one haunting Mayhem album. Tenebrae in Perpetuum develop that style into a slightly different direction from other projects. Here the harsh production gives the guitars a razor sharp edge, but so cold that you fear frostbite will ensue. Many Black Metal bands sing of the snow and cold, but very few actually evoke that feel in their music. Tenebrae in Perpetuum have quite the layer of ice covering everything present on this album. Rather than saw away at an atmosphere like they have done previously "Antico Misticismo" endeavors to include some really heart-wrenching rhythms into the music. Sure everything is played in a violent and intense fashion, but it is so bathed in reverb that there is an entirely new approach to this atmosphere. I fear critics will say this is just more lo-fi run of the mill Black Metal, but that is because I don't think they want to bother paying attention to what is going on and dismiss it as noise. "Antico Misticismo" is a really wonderful album comprising of some of the most violent swings through a storm and the most haunting passages as we seek shelter from winter's most terrifying onslaughts.
I think this has, over time, solidified itself as my absolute favorite album from Tenebrae in Perpetuum. In fact, its one of my favorite albums ever released. The harsh beauty they are able to craft is unlike many bands out there. They evoke feelings of, terror, cold, and violence all in one breath. This is easily one of the pre-eminent releases of the year and if you are a fan of harsh and immense Black Metal, this really needs to find its way into your collection sooner than later.
Horna & Tenebrae in Perpetuum Split
Debemur-Morti Productions, 2005
Genre: Black Metal
Horna:
1. Unohdetut Kasvot, Unohdettu Ääni Tenebrae in Perpetuum:
2. Un Sogno Oscuro
Side Horna: ...coming eventually...
Side Tenebrae in Perpetuum:
Perhaps after a couple years it was time to show that Tenebrae in Perpetuum weren't completely gone from the world. So, in the interim they took a song recorded in 2004 and put it on this split with Horna. This comes on 7" vinyl and is printed on a gatefold sleeve which is quite nice. Debemur-Morti, as usual, maintain their high quality productions. I'm sure this is limited to a certain amount of copies, but no limitation is reference on the booklet or disc anywhere.
Tenebrae in Perpetuum's track comes at a much needed time when we were just beginning to wonder if the project was still active. After such an incredible full-length I was looking forward to hearing what was in store for us next. Its kind of incredible how quickly the band pushes their sound in such a short amount of time. "Un Sogno Oscuro" is an incredible track capturing all the essence of violence and darkness that we hoped would be the logical evolution of "Onori Funebri Rituali". If a new full-length from Tenebrae in Perpetuum is imminent than it will likely be quite the immense release. I'm looking forward to new material more than ever now. They've really nailed that cohesive blend between the haunting and violent nature of their music. I think we have something truly incredible waiting in the winds of the future.
Tenebrae in Perpetuum - Onori Funebri Rituali
Serpens Caput Productions, 2003
Genre: Black Metal
1. Onori Funebri Rituali
2. Al di lá della Nebbia
3. Verso l'Apocalisse
4. Oscure Presenze
5. Anime Silenziose
6. Delirio Nella Cripta
7. Quegli Occhi
8. Gli Abissi di Pisorno
9. Nero Dominio
Here it is, we are finally treated to the first full-length from this incredible Italian project. I remember my friend, Noel, showing me this band... now that I think about it this is probably where I first heard them. He was buying music at complete random from distros to see if he could hit upon something really good and this wound up being something he picked up. I don't have the original vinyl LP of this, my friend and I both own the 2004 CD edition pressed by BlackSeed Productions. The CD edition features the bonus track "Nero Dominio". An interesting point here is that the booklet states the cover is painted by R. Schrei Nattramn, which makes me wonder if this is the same Nattramn of Silencer fame.
In some respects I still think Tenebrae in Perpetuum is exploring the limits of their sound. Tracks are often a blend of vicious and fast Black Metal or some incredibly haunting pieces. Tenebrae in Perpetuum seem to trade off between these two styles, which works well for them, but I'm not sure they've really blended approach as one cohesive element. I do remember when this was released and I remember liking it and thinking this was a solid project, but it never seemed to capture my imagination back then. This wasn't tearing up the media either, but in 2004 I think it was being overshadowed by the likes of Deathspell Omega and Blut aus Nord as the collective community started looking at France for the next evolution of Black Metal. Meanwhile Tenebrae in Perpetuum were building ideas in a different direction that I think would eventually directly affect the evolution of Atmospheric Black Metal's current popularity. We've all listened to Tenebrae in Perpetuum, but I think it's only recently I realize how influential this band really was. Tenebrae in Perpetuum really showed how powerful raw production could evoke particular feelings and mood. Just listen to the immense "Al di lá della Nebbia" and bask in how haunting and disturbing their atmosphere is executed.
In the end I think this album is often overlooked in today's scene. I think a lot of people listen to bands that are influenced by Tenebrae in Perpetuum, but have forgotten this band in the current days. I think if you sat down and really deeply listened to this you would see how incredibly forward thinking this project was. I think it was masked a bit by the production value, but you have to realize Tenebrae in Perpetuum are really pushing the envelope of what you can do with the raw style of production and very few bands can pull this off.
Despite having the wrong photo in the video below, this is track two off of "Onori Funebri Rituali".
Tenebrae in Perpetuum - Tenebrae in Perpetuum
Serpens Caput Productions, 2002
Genre: Black Metal
1. Condannato agli Inferi
2. Tenebrae in Perpetuum
3. La Morte ha Trionfato su Piubago
4. La Fine della Vita
If you were like me and very pleased with Tenebrae in Perpetuum's demo, then you are in for quite a shock. In almost no time the band already builds their style into deeper and far more haunting realms. This is the projects first official release and it just has me wanting to demand more and more. This incredible piece is unfortunately printed on 7" vinyl only and limited to 500 hand-numbered copies. I happen to own #152 and I believe this was one of my first experiences with this project, because I got this around when it was originally released.
The opening track is so haunting and disturbing that it makes for quite a special listen. The bands title track "Tenebrae in Perpetuum" is re-recorded here in a better fashion so we can hear the real glory of that song in all its full potential. Strangely "La Morte ha Trionfato su Piubago" has a very traditional old school feel to it, but then it hits into this really great tremelo picked riff that really makes the composition shine! This release is entirely too short and I think Tenebrae in Perpetuum are performing a style that could really be enhanced with either more songs or epic track lengths. It is certainly something for them to consider for the future. Tenebrae in Perpetuum still manage to keep their sound very raw, but they do it in a very tasteful way, because it really enhances that otherworldly and haunting nature of their music.
I think this EP serves as hint of what the band can truly pull off in the studio. These tracks tell me that it is high time for the band to venture into a studio and prepare their world for a debut full-length. We probably didn't even need this interim release to tell us that... they could have skipped right to the full-length stage and not bothered to tease us with this!
Tenebrae in Perpetuum - The Black Flame's Age
Self-Released, 2001
Genre: Black Metal
1. The Black Flame's Age
2. Tenebrae in Perpetuum
3. La Morte a Sopra Me
4. Oscure Presenze
This is, now, the legendary demo from Tenebrae in Perpetuum. Unfortunately, I missed out on the original tape edition of this release. Instead I have the 2006 vinyl 7" release from Debemur-Morti. The vinyl re-edition is really beautiful. It's a gatefold vinyl in a gritty hard stock paper, giving the release a more ancient feel which really complements the music held within. This edition is also limited to 300 hand-numbered copies and I own #160. Calling himself Atratus in this project he also launched the Beatrik project in the same year.
From the very moment you hit play on this all too short demo you realize it is obvious that this was immediately picked up to go beyond the realms of the demo tape release. Even though this is near the beginning of the new millennium, Black Metal is still producing fresh and new projects. There is nothing out there that really sounds like this and they really show how diverse raw production can be for creating very tense and amazing atmospheres. There is a rather obvious Burzum core to this project and that shines through in the higher range vocals and the closing riff sequence in "La Mort a Sopra Me", but Tenebrae in Perpetuum really think beyond being just a clone of the Norwegian sound. Tenebrae in Perpetuum is bathed in incredible layers of echo and reverb that you would think that this music shouldn't sound good or make any sense, but they really wield this sound and material to rather shocking levels of perfection. At times this approach has leaning to the mighty Paysage d'Hiver and the raw and dense production gives you a stronger feel in that direction.
Simply a monumental demo and a project I am looking forward to hearing even more material from in the future. Tenebrae in Perpetuum is really a must hear project and I think we can expect incredible things from them in the future. If you are lucky enough to track down this demo, then I highly recommend checking it out.
Beatrik - Requiem for December
Avantgarde Music, 2005
Genre: Black Metal
1. My Funeral to Come
2. Requiem of December
3. Eternal Rest
4. The Last Wandering
5. Apollonia's December, 7th 1647
6. Returning After a Death
If you thought "Journey through the End of Life" was an impressive album, you are truly in for a rare treat with "Requiem of December". Smara has finally developed a very solid and cohesive work and the time spanning the releases shows the amount of effort he likely spent on crafting these songs. I think he's learned a lot about what does and doesn't work in creating a solid aesthetique with all the work produced by Tenebrae in Perpetuum. "Requiem for December" really brings a sort of culmination of efforts between the two projects. Here, Beatrik has shifted focus on the debut album with attempting to create a sorrowful and depressive atmosphere rather than the haunting slab of darkness Tenebrae in Perpetuum brings us. Here Beatrik leverage the guitar tone to help make for a real sorrowful experience, and even though that aspect is the same, the composition feels entirely different, showing that Smara has really developed an inherently new approach with his sound.
Aside from the writing and atmosphere the other thing that is markedly improved is the vocal performance. Smara has really harnessed a vicious vocal tone to accompany this music and he is much less focused on attempting to sound like Varg, which is a really great thing. I think "Requiem for December" really pushes the boundaries of Burzum's melancholy, when Varg played that style. Beatrik borders on the realms of Atmospheric Black Metal and at times incorporates elements that would later be used by Germany's ColdWorld. This album is so magnificent and so epic that it is nearly impossible to describe. What little description I've been able to garner it, certainly doesn't do it justice. I worry this is likely the pinnacle of Beatrik's career, which is unfortunate to think about.
Sadly, shortly after this album was released the Beatrik project was put to rest. Luckily Tenebrae in Perpetuum would run for a little longer, but the liner notes from the re-release of "Journey through the End of Life" gives us some insight into why the project was probably put to rest. From the entry of "Summer-Autum 2006" the following is written "New songs for a possible third album are composed, the music is a further step away from the Black Metal genre, involving may clean guitar parts and some minimalist piano parts." Perhaps the lacking of Black Metal prompted the realization that perhaps the project had run its course. At the very least we are left with some incredible music and "Requiem for December" is truly a masterpiece that, will hopefully, stand the test of time to come. Few bands could ever claim to write something this compelling.
Beatrik - Journey Through the End of Life
Serpens Caput Productions, 2002
Genre: Black Metal
1. Buried Among Skeletal Woods
2. To Feel the End
3. Beatrik
4. Last Dawn
5. Journey through the End of Life
6. Journey through the End of Life
7. Spell of Destruction (Burzum Cover)
After a second demo that was more focused on the faster style of Black Metal we delve into Beatrik's debut release "Journey through the End of Life". I don't have the original edition of this, instead I have the beautiful digi-book edition pressed by Aeternitas Tenebrarum Music Foundation in 2008. This is a really nice edition of this album and includes all the lyrics and even liner-notes explaining the history of the project. With such a different title and song names, it seemed the band had undergone some drastic changes in the year between the release of "The Infernal Wolf is Still Hunting".
If you truly loved the song "Last Dawn" then this entire album builds upon that theme ten fold. Here we have a melancholic and somber journey through an album. One of the lines from a lyric is printed on the back of my edition "...this sad autumnal wood will be my grave..." and I think this sentiment aptly sums up the atmosphere here. Beatrik have also evolved in other positive ways. Smara is pulling Vidharr from Tenebrae in Perpetuum in to handle the drum work. While the music seems akin to Burzum and Forgotten Tomb, the one thing I don't understand is Smara's vocals on here. His vocals sound so otherworldy and immense in Tenebrae in Perpetuum, but for Beatrik he tries to stick with a far more standard approach and it doesn't feel like it blends with this more melancholic style. At times this albums pace picks up and you can hear the Tenebrae in Perpetuum locked behind these musicians, but Beatrik still sounds like an extremely different project overall. Listen to the more standard Heavy Metal riff that shows up in "Charon's Embrace" and you'll never hear the likes of that in Tenebrae in Perpetuum song. Two songs from the prior demo are re-recorded for this album and they really were the best choices for a re-recording, "Beatrik" and "Last Dawn" sound great with their new higher quality production. "Last Dawn" really shines through, as is expected. "Beatrik" is a little too vicious for the atmosphere of the new songs being written though. Unsurprisingly this album really closes with a Burzum cover and naturally it really fits the Beatrik sound perfectly.
If you like the thought of pushing boundaries on the Burzum sound and some well executed depressive styled Black Metal, then Beatrik seems to be making some immense strides in the right direction. Overall, I enjoyed this album a lot, but I still think Smara needs to work harder on building a focused atmosphere on an entire album, not just song to song.
Beatrik - The Infernal Wolf is Still Hunting
Self Released, 2001
Genre: Black Metal
1. The Warrior's Fate
2. Beatrik
3. Ride the Beast
4. Last Dawn
5. Black Funeral (Outro)
This is Beatrik's second demo and I never thought I would find this, but at this point I give up on finding the first. Maybe someday I will track it down, but it doesn't look like that will be anytime soon. The major reason why I was after this project is because the main member, Smara, is also the main mind behind Tenebrae in Perpetuum. Given how much I love that project it was only a matter of time before I sought out Beatrik. One of the interesting aspects of Beatrik is that it seems to have been beginning in conjunction with Tenebrae in Perpetuum. This demo tape comes with printed booklet (as in from a computer printer), dubbed tape and is limited to 99 hand-numbered copies, of which I own #76.
Beatrik is obviously a very different sounding project when compared to Tenebrae in Perpetuum, so it makes sense that an entirely different project would be necessary for this style. Most the material is more of a raging and fast paced Black Metal. A lot of times it sounds a lot more traditional sounding, but most of the tracks don't have much more than just a raw or harsh edge to them. Sometimes some really melancholic riffing shines through like with the song "Last Dawn", which is the best song on this demo. Other times this mood is evoked by some all too brief clean guitar sections. Each track is separated by some strange and haunting ambience and the demo closes with haunting Ambient outro. The rest of the time the guitar sections saw away and sometimes have lead parts that feel weird like "The Warrior's Fate". I think this lack of a focus on the atmosphere kind of lost me and wound up only having mixed feelings toward Beatrik at this time.
In the end, I only thought this demo was mediocre at best. It came off as a little incoherent at times, which isn't how Tenebrae in Perpetuum comes across... so perhaps my bias on that project affected my view on this one. Even though I quite enjoy the vicious and harsh style of Black Metal, the lack of focusing on building a good atmosphere is sort of where this lost me. Ah well... we shall see if Beatrik's future is brighter.
Warnungstraum - Eripe Ferrum
Nykta Records, 2012
Genre: Black Metal
1. Nocte
2. Gran Naufragio
3. Orda di Arimane
4. Via d'Occidente
5. La Caccia Eterna
6. Altare del Disgusto
7. Ad Ditis Regna
After a debut album that did have some promising moments I hoped that checking out "Eripe Ferrum" was going to be worth my time. Happily "Eripe Ferrum" seems to sort out some of the problems I found with "Inter Peritura". The riffing doesn't feel nearly as dry as the prior release and I found this a much better presentation for their brand of Black Metal.
"Eripe Ferrum" opens with the incredibly haunting "Nocte" and I really thought this was going to give way to some seriously wonderful Atmospheric Black Metal, but to my surprise it didn't really do that. The riffing style definitely borders on the Atmospheric Black Metal range, but there's enough viciousness to keep this rooted into the more standard Black Metal camp, in my opinion anyway. Even though there are some lengthy Ambient tracks, it's kept separate from the Black Metal entirely, which is sort of unfortunate given how strong the two tracks on "Inter Peritura" were. I was hoping to see them move in that direction, but I am happy with a solid Black Metal album at the very least. The riffs are a lot more interesting and well crafted this time around. Albeit the riffing is still fairly standard and nothing new to the Black Metal scene, their writing is far stronger making this a fairly solid effort in the end. The blending of the rhythm and lead sections gives this a much more interesting palette for us to engage in and gives the album a much more dynamic feel rather than the dry feel I got from the debut. I think part of that problem stems from the fact that the band clearly wants to write fairly lengthy tracks and if you don't have interesting riffs to back that up the whole album is torn down completely.
This album is an excellent follow-up with major improvements in place. I still would really like to hear this band blend this into a more atmospheric setting, because it would really work in there. Maybe someday in the future that will see the light of day. For now, if you want to hear a fairly solid Black Metal album "Eripe Ferrum" won't really steer you wrong, but I an understand some people complaining about lack of "originality" as is often the case with this kind of material. Either way, I certainly don't regret having this album in my collection at all.
Warnungstraum - Inter Peritura
Nykta Records, 2011
Genre: Black Metal
1. Ingresso
2. Il Sacrificio del Tempo
3. Il Monde è Cenere
4. Hoc Unum Scio
5. Grave Regina Immonda
6. La Maschera del Nulla
7. Ultimo Corno di Guerra
8. Congedo
For some reason I don't seem to get very much Black Metal out of Italy despite the fact that there are some very strong acts from that region. It seems Warnungstraum is built from two members in Obscure Devotion, though I have not heard of that project before. When I was ordering some new albums Warnngstraum's name and album covers caught my eye. Upon listening to a sample I decided to give the band a try.
"Inter Peritura" is the debut for this band and even though I've seen this classed as Ambient Black Metal, I certainly disagree with that. This is just Black Metal through and through aside from the all keyboard intro and outro, which is hardly enough to give the band a style change. The track "Grave Regina Immonda" and "La Maschera del Nulla" do a descent job trying to blend in the Ambient though and has some of the best guitar work on the album. While "Inter Peritura" isn't a bad album, I don't think I found it to be a compelling album. It is merely a good Black Metal album, and in that range it unfortunately is more subject to the feelings of "this is fairly generic." It does have standout points and some riffs are quite excellent, but there just aren't enough of them to really capture my imagination. The lyrics being in Italian is a definite bonus, for, like Tenebrea in Perpetuum, I love hearing romance languages utterly perverted. Upon reading the back it says someone performs clean vocals and this could go very wrong or very right in my opinion. Luckily it goes very correctly with Warnungstraum because the clean vocals are all chanted in this very haunting fashion giving the album a much deeper presence.
Overall the album is merely average. It has a lot of elements that I like, but I think the writing has a lot of room to grow. The two songs that cross into the Atmospheric/Ambient Black Metal range are by far the strongest on this release. I would really like to see them build into this direction, because I think an entire album of that blended with touches of chanted vocals will really create a beautiful release. They certainly have the potential to pull this together, so hopefully in the future this will see the light of day.
Chelmno - Chelmno
Self-Released, 2003
Genre: Black Metal
1. Intro
2. Necrolove
3. Grim Vengeance
4. Chelmno
5. Satan My Master (Bathory Cover)
I picked this up solely because of Vidharr's presence in this project. I've loved his work with Tenebrae in Perpetuum and Beatrik, so I figured I would check out Chelmno to see if that level of quality would be maintained. I was fairly wrong about that when it comes to this release. I didn't enjoy this at all. This was released on cassette only and limited to 88 hand-numbered copies of which I own #74. The booklet is fairly well done, it has multiple panels, but is only single sided. The tape is just a dubbed tape with a sticker on it with the bands name and written underneath is "Chelmno doesn't support the National Socialism, but the extreme evil actions it has done."
Moving onto the music... Chelmno play an extremely lo-fi harsh style of Black Metal. This is to be expected in some ways since this was recorded on a 4-track as the tape explains. As far as 4-track recordings go, this came out pretty well, but the music is nothing compelling. There are some aspects of this that really shine through like the opening section of "Grim Vengeance" which has a fine Black Metal riff to start off. The rest of the songs have that sort of old Punky edge to the riffing, but it is probably more drawn off of what Darkthrone has done. However, Chelmno hardly even begins to keep up with the quality Darkthrone are capable of producing. I may be a little biased, because I'm usually not into this type of Black Metal, but I've just heard other bands include these elements in a much better light. I found the riffs boring and lost interest with most of the work because it didn't stand out very well. The vocals are atrocious and it just sounds like someone chirping in the background with a lot of echo on their vocals. They even felt the need to brag about this "No effects use (only echo on voice)". This aspect just made the unmemorable music unbearable...
Chelmno are not off to a good start with this demo. However, since bands can change drastically from their demo days into their albums I will at least check out any debut full length they produce. Maybe I'm missing something that a studio recording will bring to light and make the band sound much better to me. In the end, I really don't think this demo is meant for me and if you like ultra primitive Black Metal then you may find some merit in this.
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