The Hall of Kings is reserved for only the greatest
and most talented bands. The High Wizards of Cruor encourage the
metal horde to support these acts.
Absu's sophomore effort is quite a change from their debut. The first installment, Barathrum V.I.T.R.I.O.L focused on a more deathlike approach.'The Sun of Tiphareth' is a huge step forward for the band. This time, a more pagan sound is achieved. Included within are acoustic breaks, angelic female vocals, and sound effects to heighten the listeners imagination. By far, these Texans are the best, if not among the best, black metallers in the US scene.Watch for other upcoming US black/occult acts such as December Wolves, Cernunnos' Woods, and Proscriptor's self-titled solo project.
Arcturus
Aspera Hiems Symphonia
Have you ever gazed into the night sky and wondered about the far reaches of the cosmos? The members of Arcturus must have, because what they have presented is among the greatest in atmospheric recordings out there. Don't expect much of a bathory influence here. The music is more like progressive metal with classically influenced keyboards. Vocalist Garm does, however, present the black vocals, and how fierce they are. Garm could probably take the chrome off of a bumper with his acidic throat. One thing about "Aspera.." that caught me (Xuth) off guard were the awesome guitar solos of axeman August. He is good enough to be ranked with the likes of James Murphy. Hellhammer, known for his work with the likes of Mayhem and Immortal, makes his appearance here. While not exhibiting the speed from the afore mentioned acts, Hellhammer does show he is among the most precise and entertaining drummers around. If you have a need for a masterpiece of melodic greatness, check out "Aspera Hiems Symphonia".
The High Wizards were thrown aback to learn of the unfortunate breakup of this Swedish supergroup. And for good reason. At the Gates put out a GODLIKE album, the kind that will be revered in the future as one of the greatest of the nineties. At the Gates combined melody with their brutality, but neither aspect diminished the other. Rather, the combination of the two elements were honed and perfected into a ravaging beast. Perhaps the gods saw this as At the Gates' peak achievement and decided to end it all before mediocrity took hold. We may never know.
Our first experience with Dissection had begun with 'Storm of the Light's Bane' and we were duly impressed, so an exploration of the debut LP was, of course, necessary. Although admittedly less earth-shattering that their unbeatable "Storm.." album, "The Somberlain" still was obviously the work of a prodigal band. Dark melodies (with an emphasis on evil rather than beauty), songs with real individuality, and Jon's unique and infernal vocals round out an excellent debut. Along with At the Gates, this is the band that started the New Wave of Swedish Death Metal...
Storm of the Lights Bane
Take a journey into the cold land of snow and fjords. A masterpiece created in the dark shadows of the nordic mountains. This album has everything: Frostic melodies, icy harmonies and ultra fast guitar riffs. The drums range from a blasting double bass beat to the sound of thunder during the blackest of storms. Let your soul drift off into obscurity and feel the white winds embrace you infernally.
With all of the publicity this band has received, we were skeptical of their musical talent. This is because typically, those who have little talent often seek fame in other ways, such as through act or image. But we were impressed when we investigated further. The first thing that strikes the listener about "In the Nightside Eclipse" is the rather poor production. But, like any true fan of this genre, one must forget or adapt to the sound and concentrate on the music. Although the guitar melodies are great, what truly carries "In the Nightside Eclipse" are the chilling keyboards of vocalist Ihsahn. They paint images of icy, windswept forests under a cold and lifeless moon. With guitarist Samoth out of prison (and the solidifying of a new line-up), hopefully Emperor will continue to compose symphonies of darkness into the next millenium.
Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk
Finally, after all of Emperor's trials and tribulations, the new album is released! And what can we say? This is just AWESOME!! "Anthems.." is the next level in the continuation of "In the Nightside Eclipse", but this is even light years beyond that! The album starts with an incredible intro, which sounds like a battle brewing on the side of a hill. Then, with Ihsahn singing in triumphant clear voice, the song slams into a brutal blast of merciless black metal. New drummer Trym (ex-Enslaved), proves himself as one of the best with his warp-speed blasts and speeding double-bass. The album is a genius mixture of layered, emotional keyboards and all-out guitar black metal sickness. Each song is a masterpiece in itself. You must own this album. It's as simple as that. This is the High Wizards of Cruor's pick for best album of 1997.
The album cover alone lets the listener know right away what lies in store for him. There you have seated the Sons of Northern Darkness, with ominous and evil glares in their lifeless faces. "Pure Holocaust", unlike the much acclaimed album that proceedes it ("Battles in the North") is much more varied tempo wise. Mid-paced jems such as the impossibly grim "The Sun No Longer Rises" and the epic "The Eternity Opens" break up the blinding destruction of the rest of the album. Production wise, "Pure Holocaust" possesses a much more Norwegian, trebly guitar sound than the monstrous, icy roar found on their latest CD. To all of those who have only indulged in Immortal's "Battles.." release: something more sinister and cruel awaits you here...
After Morbid Angel both put out the lame "Domination" album and lost their long-time vocalist, I thought for sure that they were finished. It's a good thing Trey and Pete perservered, because "Formulas.." is a fucking killer. It has been compared to a return to "Altars of Madness" style, but it is so much more. The album combines the best of all of their past material, yet remains inexplicably fresh. Those who were worried about the "new guy's" vocals, should rest easy, because they sound like some ferocious, shaggy swamp beast (that's a good thing). Trey gives the performance of his career on the album; doing the best solos he has ever done --hands down. And, believe it or not, our buddy Pete "Commando" Sandoval drums the fastest he has ever for Morbid Angel, easily reaching the speed of grindcore legends Terrorizer. Unlike the dumb lyrical subjects on their previous album, Morbid Angel returns to giving praise to "The Ancient Ones" here. This may be an overused concept, but the music of "Formulas.." is very twisted and unearthly, matching the lyrics perfectly (in fact, my first comment upon hearing "Formulas.." was, "this must've been written by aliens!"). If you were in a warped dimension created by Salvador Dali, while having a bad acid trip, the music would sound like this. The unique quality of the riffs and the way they are played will possibly drive away fans expecting another "Covenant". However, those open to twisted genius will delight in this, my now favorite, Morbid Angel album...
Atridiel adds:
In the time that it took between first hearing "Formulas..." and writing the
review for it, I heard a lot of different opinions. A lot of people said it
was crap and a bigger disappoinment than "Domination". Other people said that
"Domination" was a masterpiece (??). And then some said everything after
"Covenant" sucked. I, too, looked very critical toward the new album as it
came out. But after hearing it I was pleasantly surprised. Actually amazed is
a better word. Pete earned his nickname "Commando" after reaching on this
album the speed he had for Terrorizer (something he didn't do for ANY of the
previous Morbid Angel albums). Steve does the band justice as a frontman with
good energetic and ferocious growls that put Vincent's "Hi, I'm taking a
shit"-vocals on "Domination" in a real bad light. And then there is the guitar
aspect of this album (something that I always love discussing): the riffing is
nothing short of extraordinary-at times chunky and heavy and at others fast
and unearthly. His weird ingenius techniques and his trade-mark controlled-
chaos lead style, that didn't show on the previous album too well, left me
duly impressed. The production is not clinical at all and the sound is great.
I keep wondering why so many people put it down. Xuth and I concluded
humorously that it was because everyone's beloved Davey wasn't in the band
anymore. And after my girlfirend was pissed at me after saying that, I figured
i'd proved my point. This album is killer!!
(hi, can you tell by the length of this review that i love this album?)
Some magazine gave this band 1.5 stars out of 5. But after reviewing RC's harmonies, symphonic talent and musical genius, we came to the conclusion that these guys are Demigods who figured they wanted to impress us mortals. If mana could be directed from the astral plane to this world in a musical fashion, this is what it would sound like. So let your existence be engulfed in the Greek darkness and enjoy the finest musical artistry that has ever touched our darkened beings. Enjoy!!
Vader
De Profundis
Imagine mixing "Blessed.."-era Morbid Angel; a generous dose of "South of Heaven"-era Slayer; some merciless, powerhouse drumming; and a bit of vicious originality. What you would get might sound a lot like "De Profundis". Personally, I have to say that this has to be one of the best death metal albums put out in quite some time. The production is immaculate. The technical drumming is up front where it belongs, and no one element drowns out the other (well, the bass is low, but so what). Vader are among the future of death metal, and "De Profundis" is an instant classic.
