AZAGHAL
Codex Antitheus
Avantgarde Records - 2005
9.5/10
Pardon me, is this the ritual? Blood-soaked sacrifices ensue as Azaghal rips through blasting fire-tempered black metal compositions. Chanting occult vocal blasphemies offset by razor edged string work is delivered at a frantic pace, blasting along with chants seething with the flames of Hell like the devoted warriors they are.
Keeping the visual appearance of the group in mind when considering the final output of the band’s music is important, it’s a safe bet that these tracks would rip your head off live, but you really need to be able to visualize the group in action in order to fully comprehend the entire experience.
Varjoherra has a commanding presence, growling, chanting, screaming and using every method of vocalization imaginable. Azaghal combine old and new styles of black metal on the title track to much success.
The ear piercing screams of “Kumarra Petoa” are rare for this style, bringing a Mercyful Fate vocal influence into a very different type of arena. The varied stylizations inherent in tracks like “Nekromanteia” and “30 Hopearahaa” prove that bands can expand the sonic boundaries of black metal without resorting to cheesy commercial cash grabs. The latter is a blasting, dismal cacophony that features some genuinely shredding axe work.
Easily one of the most well put together black metal albums to come along in the last three years; this record has each of the elements necessary in order to hail it as a genre-defining classic.
ERIN FOX © 2005 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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