SHEMHAMPHORASH - Dementia

SHEMHAMPHORASH
Dementia
Blackened Moon Productions
8/10





Culling their moniker from a mistaken Spanish pronunciation of the Hebrew “Name of 72”, Shemhamphorash summons up suitable sonic dialectical inversion on “Dementia”, betraying a strong black metal lineage in terms of influences. Certainly, those with a familiarity with the topic of Shem ha'Meforash will draw parallels to the name being an allusion to the Kabalist art of The Keys Of Solomon and the craft as well. Also, the term is a familiar one in satanic ritual, which is strictly a curiosity in light of its factual definition. Blasphemy? Regardless of the way you utter the band’s name, this three-piece makes their intentions known with appropriately evil lyrical conjuring throughout “Dementia.”

With the intention of producing a properly grim landscape, the group recalls both the bleak, adversarial atmosphere of Marduk and onward-marching thrust of Bathory on the opening cut, “Crossing My Hell,” while retaining an overall appeal that’s rather distinct. The addition of acoustic guitars into this track also give it a very progressive nature for black metal, but the stop-action riffing that follows is certainly rooted deeply in the most intense forms of classic, chaotic sounds. Elements of thrash are also apparent, with the threesome of bassist/vocalist Wilhkiem, guitarist Mikkal and drummer Nechrist opting to produce songs with enough variety and cohesion to be memorable. This attention to dynamics increases the appeal of the group’s songwriting on “The Call”, where Mikkal delivers a presence that is somewhat similar to that of Trey Azagthoth.

While it’s obvious that the group was intent on delivering a grim tone, it would have been nice to hear the bass drums up in the mix. A fuller overall sound would have done much to make this recording great. Tracks like “Bloody Falls” sound more like a demo than an actual album; again, listeners will uncover too little emphasis being placed on guitars and essentially no bass drum power to speak of. “Immortal Realm” contains another example of Azagthoth-influenced, highly-chaotic riffing and slashing, but is a bit cluttered, as the drums fall in and out of pattern with the riffing. Another negative aspect is the record’s length, with its seven tracks clocking in at just over a half hour, six minutes of which is taken up by an outro that increases the ambience of the entire affair, yet provides very little musically.

Critical attributes aside, Shemhamphorash provides enough great material on ‘Dementia” that the rough spots can be overlooked. Surely, this record remains one that fans of black metal will want to experience, with “The Call” and the opening cut especially delivering an appropriately iniquitous listen,. Essentially, this release is no longer than an EP. Even so, if you’re passionate about grim, roots-based black metal, this one’s worth the price you’ll pay.

Written By: Shemlarak

ORDER OF THE EBON HAND XV: The Devil

ORDER OF THE EBON HAND
XV: The Devil
Season Of Mist Records
7.5/10





On this record, Order Of The Ebon Hand displays an affinity for delivering blasting black metal that is purely evil and apocalyptic.

This is the type of record that black metal purists can really delve into, a symphony of chaotic madness and voracious blasts of fury that shine with the light of pure, true blackness.

“To Alloces” summons unholy black winds of imperial majesty in its vehement pace, leaving those who disbelieve devastated in the ashes of a burning fire of unadulterated occult victory. Sound effects are prominent throughout the record, adding to its grim nature and creating an atmosphere of utter blackened hatred. The tremendous riffing speed in “Gateway To Silence” recalls early Immortal and Emperor’s bleakest speeding trills, but added dramatic influence sets Order Of The Ebon Hand apart in their quest to conjure the most diabolical sounds imaginable. The addition of horns and ghostly whispering during this track’s interludes further serves to create a blasphemous environment.

“The Visitors” sounds the march to war with a cacophony of violent speed as vocalist Merkaal issues tormented howls of desolation. In terms of issuing rhythms that are the epitome of abhorrence, Phlaigon, as a guitarist is successful with deadly precision. This track amplifies the artist’s tortured thoughts and beckons you toward the dark edge of the abyss as Letheissues an annihilating percussive assault.

This group fully succeeds in their mission to create strains of blackness of the highest degree throughout the record, mixing varied influences to result in strains of musical misery. “Spellbound” ventures into a dark soundscape of cosmic invocations, adding experimental elements to the group’s sound, yet never wavering from their dark mission.

The ability of Order Of The Ebon Hand to create black metal with unconventional influences, yet remain purely dark and evil belies their ability as composers, while giving the listener a deviation from the standard fare of imitators.

Undoubtedly, this is the most original sounding and utterly bleak black metal releases in recent memory, a virtual occult feast of horror and burning hell.

Written By: Shemlarak

LORD BELIAL - The Seal Of Belial

LORD BELIAL
The Seal Of Belial
Candlelight Records
8.5/10





The style of Lord Belial has evolved, in both songwriting and sound, since records like the much more abrasive “Unholy Crusade” and the overtly violent “Angelgrinder.” Now, the band has turned toward a doomy vibe that remains evil yet has shed the extreme, death metal trappings this group is known for in favor of more foreboding sounds.


There’s a lot more of a Bathory influence on the melodic “The Seal Of Belial.” It seems a change for the better for Lord Belial. Musically, things are more fluid and nothing sounds rushed. When the band takes inspiration from the elder phase of the Bathory sound, as so many bands do, they also inject the more harmonious, latter-day Bathory sound into the vibe. But on “Mark Of The Beast,” an additional cryptic vocal element is fostered, lrevealing a vibe that's original.

“The Seal Of Belial” is a definite progression and even more so, an evolution for the band. This music is heavy, gritty and inspired by venomous visions, yet it walks along a different left hand path without imitation. Excellent production by Andy LaRoque captures the gruff beauty of this band’s scathing tone.

A particularly hellish sounding eruption, "Abysmal Hate" causes massive sonic damage with a technique that fans of Dimmu Borgir will be sympathetic to. An entirely different aura rests in "Chariot Of Fire", a slithering, mid-tempo groover. Throughout the stylistic variations, Lord Belial keeps things appropriately frostbitten and diabolical, staying true to the core of the black metal movement, but accentuating the presence with texture and an ominous yet memorable stance in ubiquity.

Lord Belial may be changing, but its underlying purpose has not. It’s quite safe to say that followers of this group will meet this offering with immense satisfaction.

Written By: Great Old One

EMANCER - The Human Experiment

EMANCER
The Human Experiment
Black Owl Records
7/10





Hyper-speed black metal in the vein of Immortal and I.C.E.!

The production here could stand some tweaking as the snare is at times buried in the bass drums due to the incessant, non stop blasting beats in the electronic drums. This material is pure chaos, seeming to spin almost out of control at points as Mithrin ignites the fires of hell with a trebled out guitar onslaught on ‘In The Greater Picture’.

You need to be a follower of this sort of thing in order to get seriously into it, but those who do enjoy blasting; thrashing speed with snarling black metal vox will certainly find this of interest.

Written By: Great Old One

E.D.M. - Endless Dismal Moan

E.D.M.
Endless Dismal Moan
Blackmetal.com Records
8/10





An assault of white noise, reducing black metal to a buzzing howl of instruments, Endless Dismal Moan is anti-music to the nth degree, the hellish inspirations of main man Chaos 9 resonating as savagely dark and characteristically unyielding.

A cold knife thrust deeply into the heart of conventional, commercial consumables, E.D.M. relays sounds that are relative to the aura of electricity, crackling and snapping through torrid blasts so fast it’s almost incomprehensible to the human ear. It is without question that tonality of this type is libertine in its aggressiveness, with Chaos 9 summoning sounds which are otherworldly and morbidly animalistic in nature. “Obsession”, “Calamitous Box, and “Gloom” all stand out, but it is difficult at times to not become plainly lost in the enveloping fury put forth here.

This particular disc contains a total of six bonus tracks designed to give the listener a bit more sound than one would generally bargain for. Although it may take several listens to distinguish between the atonal, brutish dark howls of hatred you will discover here, in time the shrill, treble-based production grows more listenable, assimilating the ears towards harsh dissonance can always be a daunting, if worthy task.

However, if you enjoy the dark side enough to be able to embrace the tone of these tracks, you will find some of the most wickedly evil black metal one might imagine. Sharp, cold and slicing, E.D.M. is nothing less than the edge of the blade and the epitome of diabolical manifestation yet to emanate from the shores of Japan.

Written By: Shemlarak

DEMONS OF GUILLOTINE - Demons Of Guillotine

DEMONS OF GUILLOTINE
Demons Of Guillotine
Art Music Group
8/10





Here’s an extremely impressive package put together by Russia’s finest purveyors of black metal, the notorious Demons Of Guillotine. The song titles and lyrics are all in Russian, but who cares, this band completely rips, and we have posted the English titles above for you to see.

Everything here is grim, dark and powerful, with some excellent guitars by Proteus, as he can rip through Bodom style melodic runs or issue blazing sonic lacerations with ease. He is surely one of the most proficient guitarists in the Russian scene today, shredding the strings with a relentless hatred. Being that the lyrics are in Russian, the band has a different feel than other black metal acts, the Russian language lending itself quite nicely to music of this style. Overall, the band is very thrashy and their sound is bleak and chilling. Zodiak is a mid range screamer that uses fairly wide vocal envelopes and screams mixed with aggressive black chants and invocations.

The sixth track is appropriately named “The Devil’s Dollz”, a grating double kick fueled thrashing panzer attack of hatred that never lets up, while the eighth cut, ‘The Burnt Paradise” contains a dismal sounding break that is melodic and utterly dark. “The Gray Fog” is a highlight of the record as bassist Pulse attacks the four strings with a vengeance. The chorus of this track could be likened to Dimmu Borgir in that it is anthemic in nature, preparing the festival crowds for a crippling occult induction. This track actually has a very melodic vocal passage that is right at home with the band’s insane sound and the Russian chanting sounds extremely cool when coupled with Demons Of Guillotine’s blasting onslaught.

This is a really awesome record that is one of the more original sounding black metal albums of late, largely in part to the way in which the Russian vocal phrasing compliments the music so well. Black metal devotees can’t afford to pass this gem up.

Written By: Shemlarak

CARPATHIAN FOREST - Fuck You All!!!!(Caput Tuum In Anno Est)

CARPATHIAN FOREST
Fuck You All!!!!(Caput Tuum In Anno Est)
Season Of Mist
8/10





Although Carpathian Forest has strayed to some extent from the “True” sound for which the band became veritable icons of the Black Metal anti-establishment, its latest outing, Fuck You All, is not without certain redeeming, morbidly evil qualities. While many fans of Carpathian Forest might feel betrayed by the direction taken on this record, as with every band, time gone by brings change. Forsaking all-out assaults for atmospheric wickedness, Fuck You All should, however, be rightly perceived as a progression in vision as opposed to a regression in the career of this hard working act.

Certainly, the group has not lost view of their patented sense of irony and the cacophony conjured up by Nattefrost, Tchort and their cohorts remains suitably and irrefutably bleak.

If Carpathian Forest has taken on an approach of restrained tempos, the intently impious riffing and substantially belligerent song structures found on tracks such as “The Frostbitten Woodlands Of NORWAY” take on an appropriately adversarial tone, while cuts like “Submit to SATAN!!!” belie the group’s roots in classic, Venom-style, classic Black Metal while bearing a distinctly frenzied appeal.

Certainly, Fuck You All!!!! pales in comparison to the outright savagery of recent efforts by bands such as 1349 if all you’re seeking is an overbearing bludgeoning. But it’s self-evident that Carpathian Forest is going for a unusual feel in terms of songwriting, perhaps looking back toward the old school a bit too much for those who have recently latched onto this sort of music. Even so, this is an album that’s wicked enough to incite a bit of ire in the heart of any real Black Metal fan and that’s reason enough to give this effort a closer look.

Written By: Great Old One

BLOOD RITUAL - Black Grimoire

BLOOD RITUAL
Black Grimoire
Moribund Records
7.5/10





Being that there is such a hefty sum of competition for the awareness of extreme music fans, it is compulsory in most cases for an artist to take their music a step further in order to gain some form of recognition.

Blood Ritual has no troubles with that at all. Coming at their music from more than a few different angles, the group employs a variety of styles with the final result being an unholy slab of despair that prods at an assortment of predictably dark emotions. Showing that they are well versed in several musical forms, Blood Ritual tackle the classic Swedish death metal sound on the blustery opener, “Invocation Of Satan”, which is initiated by a torrential barrage.

Further along in this track, the group treads into more melodic territory, pulling off Megadeth style chugging and concurrently unleashing a flurry of shredding guitar licks.

Vocally, you will hear verbed-out guttural bellows driven by the depths of the abyss. The lyrical invocations here take a backseat to the guitar work, as on the cold, steely “Necromancy.”

Blood Ritual takes every opportunity to evoke the darkest reverberations imaginable, whether ripping through torrid solitary note string mangling or opting for a more menacing vibe with cavernous, ringing chords.

Both “Destruction Ritual” and “Hand Of Glory” are particularly devastating; with the former featuring some of the best lead work on the album.

Most often, the music of Blood Ritual is a mixture of thrash, black and most importantly to their sound, death metal that will be tempting to fans of Sinister, Vader and groups of a similar nature. “Black Grimoire” reveals that not only are Blood Ritual one of the most extremely dark groups around today, their intensity is a convincing, extraordinary and highly addictive malevolence.

Written by: Shemlarak

ENTHRONED - Xes Haereticum

ENTHRONED
Xes Haereticum
Napalm Records
7.5/10





Enthroned delivers a blasphemous blackened storm of blasting beats that cruise along like a launched warhead. Their sinister brand of black metal is powered by a diabolical aura that is truly their own as the group issues a scathing, hate-filled attack on the unrelenting opener “Crimson Legions”.

Their overall sound stems from the purest type of blasting black metal, as Enthroned hit mach speed on “Dance Of A Thousand Knives”; it’s obvious that they are deadly serious about summoning total sonic annihilation. With so many different bands carrying the black metal banner these days, it can be difficult to be distinguished from the vast legions of demonic hordes issuing material of this type, but rest assured that the material you will hear on “Xes Haereticum” (figure it out) are of the truest nature.

Ferocity is redefined within these ten tracks, with the band blasting their way through tracks like “Blacker Than Black” and “Vortex Of Confusion” without remorse nor mercy. Punishing walls of guitars meld with subsonic, blazing rhythms in order to form a united front of pure evil on “Daemon’s Claw”. Some may be put off by the harshness of Enthroned’s sound initially, but once you gain a familiarity with the group’s style, the production style makes a lot of sense.

In the end, this is a good example of exactly what a black metal band should be in all contexts. A strong effort.


ERIN FOX © 2005 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I.C.E - Apocalyptic End In White

I.C.E
Apocalyptic End In White
Crash Music
9.5/10




‘Apocalyptic End In White’ features the hands down “coolest” (pardon the pun) album cover on a black metal album ever. The band members are pictured as alien wizards summoning flying octopi amongst a backdrop of gleaming frost.

From the album’s first frostbitten scream proclaiming “We are fucking I.C.E…” you know that you are in for one hell of an album. And yes, folks Hell HAS frozen over, overtaken by Bleak, Mammoth, Blisserred and Icesickkill, the frost summoning alien wizards from the realm of arctic blasts blinding snow who command the wintry destructive power that is known as Imperial Crystalline Entombment.

Insanely fast, chilling blasts propel accelerated black metal rhythms which are accentuated by piercing northern screams and numbing shrieks. The band’s demo EP caused a great stir in the black metal community upon its release, prompting wild speculation about the group and its undertakings. A tremendous amount of anticipation has surrounded the release of this album, and with good reason.

With ‘Apocalyptic End In White’, I.C.E. has managed to emerge as the black metal band with not only the best image in the genre, but as some of the most incredibly proficient musicians as well. Summoned from the sub-zero abyss, I.C.E. dominates on tracks such as ‘Astral Frost Invocation’ and ‘Convulsing Frigid Death’.

This band is the total package – visuals, lyrics, music, mysterious personas and most of all they take their frigid concept and extend it into every facet of their existence. The bracing speed of ‘Cascade Cavern Catharsis’ slices through your skin while ‘Behold Thy Frozen Arctic Kingdom’ envelops you inside its gelid grasp with blistering licks and a brain freezing breakdown that proves this band does not always need to play at top speed in order to be decisively lethal.

’Upheaving The Ancient Thirst’ unleashes a flurry of Arctic magic, a hailstorm of riffs that drift into one another with a howl like the Northern winds. The unrelenting nature of the band’s sonic attack is remarkable as they slam through blast after blast like a machine. For those that are of the opinion that this band sounds like Immortal, let me clue you in. Immortal cannot touch I.C.E. Period.

Rise winter zombies, Rise! I.C.E. has come forth to chill you to the bone. Behold the frigid winter nightmare that is Imperial Crystalline Entombment!


ERIN FOX © 2005 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BISHOP OF HEXEN - The Nightmarish Compositions

BISHOP OF HEXEN
The Nightmarish Compositions
CCP Records
8/10




This Israeli Symphonic Black Metal outfit utilizes a variety of techniques in order to create an aptly evil atmosphere, including abstract song arrangements, sudden shifts in time signatures and dramatic elements such as eerie, creaking coffin lids and haunting pipe organ sounds. "Eyes Gaze To A Future Foreseen" is reminiscent of early Cradle Of Filth in texture and ambience and vocalist Lord Koder issues an appropriately grim rasp. When the singer adds in powerfully deep baritone clean vocals amidst the backdrop of haunting orchestration laid down by guitarist Ariel, bassist Seelenfolter, keyboardist
Dimrost and drummer Prof. Van-Helsing, the result is a substantially paranormal sound.
A Phantom Of The Opera feeling is evident in much of the group's music and the ability of Bishop Of Hexen to take the listener down unexpected musical paths is the highlight of tracks like "A Serpentine Crave" and "The Somber Grounds Of Truth." Bishop Of Hexen takes their time to write songs with plenty of unique instrumentation and with eight of the tracks meeting six minutes in length, there’s much for the devotee of dark mysticism to delve into here. Dimrost's keyboard work really stands out during many of the tracks and while not overbearing, does much to add to the frightening atmosphere present in the songs of the band. Unequivocally wicked auras permeate this entire record, from the gnarled musical roots of "A Serpentine Crave" to the strange vibrations of opener Unveil The Curtain Sanity, an introduction that sets the mood for the album in a manner very similar to Snowy Shaw's Notre Dame.

While this record is at times quite obscure sounding, it certainly would be one to set a proper Halloween mood. I’m looking forward to what comes next from this outfit, but until then, The Nightmarish Compositions will receive plenty of spins. Fans of everything from Emperor to King Diamond should take interest in this appropriately spooky symphony.


ERIN FOX © 2006 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BEHEMOTH - Slaves Shall Serve EP

BEHEMOTH
Slaves Shall Serve EP
Century Media
10/10




Here's a crusher of a collectors item that will be a must-own for diehard Behemoth fans. Featuring a foil-embossed digipak presentation that's complete with full color interior panels, this is a disc that looks badass as hell and sounds even better. Back in '92, the Polish group emerged with a raw style firmly rooted in black metal, but over the course of seven full length albums their sound has evolved into a hybrid of black and death metal, with the band's 2004 release "Demigod" being their most pulverizing manifestation of undiluted aural evil yet. Behemoth has pretty much turned into the Morbid Angel of the new millennium, utilizing familiar occult concepts in tandem with uber-brutal death metal riffing to create a torrential storm of diabolical sonic warfare.

Limited to five thousand copies, the EP is highlighted by a wicked version of “Until You Call On The Dark” by Danzig. From the response that Behemoth generated on last fall’s “Blackest Of The Black” tour, it’s safe to say that many Danzig followers are receptive to the Polish illumes’ music so this most excellent cover track makes a lot of sense. Another nod goes to The Nephilim, the post-Fields Of The Nephilim project of Carl McCoy, as the Polish war machine takes on an excellent rendition of “Penetration.”

Fans also will enjoy “Entering The Pylon Ov Light”, a maze of squealing licks, relentlessly pounding drums and deep, hellish growls. A tastefully melodic solo overtop a blasting pattern leads into a militant, black march of death as Behemoth once again prove why they are one of the predominant, elite acts in extreme metal today. In there current moment, there is perhaps no band around that manages to sound so fucking evil and so fucking heavy yet retains an identity of their own.

Two live performances, “Demigod” and “Slaves Shall Serve”, are culled from last year’s Sweden Rock Festival and each offering does the original justice and underlines the group’s ability to completely kill in a live setting. A bit more low-end would have been nice during these mixes, but of course it has to sound “live”, thus the slightly trebled production. The guitars sound a bit more like old Slayer live as opposed to the group’s studio tone and the result is distinctly harsher sounding on the live version of “Slaves.” Nergal incites the crowd with forceful chanting here, building into a blistering crescendo.

The EP also includes a video of the title track as a CD enhancement and for those that may have heard this group, but not had the opportunity to see them live or catch any video clips, an awakening is due. Behemoth is a very visual band and this clip does much to give you an impression of what black musical assassination is like as a full package. The evil eye-candy rounds out this whole release, giving the fans a little bit of everything as the group prepares their next hellish audio manifesto.

It is well recommended that you rush to buy this one, as it won’t be long before these are all snatched up. Generally, between album EP’s such as this are pure filler and not generally intriguing, however every move this band makes simply fucking slays.


ERIN FOX © 2006 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BELEF - Infection Purification

BELEF
Infection Purification
Candlelight Records - 2005
7/10




Belef viciously rip through some true black chaos here that rivals the intensity of Immortal in the process of unleashing a rabid, wounded wolverine assault upon the black metal listener.

It seems impossible that a band could create tempos that are much faster than this, but Belef wisely add in the occasional breakdown to emphasize the lightning paced blasting, which severs to make their aural assault that much more deadly. ‘Brutal Destruction’ slays with a savage forcefulness that simply cannot be ignored, nor taken lightly.

The group utilizes high end, treble shocks of guitar flurries, voraciously precise snare blasting and distorted bass guitar pummeling to create a sound as striking as any black metal band going. ‘Man Slayer’ is a simply crushing cacophony of dissonant harmonic warfare that screams a decidedly disparaging hatred.

The wholly evil fury that emanates from the lungs and throat of vocalist Morrdred is laced with a venomous, striking tone. The production on ‘Infection Purification’ is geared toward those who can appreciate this type of music in its purest form, staying true to the foundations of this extreme art form’s fundamental components. Technically, this album is a maze of licks that will make your head spin; the onslaught comes so quickly on tunes like ‘Corpse’, that you’ll never know what hit you.

The art which graces this Imperial effort is both shocking and fully representative of the group’s unholy occult image. Certainly an uncensored version of this cold slab of audio destruction will NOT be making an appearance at your local Wal-Mart anytime soon.

In crafting ‘Infection Purification’, Belef have most assuredly proven that they are one of the most highly extreme dark forces lurking in the realm of black metal.


ERIN FOX © 2005 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BEHEMOTH - Demigod

BEHEMOTH
Demigod
Century Media - 2005
9/10




A barrage of occult assaults intended to deliver pure musical destruction make up this newest Behemoth release, ‘Demigod’. This record is intense, unforgiving, 100% black metal delivered with speed, precision and fury!

The highly proficient guitar playing on this album can not go unnoticed as Behemoth has constructed some of the fastest fret board hammering around.

Like the musical equivalent of having your heart ripped from your chest, the hyper speed riffage of bassist Orion, vocalist/guitarist Nergal and session guitarist Seth coupled with the insanely fast drumming of Inferno are delivered with a savage intensity that few of their peers can compete with.

Fans of Deicide will enjoy the guitar work on ‘Demigod’ as it moves the speediness of that band's axe mangling a step further on tracks like ‘Towards Babylon’ and ‘XUL’. Nergal’s vocal approach is very guttural for black metal, often the listener is reminded of the classic death metal of the early 90’s, though he certainly sounds like no imitator as his tone and attack are in fact, quite original.

‘Sculpting The Throne ov Seth’ begins with a dark acoustic passage that gives way to an Imperial, resounding rhythm before lapsing into complete and utter chaos, making for the perfect piece to kick off the album and set it’s overall tone. The severe brutalization continues on the title track, a formidable blast of aural savagery that includes some excellent lyrics that fit the mood of the song well.

The break section is violent and militaristic, accenting the return to the expeditious primary groove. A barbaric, forceful beat powers ‘The Nephilim Rising’, a well arranged jam that blows away the black metal competition with its technical aptitude. The band throws an evil sounding classical piece at the song’s end that makes for a great coda. The vocals of Nergal are again of the best quality.

The crispness of the rhythm guitars pierces through the mix like a slashing sword, sharp and deadly. The albums closer, ‘The Reign ov Shemsu-Hor’ initiates with an ambient tribal onslaught, supported by the stick work of Inferno. This track at a running time of 8:28 is possibly the angriest offering on ‘Demigod’, not in terms of sheer speed, but in the power behind the Thelemic chants of Nergal.

Here, the members alternate the context of their musicianship, as each takes turns blasting away while the other members of the group support them with slithering beats and licks that reinforce the brutality of the track.

All in all, Behemoth has certainly lived up to the well deserved anticipation surrounding the release of this record. This band performs a deathly style of black metal with some of the best musicianship in the genre.

A wicked fucking album.


ERIN FOX © 2005 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BALROG - Bestial Satanic Terror

BALROG
Bestial Satanic Terror
Holy Records
8/10




Frenchman Sébastien Tuvi of Aborted maintains an alternate identity as Balrog and on Bestial Satanic Terror, he makes a distinct impression with eleven cuts (including intro and outro) of grim black metal recorded with classic, mid-range production. Hammering blasts, growling, frog-throated vocals and blisteringly flurries of staccato guitar picking are each typical of the sound of Balrog, each aspect delivered with a remarkably hateful presence.

At many times, this record bears the vibe of early Immortal and at times even goes so far as to sound like the primitive recordings of Behemoth. One thing that's really appealing about Tuvi's vocal approach is his addition of deep sounding, intensely guttural vocals. Even though there's a ton of reverb on them, they sound truly wicked, with "Horef Shahor" being an excellent example of this technique.
As Tuvi issues a sickly evil laugh at the onset of "Give War A Chance," it becomes apparent that his stance on composing this sort of material bears no compromise. The supreme chaos which ensues recalls the most frostbitten sounds of the Norweigian masters, while Tuvi adds plenty of twists in the riffing that make his writing stand out from many others that approach this style.

Bestial Satanic Terror is definitely not recommended by fans of candy store Black Metal. This music is for those that subscribe to the harshness displayed by the progenitors of the second wave of Black Metal and who are truly immersed in the occult philosophy. Essential listening for those who revel in raw, harsh sounds.

ERIN FOX © 2006 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

AZAGHAL - Codex Antitheus

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

AS HOPE DIES - Legions Bow To A Faceless God

AS HOPE DIES
Legions Bow To A Faceless God
Undecided Records - 2003
8/10




Ravaging new school black metal with chaotic fretwork and savage blasts of percussion are the order of the day as Southern California’s As Hope Dies launch a diabolical nuclear storm of fury and castigation. And while this sadly now defunct ensemble delivers torrid sonic rampages, there remains a true sense of mellifluous tonality.

Axe grinders Mike Madriga and Justin Smith blaze across the boards on dark anthems such as "In The Presence Of That Evening" with Maiden like precision uncommon in the works of many of their contemporary peers. The coarse shrieks imparted by David Richardson on "Led Astray" are filled with blackened anguish and rancor.

On the title track, the band marches forth, armed with discordant venom and striking with brutal definitude. "A Life Dead To Love" is ravenous from start to finish, featuring superlative double kick blasts, while "Deceived" cuts as sharply as a razor, frantic and supreme. It is a great pity that this group disbanded shortly subsequent to the release of this epic pogrom.

Coldness surrounds their art like the frosts of Norwegian fields and their following record certainly would have placed them in serious contention for the throne of the Black Metal genre. However, turmoil makes for supreme composition and the frustrations surrounding the group must have surely fueled the fire inherent in this nefarious masterwork.

Find this while you still can, for it is truly a pernicious showpiece of the black arts.


ERIN FOX © 2003 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

AD HOMINEM - Climax Of Hatred

AD HOMINEM
Climax Of Hatred
Avantgarde Music
8/10




Frenzied, militant black metal ensues on “Climax Of Hatred”, with project leader Kaiser W. providing suitable fuel for the fires of war with his marching, echoing style on the title track.

The music made by Kaiser here is directly in tune with the dark nature of mankind, bringing about purely evil sounding blasts and muscular choruses atypical of this extreme style. Ad Hominem summons total apocalypse on “As I Long For”, crafting structures of grinding metal intended for complete and utter destruction. The furious battle rages on throughout hyper-destructive tracks like “Death To All”, “The Upper Art” and “My Loudest Scream Of Hate.”

Kaiser adds in appropriate keys only where they are needed to aid the ambience, this being a major benefit of Ad Hominem being his showcase singularly. Cold and steely, “Join Or Perish” is proof of his uncanny, hate-filled songwriting prowess. The entire project is very well put together, it being likely that fans of black metal will gravitate instantly toward this black platter of sonic warfare. At times, Kaiser relies on traditional, head banging riffs ala Venom much more so than his contemporaries, but you should make no mistake; the blasting here is as ferocious as any you’ll uncover.

Session drummer Altar shows that he has a wide command of many metal beats, but it is in his ferocious double kick drum performance that he really stands out. During “My Loudest Scream Of Hate”, the drummer turns in the best work, tearing at the skins at an insane rate of speed. Certainly, this is an album that fans of the genre would do well to seek out.


ERIN FOX © 2006 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Arum - Prelude To The Cataclysm

Arum
Prelude To The Cataclysm
Kill Zone Records
7/10



“Prelude To The Cataclysm” finds Arum plowing through five cuts of harshly melodic black metal like rabid wolves hunting prey across icy tundra. Bleak in nature and certainly unforgiving in intent, “Prelude To The Cataclysm” suffers during it’s more bombastic points from shallow production, but this aspect is true to the black metal blueprint and actually emboldens the canine attack.

“Lord Of Ancient Forest” seethes with true black metal aesthetics, as the band slashes away at staccato riffs complemented by distorted vocal manifestations. Showing texture with a befitting acoustic prelude to “Prometheus: Liberty And Desire,” Arum offers vicious blasts and a jazzy, head-spinning injection that shows they’re trying to separate themselves from the wolf pack.

Throw in a dirty-sounding, well-interpreted cover of Venom’s “Cry Wolf” and an interesting video clip for “Garden Of Lost Souls” and there’s enough value here for any forest-dwelling, foam-mouthed black metal fiend.


© 2005 ERIN FOX – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED