All images by H. Hallberg
 |
| Taakeferd |
 | ||
Nebular Mystic
|
 |
| Aura Noir |
 |
| Aura Noir |
 | ||||||||||||||
Arcturus
|
 |
| Tsjuder |
 |
| Tsjuder |
 |
| Tsjuder |
 |
| Gehenna |
 |
| Gehenna |
 |
| Gehenna |
 |
| Dissection |
 |
| Dissection |
 |
| Dissection |
 |
| Dissection |
 |
| Dissection |
Thursday, November 24, 2016
The Inferno Festival Live Pics 20050324-26
Monday, November 21, 2016
The Roskilde Festival 2005 Report
As is usually the case when people wear almost no clothes, and are eating icecream a lot, it is time to get ready for another edition of the Roskilde Festival. You have to get to the camparea by late Saturday evening or early Sunday, in order to get a good spot for your camp, of course. For us this is not such a big hazzle, it takes us a little over an hour to get to the festivalsite. Now imagine many hundreds of people all waiting through the night for the moment they open up the gates, and when they finally do open up the campingarea, try to visualize the same amount of people all running, with
their campinggear, trying to get to that particular spot they have laid their eyes on. Chaos, exhiliration, exhaustion. Then you try to put up your camp. Most enjoyable, and of course this is a task that is fueled with beer. Lots of beer. Or any other kind of alcohol you might have handy. Putting
up the camp usually takes about two hours, all included, and after that you sit down for a(nother) beer. This year was a bit different, since we arrived a few hours earlier than we usually do.
I met up with my backpack at Sand's place, and after packing some more, and chilling we got word from the official Baphomet's Throne driver that he finally was on his way with Vinthras, with an ETA of mere minutes. Packing the car proved to be an adventure all in it self. Also there are some pretty weird people living in that building. A complete stranger came up to us and asked us if we had a permit to stand on the parkinglot. We said, that though we did not, we were not aware that we would need one, since we knew people living in the building, and in fact were packing the same people's gear into the car right at that very moment. Furthermore we were alsonot convinced that such a permit existed anywhere but in this persons imagination. Really, some people. Unbeknownst to us, more such people were to rear their ugly heads around us during this week. But we'll get to that.
After packing the car with all the stuff we were bringing, of which one third wasn't ours, we climbed into the car. Now, in the backseat there wasn't really that much space, I must say. Me and Sand tried to get comfortable there, but it was not an easy thing to do. In between us, in the middle there was 264 cans of beer. Our backpacks (size XL) we had to have in our laps. But we did manage to squeeze it all in, including ourselves.
Driving to Denmark is fairly simple from here, and the customs usually don't bother you, and after some wrong turns (our driver isn't always on the right track) we arrived at the festivalsite, just when they opened the parking, at 23.00. The partying started in the car on the way from Lund to Øresundsbron, as per usual, and when we finally did arrive at 23.00 (a few hours later than planned) they had just opened the parkingareas, so we parked the car, brought out our trusty Roskilde Festival
Chairs, and continued the partying. Not much else to do, really. When you know you are going to stay up the entire night, waiting for the campingarea to open, and then raise a camp and continue drinking beer, you might just as well try to keep drinking. Said and done. Certain individuals, who shall remain anonymous (read Bobby and Vinthras) passed out in the car early in the evening. No solidarity there. And no alcohol sense either. After a while we move the party to the fence that they will tear down when the campingarea opens. The hours move at a crawl, waiting for that magic moment at 08.00 when they open. Cold, miserable and tired we await this glorious moment, which seems ever so distant. But fear not. It arrives, just as we thought it would.
After the bizarre race for the perfect spot (which inadvertently proved to be the exact spot we occupied last year..) and defending it with our teeth, and then raising the tents, we are finally ready too get some sleep. But no rest for the wicked. Might as well wait. There's lots of beer to be consumed, and not a minute to spare for rest. Not yet. The following days go by as they usually do, awake early, since you can't sleep, because of the sun and heat attacking your tent. Crawl out of
the tent, which by now has reached temperatures that surpass that of a pizzaoven, and surely must be against the Geneva convention somehow, into the open and try to rest some more. After this slow process of awakening you go buy some breakfast, and be sure to not forget the coffee. You then eat said breakfast, drink your coffee, and then go back to camp. Plans are laid out for getting more alcohol, since you drank most of what you had the night before. Travel into Roskilde takes about 10 minutes by car or by train. You buy more alcohol and food, eat something, possibly at Domino's, then back to camp and open a beer. Play music, mingle with people, or just sit in your chair and watch people go by your camp. Continue to drink, until you are too tired to stay up. Get some sleep. Repeat.
This year had some nice new routines, though. This year we received backstagepasses. That means you can enter the festival area whenever you want to, instead of waiting for it to open on the Thursday at 17.00. This was most excellent. Another of the highlights of the festival was the time I drove the car into town (no, I don't have a driver's license, why do you ask?). I found it most entertaining, though the passengers did not quite share my enthusiasm. No idea what there was to complain about, apart from that 90 degree turn, perhaps. And the roundabout. Oh, and maybe the parking as well. Other than that, almost perfect. Live and learn, I say. And we all survived, didn't we? So stop complaining!
After these days of drinking, which are essential to get into the festivalmood, the second reason for going to this campingarea and live here for a week is finally upon us. Yes, the music! This year, as most every year, sported a wide variety of bands from most every conceivable genre, and from all over the world. This is a veritable smorgasbord for anyone with an interest in music, and the possibility to see bands you normally wouldn't dream of seeing, and in fact even didn't know existed is indeed a very nice feeling. Not a year goes by that I don't discover new bands.
On Thursday we watched some odd groups. First out was Dwi Makar, from Indonesia. This was an interesting performance, obviously not following the standards of music that we are used to in the west. Quite interesting for a while, but not captivating in the long run, I thought. After 15 minutes or so, we went to see the second band for the day, Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung, or DAAU for short. This proved to be a very interesting band. Now normally, when someone walks out on
a stage with an accordion, that's not a good sign. Now when the accordionplayer is joined by a violinist, a guy on clarinet and another on cello, I get curious. This was something that could be interesting, and indeed it was. Musically this went across a few boarders. Jazz, classical, rock, dub - the list goes on. This was very refreshing. There was a great energy to the music, a power that many bands unfortunately lack. These guys loved what they were doing, and they did it well. This was indeed one of the highlights of the festival. Albums have been purchased, and more need to be bought! A few interesting bands played this day, as most any given day at the festival, but most of them unfortunately proved to be extremely boring. First up after DAAU was Velvet Revolver, and this was not at all fun to watch. A bunch of old men on stage, trying to be energetic, but failing miserably. Just sad, really. The performance felt halfhearted, to me at least, and the material was monotonous and frankly uninteresting. They played some Stone Temple Pilots tracks, as well as some other well known tracks from other members former bands. Nothing much to peak my interest. Vinthras on the other hand thought this was a really good concert, and that they lived up to his expectations, which of course just proves that all people can't have good taste in music all the time, and of course there's nothing wrong with my tastes. As luck would have it this concert collided somewhat with the next band I wanted to see, so after a short while, that felt a lot longer, I assure you, I left for the Arena stage and the Sonic Youth concert, and the second disappointment of the evening. As with Velvet Revolver, this got old very fast. You can only watch a guy making weird noises with his guitar for so long, before it gets a bit tiresome and old. They were still better than the concert I left, in my ears at least, but they lacked a certain edge in their performance that I would have wanted. Also there was that same feeling of older people trying to act young and revolutionary. People around me seemed to enjoy this a bit more than I did, and I left after a handful of songs for a bite to eat, and then head back to camp. On the way back I stopped by the Le Tigre concert, and this I must say was the silliest thing on this years festival. Two girls and a boy in silly getups, with three beat machines and sythezisers in front of them. Their performance seemed to focus around them jumping around on the stage, while they were singing their very feminist lyrics. I didn't get it at all. Hip and politically incorrect electronic Art Pop, anyone? Didn't think so. The only reason I stayed for almost an entire song was the fact that I ran into an old aquantance, and stayed and talked for a bit. I give them an F. They failed miserably to entertain me. I would have had more enjoyment out of watching a rock on stage for 40 minutes, than seeing their entire show. Some other up and coming bands performed this evening, as well as some more established ones, but I skipped these. Mastodon have gotten rave reviews, but they're really not my cup of tea, and Kent? No thanks. Time for more alcohol instead!
Partying ensued. This was a fun evening. I managed to get Sand very drunk. Very drunk indeed. He had a sip of my Jack and Coke, which he quite enjoyed, so I continued to offer him some, and also making them a lot stronger for every new drínk I made. He is very funny when you can get him really drunk. But you have to be sneaky! He usually tries to stay on top of it all, drinking lots of water as well as alcohol. But I have photographic evidence of his drunken behavior!
The Friday looked promising. The only really annoying thing was that all the metal bands played early hours, for some reason. The Haunted at 13.30? What's up with that? No, after going into Roskilde to get some white and black paint, we prepared ourselves for the first band of the day, the Norwegian Vikings Enslaved. I've seen them once before, also in Denmark earlier in the year (I conducted a really good interview, but our dictaphone is dead, and the tape is somewhere in the basement, probably lost for ever..), and this was an equally good performance. Now, you can't really go and see such an oldschool Norwegian band without corpsepaint, can you? Of course not! So we painted our faces, put on our spikes, and went to see the show. These guys are really fun to see live. Grutle and his grimaces are well worth travelling many miles to see. You can see that they really enjoy themselves on stage. They play both old and new material, ranging from their split with
Emperor to their latest album, and all the material works very well live. The second highlight of this years festival. Most excellent. After they finished their set, it was time for Sunn 0))) to enter the stage (at 3 pm! What were they thinking when they planned the timetable?!). A very interesting thing to see, Sunn 0))). I had the chance to see them at the Inferno Festival earlier in the year, and later in Malmö, but I decided to wait and see them here instead. Something about droning bass and small venues, they don't mix very well. Better to wait and see them here, in the outdoors. It was a very intense thing to witness, but it would have been a lot more effective had it been dark outside when they played. Sunn 0))) live is somewhat of an experience. The alloted time for them here was an hour and a half, and I don't think they had one moment of silence during this time, just non-stop drone for 90 minutes. After 20 or so minutes Attila, of Mayhem came out on the stage and started chanting in latin. I watched 50 minutes of their set, but then I had to leave, the droning bass made me very sleepy, and I was already tired because of the few hours of sleep I got during the night. After sitting down for a bit, I went to the next (disappointing) concert, Audioslave. This was another band that were supposed to be really good, another supergroup, but this was very uninteresting, and after only two songs I left. Sad, really. So far, all of the big names for the festival had been uninteresting and boring. Now, what are the odds of that, I ask? Instead I went for a bite to eat and to check out a band from Mali, of all places, namely Tinariwen. This '60ies inspired Desert Blues of theirs was interesting for a little while, but was a bit too slow for my liking in the long run, at least live. I have listened some to one of their albums after the festival, and I appreciated that a lot more than their concert, so it is somewhat of a mood thing too, I guess. I left the concert, and went back to the camp for a beer
or three, before the next concert.
Black Sabbath entered the main stage at 22:00. This, on the other hand, was really good. Something about hearing the classics you grew up with performed live by the originators of all heavier Metal, that's just really appealing. Sure, Ozzy has seen better days, and his stage presence leaves a bit to be desired, but what the Hell. These guys are still rocking after all these years. Something I always find very fascinating is to watch Geezer Butler play his bass. Fat, heavy chords played with a real attitude and amazing technique. Geezers solo albums have all been heavier than the Sabbath originals, too, and that says quite a bit I'd say. His music isn't getting softer, it's getting heavier as he gets older! Most of what the crowd wanted to hear was played. They did "Electric Funeral", and that's an essential track for me, plus a bunch of their other classics, of course. Quite a crowdpleaser. The soundquality wasn't the best throughout the entire performance, but it was still a very good concert, and these guys have aged with dignity. Every year you forget or miss something you'd have liked to see. I still curse myself for not waiting two more hours before I went home on a Sunday a few years ago, when Lou Reed was playing, for instance. This year it was the Canadian band Death from Above 1979, that I missed. Consisting of only a drummer and a bassist, this sure would have been
interesting to experience. I forgot all about them, and didn't remember until several hours later that I had missed their performance. Black Sabbath was the last band for me for the day, and now it was time to head back to camp and drink some more danish beer.
I think it was about the time when I got back to camp, that I had an encounter with what must have been a molusc or other simpler lifeform, maybe an over grown amoeba of some sort, as the level of questioning that emanated from this pile of useless meat was astoundingly stupid. Now, I understand that some people might find that wearing corpsepaint is something to ask about. However, if I'm wearing a shirt with a big pentagram on it, an inverted cross on my forehead and another one around my neck I do not really expect questions in the line of "Are you a Satanist?". I think that is rather clear, really. And when I am confronted with the brilliant argument that goes something like this: "I am an Atheist, but if god exists he would get mad at you for being a Satanist. I don't believe in god, but I wouldn't go around saying that god is a pussy, I mean what if he should exist? Then he would get mad at me. But I can say that Satan is a pussy, since god would like me for that, should he exist."
What a stunning argumentation! And here I thought Atheists did not believe in god. To think that to this day I can still get surprised at the stupidity of some people. Mindboggling! After a while, and some Jack Daniel's I go to wash off the paint, and then I head for bed.
Saturday proved to be one of the least busy days, when it came to bands. There were three bands that needed to be seen, and the first was at 16.00, one of the many bands featuring Mike Patton (he performed with four bands this year!), Fantômas. Patton's voice is something out of the ordinary, really. He uses it like an instrument, producing the most bizarre sounds, and indeed he pulled it off live as well. This was quite spectacular to see. A drumkit that totally surrounded the drummer (Dave Lombardo was touring with Slayer, so they had a stand-in), with the most peculiar of objects to hit for various sounds. Patton acted conductor to the drummer, who also had papers with notes that he turned every so often, to be able to follow the process. They played a very interesting set, mixed from most of their albums, including their Director's Cut album, which is a personal favourite, where they perform old, classic soundtrack pieces the Mike Patton way. Seeing Patton live, or Fantômas for that matter, is quite an experience. This was very good indeed! After this we headed back to camp for some more alcohol and await the next concert of interest at 19.00, Foo Fighters. Now, you get really tired of all the walking at the festival. The area is rather big indeed, and there really is no other way to get from point A to point B than to walk. So you walk. And walk. And walk. This leads to the fact that at times you just want to sit for a bit, no matter what's going on around you, or what band is playing, so I went to this concert a bit later than originally planned, which really was ok with me. I caught the last five songs of their set, and since these were some of their better songs, that was absolutely fine. Some bands play some of their songs slightly different live, just changing them around a bit and adding stuff, which makes it a bit more interesting both for the band and the listener, since some songs have been played so many times you can hardly stand them, which you've probably guessed by now, they did. They are clever, those musicians. Very enjoyable! Now the next band that I wanted to see wasn't playing until 23.30, so I had almost three hours off. Time off means eat and drinktime. Yay! After some recreational beeractivities it was time to head back for what would actually be the last concert on this years festival, for me. The Danish band The Raveonettes with their weird, and unique '60ies and Sonic Youth inspired energetic pop/rock n roll. Of course they played the stage that was farthest from the camp, so it took a little while to get there, but as always with this band, it was well worth the effort. Much of their material is quite powerful and aggressive in my ears, and the guitars.. Ah, the guitars! They sound like sharp knives, or something. A very aggressive sound indeed. As expected, they played material from all of their albums, with most of my personal favourites, like "Attack of the Ghost Riders", "Do You Believe Her", "My Tornado", and of course the new single "Love in a Trashcan". A very good performance, and ending with a cover of Velvet Underground's "Waiting for the Man", this was yet another highly memorable moment of this years festival.
Sunday is the worst day of them all. A sense of sadness fills you, when you see that people are leaving, and the camping area, that was so cramped just the night before looks deserted early in the day. You know this is the last day of Roskilde Fun for an entire year, which is a real downer. Usually you pack your gear rather early in the day. You start to feel tired, a week of partying and minimal sleep catches up to you at this point. As there were no bands playing this day that I felt I had to see, it was time for me to head home as well.
Many stay behind, of course, to help with the obligatory Roskilde Bonfires that are so typical for the last night. Tents and gear that has been left behind (and that's usually quite a lot) gets piled in stacks and then burnt. This is not something that the people behind the festival are fond of, mind you, it
has just become somewhat of a tradition, if you're still there for that final night.
All in all this was another very nice Roskilde festival, despite some annoying people that did what they could to ruin the pleasantries. I didn't mention all of them, there were indeed some more, but it all worked out in the end, without any bloodshed (amazing, that..). Also, I think there should be a law against bringing an acoustic guitar to the festival. I hate that campfire singalong crap, where people that don't really know any songs try to play them on an acoustic guitar that they don't know how to play, while people that can't sing try to sing lyrics they don't know. Maybe I'll just bring a big hammer next year.
I can't recommend this festival enough to you. It's amazing, really. There are between 75.000 and 100.000 people camping on a field for a week, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, and quite a few also ingest lots of more controlled substances, and yet it is such a calm place. If you've thought of going, do yourself the favour and go next year. If you're from overseas somewhere, and you're visiting Europe in the summertime, be sure to plan the trip so you can go to this event. I can almost guarantee that you'll have a great time! And if you don't there's something seriously wrong with you, or you just had rotten luck, I don't know.
July 2005 by :Vragh:
their campinggear, trying to get to that particular spot they have laid their eyes on. Chaos, exhiliration, exhaustion. Then you try to put up your camp. Most enjoyable, and of course this is a task that is fueled with beer. Lots of beer. Or any other kind of alcohol you might have handy. Putting
up the camp usually takes about two hours, all included, and after that you sit down for a(nother) beer. This year was a bit different, since we arrived a few hours earlier than we usually do.
I met up with my backpack at Sand's place, and after packing some more, and chilling we got word from the official Baphomet's Throne driver that he finally was on his way with Vinthras, with an ETA of mere minutes. Packing the car proved to be an adventure all in it self. Also there are some pretty weird people living in that building. A complete stranger came up to us and asked us if we had a permit to stand on the parkinglot. We said, that though we did not, we were not aware that we would need one, since we knew people living in the building, and in fact were packing the same people's gear into the car right at that very moment. Furthermore we were alsonot convinced that such a permit existed anywhere but in this persons imagination. Really, some people. Unbeknownst to us, more such people were to rear their ugly heads around us during this week. But we'll get to that.
After packing the car with all the stuff we were bringing, of which one third wasn't ours, we climbed into the car. Now, in the backseat there wasn't really that much space, I must say. Me and Sand tried to get comfortable there, but it was not an easy thing to do. In between us, in the middle there was 264 cans of beer. Our backpacks (size XL) we had to have in our laps. But we did manage to squeeze it all in, including ourselves.
Driving to Denmark is fairly simple from here, and the customs usually don't bother you, and after some wrong turns (our driver isn't always on the right track) we arrived at the festivalsite, just when they opened the parking, at 23.00. The partying started in the car on the way from Lund to Øresundsbron, as per usual, and when we finally did arrive at 23.00 (a few hours later than planned) they had just opened the parkingareas, so we parked the car, brought out our trusty Roskilde Festival
Chairs, and continued the partying. Not much else to do, really. When you know you are going to stay up the entire night, waiting for the campingarea to open, and then raise a camp and continue drinking beer, you might just as well try to keep drinking. Said and done. Certain individuals, who shall remain anonymous (read Bobby and Vinthras) passed out in the car early in the evening. No solidarity there. And no alcohol sense either. After a while we move the party to the fence that they will tear down when the campingarea opens. The hours move at a crawl, waiting for that magic moment at 08.00 when they open. Cold, miserable and tired we await this glorious moment, which seems ever so distant. But fear not. It arrives, just as we thought it would.
After the bizarre race for the perfect spot (which inadvertently proved to be the exact spot we occupied last year..) and defending it with our teeth, and then raising the tents, we are finally ready too get some sleep. But no rest for the wicked. Might as well wait. There's lots of beer to be consumed, and not a minute to spare for rest. Not yet. The following days go by as they usually do, awake early, since you can't sleep, because of the sun and heat attacking your tent. Crawl out of
the tent, which by now has reached temperatures that surpass that of a pizzaoven, and surely must be against the Geneva convention somehow, into the open and try to rest some more. After this slow process of awakening you go buy some breakfast, and be sure to not forget the coffee. You then eat said breakfast, drink your coffee, and then go back to camp. Plans are laid out for getting more alcohol, since you drank most of what you had the night before. Travel into Roskilde takes about 10 minutes by car or by train. You buy more alcohol and food, eat something, possibly at Domino's, then back to camp and open a beer. Play music, mingle with people, or just sit in your chair and watch people go by your camp. Continue to drink, until you are too tired to stay up. Get some sleep. Repeat.
This year had some nice new routines, though. This year we received backstagepasses. That means you can enter the festival area whenever you want to, instead of waiting for it to open on the Thursday at 17.00. This was most excellent. Another of the highlights of the festival was the time I drove the car into town (no, I don't have a driver's license, why do you ask?). I found it most entertaining, though the passengers did not quite share my enthusiasm. No idea what there was to complain about, apart from that 90 degree turn, perhaps. And the roundabout. Oh, and maybe the parking as well. Other than that, almost perfect. Live and learn, I say. And we all survived, didn't we? So stop complaining!
After these days of drinking, which are essential to get into the festivalmood, the second reason for going to this campingarea and live here for a week is finally upon us. Yes, the music! This year, as most every year, sported a wide variety of bands from most every conceivable genre, and from all over the world. This is a veritable smorgasbord for anyone with an interest in music, and the possibility to see bands you normally wouldn't dream of seeing, and in fact even didn't know existed is indeed a very nice feeling. Not a year goes by that I don't discover new bands.
On Thursday we watched some odd groups. First out was Dwi Makar, from Indonesia. This was an interesting performance, obviously not following the standards of music that we are used to in the west. Quite interesting for a while, but not captivating in the long run, I thought. After 15 minutes or so, we went to see the second band for the day, Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung, or DAAU for short. This proved to be a very interesting band. Now normally, when someone walks out on
a stage with an accordion, that's not a good sign. Now when the accordionplayer is joined by a violinist, a guy on clarinet and another on cello, I get curious. This was something that could be interesting, and indeed it was. Musically this went across a few boarders. Jazz, classical, rock, dub - the list goes on. This was very refreshing. There was a great energy to the music, a power that many bands unfortunately lack. These guys loved what they were doing, and they did it well. This was indeed one of the highlights of the festival. Albums have been purchased, and more need to be bought! A few interesting bands played this day, as most any given day at the festival, but most of them unfortunately proved to be extremely boring. First up after DAAU was Velvet Revolver, and this was not at all fun to watch. A bunch of old men on stage, trying to be energetic, but failing miserably. Just sad, really. The performance felt halfhearted, to me at least, and the material was monotonous and frankly uninteresting. They played some Stone Temple Pilots tracks, as well as some other well known tracks from other members former bands. Nothing much to peak my interest. Vinthras on the other hand thought this was a really good concert, and that they lived up to his expectations, which of course just proves that all people can't have good taste in music all the time, and of course there's nothing wrong with my tastes. As luck would have it this concert collided somewhat with the next band I wanted to see, so after a short while, that felt a lot longer, I assure you, I left for the Arena stage and the Sonic Youth concert, and the second disappointment of the evening. As with Velvet Revolver, this got old very fast. You can only watch a guy making weird noises with his guitar for so long, before it gets a bit tiresome and old. They were still better than the concert I left, in my ears at least, but they lacked a certain edge in their performance that I would have wanted. Also there was that same feeling of older people trying to act young and revolutionary. People around me seemed to enjoy this a bit more than I did, and I left after a handful of songs for a bite to eat, and then head back to camp. On the way back I stopped by the Le Tigre concert, and this I must say was the silliest thing on this years festival. Two girls and a boy in silly getups, with three beat machines and sythezisers in front of them. Their performance seemed to focus around them jumping around on the stage, while they were singing their very feminist lyrics. I didn't get it at all. Hip and politically incorrect electronic Art Pop, anyone? Didn't think so. The only reason I stayed for almost an entire song was the fact that I ran into an old aquantance, and stayed and talked for a bit. I give them an F. They failed miserably to entertain me. I would have had more enjoyment out of watching a rock on stage for 40 minutes, than seeing their entire show. Some other up and coming bands performed this evening, as well as some more established ones, but I skipped these. Mastodon have gotten rave reviews, but they're really not my cup of tea, and Kent? No thanks. Time for more alcohol instead!
Partying ensued. This was a fun evening. I managed to get Sand very drunk. Very drunk indeed. He had a sip of my Jack and Coke, which he quite enjoyed, so I continued to offer him some, and also making them a lot stronger for every new drínk I made. He is very funny when you can get him really drunk. But you have to be sneaky! He usually tries to stay on top of it all, drinking lots of water as well as alcohol. But I have photographic evidence of his drunken behavior!
The Friday looked promising. The only really annoying thing was that all the metal bands played early hours, for some reason. The Haunted at 13.30? What's up with that? No, after going into Roskilde to get some white and black paint, we prepared ourselves for the first band of the day, the Norwegian Vikings Enslaved. I've seen them once before, also in Denmark earlier in the year (I conducted a really good interview, but our dictaphone is dead, and the tape is somewhere in the basement, probably lost for ever..), and this was an equally good performance. Now, you can't really go and see such an oldschool Norwegian band without corpsepaint, can you? Of course not! So we painted our faces, put on our spikes, and went to see the show. These guys are really fun to see live. Grutle and his grimaces are well worth travelling many miles to see. You can see that they really enjoy themselves on stage. They play both old and new material, ranging from their split with
Emperor to their latest album, and all the material works very well live. The second highlight of this years festival. Most excellent. After they finished their set, it was time for Sunn 0))) to enter the stage (at 3 pm! What were they thinking when they planned the timetable?!). A very interesting thing to see, Sunn 0))). I had the chance to see them at the Inferno Festival earlier in the year, and later in Malmö, but I decided to wait and see them here instead. Something about droning bass and small venues, they don't mix very well. Better to wait and see them here, in the outdoors. It was a very intense thing to witness, but it would have been a lot more effective had it been dark outside when they played. Sunn 0))) live is somewhat of an experience. The alloted time for them here was an hour and a half, and I don't think they had one moment of silence during this time, just non-stop drone for 90 minutes. After 20 or so minutes Attila, of Mayhem came out on the stage and started chanting in latin. I watched 50 minutes of their set, but then I had to leave, the droning bass made me very sleepy, and I was already tired because of the few hours of sleep I got during the night. After sitting down for a bit, I went to the next (disappointing) concert, Audioslave. This was another band that were supposed to be really good, another supergroup, but this was very uninteresting, and after only two songs I left. Sad, really. So far, all of the big names for the festival had been uninteresting and boring. Now, what are the odds of that, I ask? Instead I went for a bite to eat and to check out a band from Mali, of all places, namely Tinariwen. This '60ies inspired Desert Blues of theirs was interesting for a little while, but was a bit too slow for my liking in the long run, at least live. I have listened some to one of their albums after the festival, and I appreciated that a lot more than their concert, so it is somewhat of a mood thing too, I guess. I left the concert, and went back to the camp for a beer
or three, before the next concert.
Black Sabbath entered the main stage at 22:00. This, on the other hand, was really good. Something about hearing the classics you grew up with performed live by the originators of all heavier Metal, that's just really appealing. Sure, Ozzy has seen better days, and his stage presence leaves a bit to be desired, but what the Hell. These guys are still rocking after all these years. Something I always find very fascinating is to watch Geezer Butler play his bass. Fat, heavy chords played with a real attitude and amazing technique. Geezers solo albums have all been heavier than the Sabbath originals, too, and that says quite a bit I'd say. His music isn't getting softer, it's getting heavier as he gets older! Most of what the crowd wanted to hear was played. They did "Electric Funeral", and that's an essential track for me, plus a bunch of their other classics, of course. Quite a crowdpleaser. The soundquality wasn't the best throughout the entire performance, but it was still a very good concert, and these guys have aged with dignity. Every year you forget or miss something you'd have liked to see. I still curse myself for not waiting two more hours before I went home on a Sunday a few years ago, when Lou Reed was playing, for instance. This year it was the Canadian band Death from Above 1979, that I missed. Consisting of only a drummer and a bassist, this sure would have been
interesting to experience. I forgot all about them, and didn't remember until several hours later that I had missed their performance. Black Sabbath was the last band for me for the day, and now it was time to head back to camp and drink some more danish beer.
I think it was about the time when I got back to camp, that I had an encounter with what must have been a molusc or other simpler lifeform, maybe an over grown amoeba of some sort, as the level of questioning that emanated from this pile of useless meat was astoundingly stupid. Now, I understand that some people might find that wearing corpsepaint is something to ask about. However, if I'm wearing a shirt with a big pentagram on it, an inverted cross on my forehead and another one around my neck I do not really expect questions in the line of "Are you a Satanist?". I think that is rather clear, really. And when I am confronted with the brilliant argument that goes something like this: "I am an Atheist, but if god exists he would get mad at you for being a Satanist. I don't believe in god, but I wouldn't go around saying that god is a pussy, I mean what if he should exist? Then he would get mad at me. But I can say that Satan is a pussy, since god would like me for that, should he exist."
What a stunning argumentation! And here I thought Atheists did not believe in god. To think that to this day I can still get surprised at the stupidity of some people. Mindboggling! After a while, and some Jack Daniel's I go to wash off the paint, and then I head for bed.
Saturday proved to be one of the least busy days, when it came to bands. There were three bands that needed to be seen, and the first was at 16.00, one of the many bands featuring Mike Patton (he performed with four bands this year!), Fantômas. Patton's voice is something out of the ordinary, really. He uses it like an instrument, producing the most bizarre sounds, and indeed he pulled it off live as well. This was quite spectacular to see. A drumkit that totally surrounded the drummer (Dave Lombardo was touring with Slayer, so they had a stand-in), with the most peculiar of objects to hit for various sounds. Patton acted conductor to the drummer, who also had papers with notes that he turned every so often, to be able to follow the process. They played a very interesting set, mixed from most of their albums, including their Director's Cut album, which is a personal favourite, where they perform old, classic soundtrack pieces the Mike Patton way. Seeing Patton live, or Fantômas for that matter, is quite an experience. This was very good indeed! After this we headed back to camp for some more alcohol and await the next concert of interest at 19.00, Foo Fighters. Now, you get really tired of all the walking at the festival. The area is rather big indeed, and there really is no other way to get from point A to point B than to walk. So you walk. And walk. And walk. This leads to the fact that at times you just want to sit for a bit, no matter what's going on around you, or what band is playing, so I went to this concert a bit later than originally planned, which really was ok with me. I caught the last five songs of their set, and since these were some of their better songs, that was absolutely fine. Some bands play some of their songs slightly different live, just changing them around a bit and adding stuff, which makes it a bit more interesting both for the band and the listener, since some songs have been played so many times you can hardly stand them, which you've probably guessed by now, they did. They are clever, those musicians. Very enjoyable! Now the next band that I wanted to see wasn't playing until 23.30, so I had almost three hours off. Time off means eat and drinktime. Yay! After some recreational beeractivities it was time to head back for what would actually be the last concert on this years festival, for me. The Danish band The Raveonettes with their weird, and unique '60ies and Sonic Youth inspired energetic pop/rock n roll. Of course they played the stage that was farthest from the camp, so it took a little while to get there, but as always with this band, it was well worth the effort. Much of their material is quite powerful and aggressive in my ears, and the guitars.. Ah, the guitars! They sound like sharp knives, or something. A very aggressive sound indeed. As expected, they played material from all of their albums, with most of my personal favourites, like "Attack of the Ghost Riders", "Do You Believe Her", "My Tornado", and of course the new single "Love in a Trashcan". A very good performance, and ending with a cover of Velvet Underground's "Waiting for the Man", this was yet another highly memorable moment of this years festival.
Sunday is the worst day of them all. A sense of sadness fills you, when you see that people are leaving, and the camping area, that was so cramped just the night before looks deserted early in the day. You know this is the last day of Roskilde Fun for an entire year, which is a real downer. Usually you pack your gear rather early in the day. You start to feel tired, a week of partying and minimal sleep catches up to you at this point. As there were no bands playing this day that I felt I had to see, it was time for me to head home as well.
Many stay behind, of course, to help with the obligatory Roskilde Bonfires that are so typical for the last night. Tents and gear that has been left behind (and that's usually quite a lot) gets piled in stacks and then burnt. This is not something that the people behind the festival are fond of, mind you, it
has just become somewhat of a tradition, if you're still there for that final night.
All in all this was another very nice Roskilde festival, despite some annoying people that did what they could to ruin the pleasantries. I didn't mention all of them, there were indeed some more, but it all worked out in the end, without any bloodshed (amazing, that..). Also, I think there should be a law against bringing an acoustic guitar to the festival. I hate that campfire singalong crap, where people that don't really know any songs try to play them on an acoustic guitar that they don't know how to play, while people that can't sing try to sing lyrics they don't know. Maybe I'll just bring a big hammer next year.
I can't recommend this festival enough to you. It's amazing, really. There are between 75.000 and 100.000 people camping on a field for a week, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, and quite a few also ingest lots of more controlled substances, and yet it is such a calm place. If you've thought of going, do yourself the favour and go next year. If you're from overseas somewhere, and you're visiting Europe in the summertime, be sure to plan the trip so you can go to this event. I can almost guarantee that you'll have a great time! And if you don't there's something seriously wrong with you, or you just had rotten luck, I don't know.
July 2005 by :Vragh:
Wewelsburg - 2007 - Ultima Intolerance
Out of Russia comes this NS industrial Death/Black Metal band. Musically I find influences from a lot of different genres and groups. Mysticum and The Kovenant are apparent in the first track, Morbid Angel with a big dose rock n' roll in the second, the third track starts off with a classical piano piece, then moves on to more The Kovenant sounding elements. Track four is straight forward Death Metal. Over all this reminds me of early Stiny Plamenu.
The vocals are also reminiscent of The Kovenant, metallic and distorted but with more reverb, but as
with the music, the vocals change throughout the album. On the track "Gott Mit Uns", rather influenced by white power music, for instance, the vocals are deeper and much more catchy.
The sound is set very high on this album which tends to result in a chaotic effect, which indeed is the case here as well. They use a drum machine, with the cymbals set a bit too high which is annoyingly in the foreground at times. There is also a keyboard present. The vocals and the drum machine are in the foreground, closely followed by the guitar. When there is a solo without any singing the guitar steps up to the foreground. There is also a keyboard present, fighting with the other instruments to be in the front. Despite all this this is a fascinating album, somehow, most likely because you do not know what to expect next. It is also a tiring album to listen to, since the recording level is so high and there is a lot of stuff going on. This is not bad, but it is not very focused. I think it would have been better if there were different bands for the different musical ideas.
Standout tracks are "Ultima Intolerance" and "There Where the Winds Sing Their Songs".
Sunday August 23 2009, by :Vragh:
The vocals are also reminiscent of The Kovenant, metallic and distorted but with more reverb, but as
with the music, the vocals change throughout the album. On the track "Gott Mit Uns", rather influenced by white power music, for instance, the vocals are deeper and much more catchy.
The sound is set very high on this album which tends to result in a chaotic effect, which indeed is the case here as well. They use a drum machine, with the cymbals set a bit too high which is annoyingly in the foreground at times. There is also a keyboard present. The vocals and the drum machine are in the foreground, closely followed by the guitar. When there is a solo without any singing the guitar steps up to the foreground. There is also a keyboard present, fighting with the other instruments to be in the front. Despite all this this is a fascinating album, somehow, most likely because you do not know what to expect next. It is also a tiring album to listen to, since the recording level is so high and there is a lot of stuff going on. This is not bad, but it is not very focused. I think it would have been better if there were different bands for the different musical ideas.
Standout tracks are "Ultima Intolerance" and "There Where the Winds Sing Their Songs".
Sunday August 23 2009, by :Vragh:
Weltbrand - 2006 - The Cloud of Retaliation
Out of the Netherlands comes this Black Metal horde, with their second fullength. Presented here are eight tracks of mostly fast Black Metal with the odd slower track thrown in for variation plus one industrial sounding interlude and an outro. The sound actually has somewhat of a eath Metal feel to it.
The vocals sound like a mix between Nimroth, formerly of Cirith Gorgor, Maniac, and early Emperor, with some Aldrahn and Quorthon showing up every now and then.
Musically this reminds me mostly of the Zyklon-B sideproject from the '90ies as well as earlier Frozen Shadows. Not at all a bad combination.
The soundquality is slightly murky and, as with the music presented here, also quite similar to Zyklon-B and Frozen Shadows, and as mentioned earlier with rather a Death Metal approach to it. The vocals are at the front with the guitars and the snare drum quite high in the mix as well. The rest of the drums and the bass unfortunately disappear to a certain extent in the murky production. This is quite good. Released as a limited A5 digi, as well as regular CD.
Standout tracks are "Channeling Black Energy", "Descending of the Black Ash Rain", "...And the Winds Brought Death".
Tuesday October 14 2008, by :Vragh:
The vocals sound like a mix between Nimroth, formerly of Cirith Gorgor, Maniac, and early Emperor, with some Aldrahn and Quorthon showing up every now and then.
Musically this reminds me mostly of the Zyklon-B sideproject from the '90ies as well as earlier Frozen Shadows. Not at all a bad combination.
The soundquality is slightly murky and, as with the music presented here, also quite similar to Zyklon-B and Frozen Shadows, and as mentioned earlier with rather a Death Metal approach to it. The vocals are at the front with the guitars and the snare drum quite high in the mix as well. The rest of the drums and the bass unfortunately disappear to a certain extent in the murky production. This is quite good. Released as a limited A5 digi, as well as regular CD.
Standout tracks are "Channeling Black Energy", "Descending of the Black Ash Rain", "...And the Winds Brought Death".
Tuesday October 14 2008, by :Vragh:
Weakling - 2004 - Dead as Dreams
This American horde is one of the few exceptions to the rule "American Black Metal is not that good". This is a monster of an album, 5 tracks, 76 minutes long and it is an intense wall of sound all the way through. Weakling play a progressive kind of Black Metal, with screamed, angstridden vocals throughout the album. The vocals sound similar to earlier Burzum at times. There are metal and doom influences here as well as traces of both Shining and Black Sabbath, and keyboards are also used in places. This is not, however, a Dimmu Borgir kind of keyboard, this is more of a mood setter in the background. Unfortunately this is the only album that they ever recorded before disbanding.
The music is midpaced to fast and these guys sure know how to handle their instruments. The massive parts of the songs are kept apart by very well executed calmer parts and nice tempo changes.
These guys sure knew how to do it. The production on this album is very harsh and it adds to the overall feel of this album. This is yet another one of the hidden gems of Black Metal.
The music is midpaced to fast and these guys sure know how to handle their instruments. The massive parts of the songs are kept apart by very well executed calmer parts and nice tempo changes.
These guys sure knew how to do it. The production on this album is very harsh and it adds to the overall feel of this album. This is yet another one of the hidden gems of Black Metal.
Standout tracks are "This Entire Fucking Battlefield" and "No One May Be Called as a Man While He'll Die".
Friday May 28 2004, by :Vragh:
Watain - 2004 - Casus Luciferi
Another one of the Swedish bands that have emerged from the dark depths have released their second album, the follow up to Rabid Death's Curse, and they have made great progress. The opening of this album is as much De Mysteriis as is possible, almost to the point of plagiarism. This does not last, but there are many De Mysteriis moments throughout this album, the bass in "Opus Dei (The Morbid Angel)" is another example. Some Shining moments are present on this album too, and the intro to the title track is very much Black Sabbath.
The soundquality has been greatly improved since their last album, and the heavy Death Metal influence that was prevalent on their debut isn't as much in your face here. Greatly improved soundquality doesn't mean perfect, since it was rather bad on Rabid Death's Curse, but it is rather good here, more treble oriented, with the guitars slightly in the foreground.
Overall this album is a lot more listenable than their first, mainly because of the improved soundquality and also a lot better material. They have also rerecorded "Puzzlez ov Flesh" for the album. Watain plays fast Black Metal, just the way I like it.
Standout tracks are "Black Salvation", "I Am the Earth" and "The Golden Horns of Darash".
On a sidenote I find it strange that both Watain and Abruptum release an album with the exact same title only a few months apart.
The soundquality has been greatly improved since their last album, and the heavy Death Metal influence that was prevalent on their debut isn't as much in your face here. Greatly improved soundquality doesn't mean perfect, since it was rather bad on Rabid Death's Curse, but it is rather good here, more treble oriented, with the guitars slightly in the foreground.
Overall this album is a lot more listenable than their first, mainly because of the improved soundquality and also a lot better material. They have also rerecorded "Puzzlez ov Flesh" for the album. Watain plays fast Black Metal, just the way I like it.
Standout tracks are "Black Salvation", "I Am the Earth" and "The Golden Horns of Darash".
On a sidenote I find it strange that both Watain and Abruptum release an album with the exact same title only a few months apart.
Thursday May 20 2004, by :Vragh:
Vultyr - 2001 - Monument of Misanthropy
This is Finnish Black Metal band Vultyr's debut album. Presented here are eight tracks of grim Black Metal including an intro. The soundquality is very necro and dirty, reminding me somewhat of that on Transilvanian Hunger. There's a nice '90ies feel to this release. The drums are a bit in the back of the mix here, apart from the snaredrum for some reason, with the guitars and vocals dominating.
Musically this is raw Black Metal, with a twist, sounding at times like a more necro version of Panzerfaust era Darkthrone, with some seriously groovy tracks. The vocals are reminiscent of Nocturno Culto and a bit of Satyr, but grimmer and with a very eerie and haunting twist to them. This is something that just has to be heard.
If you're into early Gorgoroth, Darkthrone and the likes you'll certainly enjoy this album. Vultyr features members of Azaghal and Wyrd.
Standout tracks are "Evil Coming Winter" and "The Spectre and I".
Monday November 1 2004, by :Vragh:
Musically this is raw Black Metal, with a twist, sounding at times like a more necro version of Panzerfaust era Darkthrone, with some seriously groovy tracks. The vocals are reminiscent of Nocturno Culto and a bit of Satyr, but grimmer and with a very eerie and haunting twist to them. This is something that just has to be heard.
If you're into early Gorgoroth, Darkthrone and the likes you'll certainly enjoy this album. Vultyr features members of Azaghal and Wyrd.
Standout tracks are "Evil Coming Winter" and "The Spectre and I".
Monday November 1 2004, by :Vragh:
Vesania - 2005 - God the Lux
Out of Poland comes this Black Metal act with their second fullength. 12 tracks of slow to mid-paced, slightly melodic Death/Black Metal with keyboards is what we are presented with here. There is an industrial feel to the music as well. Musically this sounds like later Malignant Eternal and Dimmu Borgir as well as Emperor and Arcturus with a distinct Death Metal approach.
The vocals sound like those in Behemoth, which really comes as no surprise since it's the same person singing in both bands. More towards the darker, deeper spectrum, actually reminding me somewhat of the deeper vocals from earlier Cradle of Filth. They remind me of those in Malignant Eternal as well.
The production is full and quite industrial sounding. More towards a Death Metal production, really. The keyboards are present throughout the album. At times they play their own thing, and at times they are just laying down background ambience, but this is actually handled rather well. I am usually not a big fan of keyboards in the music I listen to.
Standouttracks are "Rest in Pain", "God the Lux", "The Mystory" and "Legions are Me".
The vocals sound like those in Behemoth, which really comes as no surprise since it's the same person singing in both bands. More towards the darker, deeper spectrum, actually reminding me somewhat of the deeper vocals from earlier Cradle of Filth. They remind me of those in Malignant Eternal as well.
The production is full and quite industrial sounding. More towards a Death Metal production, really. The keyboards are present throughout the album. At times they play their own thing, and at times they are just laying down background ambience, but this is actually handled rather well. I am usually not a big fan of keyboards in the music I listen to.
Standouttracks are "Rest in Pain", "God the Lux", "The Mystory" and "Legions are Me".
Monday November 27 2006, by :Vragh:
Valkyrja - 2005 - Funeral Voices
Out of Sweden comes this Black Metal band with their first demo. Three tracks of mid-paced to fast Black Metal are presented to us on this release, plus an intro and an instrumental interlude. The material here is actually quite good. Slightly melodic Black Metal which reminds me a bit of Marduk, Satyricon and Borknagar, but mostly of a more varied Dark Funeral.
The vocals sound similar to those done by Legion when in Marduk, with a slight touch of those from early Borknagar.
This demo has a really good production. The instruments and the vocals can all be heard clearly. The material presented on this demo shows that there are still new bands out there worth checking out. This is a band to keep your eyes on. Limited to only 50 copies, so act fast!
Standout track is "Another Prophet to the Wolves".
Sunday July 10 2005, by :Vragh:
The vocals sound similar to those done by Legion when in Marduk, with a slight touch of those from early Borknagar.
This demo has a really good production. The instruments and the vocals can all be heard clearly. The material presented on this demo shows that there are still new bands out there worth checking out. This is a band to keep your eyes on. Limited to only 50 copies, so act fast!
Standout track is "Another Prophet to the Wolves".
Sunday July 10 2005, by :Vragh:
Valaskjalf/Hrodvitnir - 2005 - Under the Ban ner of Vinlandic Heathen Might
Presented on this split effort are two American NS Black Metal bands. Each band contributes with four tracks.
Valaskjalf presents us with Black Metal ranging from slow to mid-paced, slightly melodic Black Metal in the vein of the real early '90ies bands, but with a melancholic sound rarely found. I find both Kvist, Beherit and Root influences here. Also presented on this release is a cover of Hellhammer's classic track "Euronymous".
The vocals mostly sound like a more guttural version of those done by Legion of Marduk and also somewhat like those done by Akhenaten of Judas Iscariot and Quorthon.
The soundquality is quite good, with all the instruments being audible in the mix.
Standout tracks are "Grove of the Neoliths" and "Black Forest".
Hrodvitnir play a mid-paced to fast, more Viking / Folk themed Black Metal, and is the band I liked best on this release. Musically this sounds like a mix of Falkenbach and amore Black Metal oriented version of Borknagar, with vocals that mostly remind me of those done by Garm on the first Borknagar album. Some traces of Wyrd are also present in the overall sound here.
The soundquality on these four tracks varies a bit, which I found to be slightly annoying. You can hear the instruments and all, but the two last tracks have a murky, slightly distant sound to them, and the volume is lower.
Standout tracks are "Dawn of a New Aryan Empire" and "Hrodvitnir (The Wolf Unleashed)".
Quite a good split album, actually, with both bands being quite able to handle their instruments. This release is limited to 500 copies.
Friday December 2 2005, by :Vragh:
Valaskjalf presents us with Black Metal ranging from slow to mid-paced, slightly melodic Black Metal in the vein of the real early '90ies bands, but with a melancholic sound rarely found. I find both Kvist, Beherit and Root influences here. Also presented on this release is a cover of Hellhammer's classic track "Euronymous".
The vocals mostly sound like a more guttural version of those done by Legion of Marduk and also somewhat like those done by Akhenaten of Judas Iscariot and Quorthon.
The soundquality is quite good, with all the instruments being audible in the mix.
Standout tracks are "Grove of the Neoliths" and "Black Forest".
Hrodvitnir play a mid-paced to fast, more Viking / Folk themed Black Metal, and is the band I liked best on this release. Musically this sounds like a mix of Falkenbach and amore Black Metal oriented version of Borknagar, with vocals that mostly remind me of those done by Garm on the first Borknagar album. Some traces of Wyrd are also present in the overall sound here.
The soundquality on these four tracks varies a bit, which I found to be slightly annoying. You can hear the instruments and all, but the two last tracks have a murky, slightly distant sound to them, and the volume is lower.
Standout tracks are "Dawn of a New Aryan Empire" and "Hrodvitnir (The Wolf Unleashed)".
Quite a good split album, actually, with both bands being quite able to handle their instruments. This release is limited to 500 copies.
Friday December 2 2005, by :Vragh:
Uziel - 2006 - Long Perished Rebels
Out of Poland comes this horde with their second demo of slightly melodic Death Metal. 5 tracks are presented here, with some killer samples to boot. Musically this reminds me of some Swedish melodic Death Metal bands like In Flames, as well as Behemoth, with some parts reminding me of Nile. Some parts remind me of Swedish Pandemonium as well. As with so many other Polish bands, a keyboard is utilized.
The vocals remind me somewhat of those in Behemoth, as well as those in Nile and Aeternus.
The soundquality is good, if a bit chaotic. The vocals and the guitars are what's more towards the front in the mix, with the keyboards and drums just behind them. I find it a bit annoying that so many Polish bands think they have to use keyboards. Their music could actually manage quite well without the keyboards. The keyboards here are not used too excessively, just mainly adding a layer of sound to add depth to the music.
Standout tracks are "Death by Burning" and "Forever With You".
Monday November 27 2006, by :Vragh:
The vocals remind me somewhat of those in Behemoth, as well as those in Nile and Aeternus.
The soundquality is good, if a bit chaotic. The vocals and the guitars are what's more towards the front in the mix, with the keyboards and drums just behind them. I find it a bit annoying that so many Polish bands think they have to use keyboards. Their music could actually manage quite well without the keyboards. The keyboards here are not used too excessively, just mainly adding a layer of sound to add depth to the music.
Standout tracks are "Death by Burning" and "Forever With You".
Monday November 27 2006, by :Vragh:
Туман - 2006 - Freezing Moon
Here we have this Hungarian Black Metal horde's second demo rereleased with a bonus track and a rather nice video (for the track "Transylvanian Dreams"), to boot. This demo is a tribute to Dead of Morbid and Mayhem fame, which explains both the title and the fact that there are two Mayhem covers on this recording, both the classic De Mysteriis tracks that were released with Dead on vocals. What's really amazing is how close to the original these two covers sound. The music is fast and harsh Black Metal, and that's that. There's a nice aggression to it, that is so rare these days.
The vocals are are a bit deeper than on the fullength, but that might be due to the over all murkier sound of the recording. Slightly Burzum-esque growls. The vocals sound slightly more desperate here than on the album.
The soundquality is ok, but there is a distinct demo sound to it. Despite it being somewhat muffled, it is remarkably clear, somehow. You hear the instruments, and as with the fullenght, the vocals are most prominent in the mix. It is interesting to hear the differences between this demo and the album, the guitar sound is completely different. The bonus track was recorded more recently, and sounds like the material presented on the album. I would say that this is a recording you get if you enjoy the
album, not really something to start with. It's not bad, it's just that the album is better.
Standout tracks are "Transylvania", "Dark Forest of the Evil" and "A Gonosz Sötét Erdeje".
Saturday October 21 2006, by :Vragh:
The vocals are are a bit deeper than on the fullength, but that might be due to the over all murkier sound of the recording. Slightly Burzum-esque growls. The vocals sound slightly more desperate here than on the album.
The soundquality is ok, but there is a distinct demo sound to it. Despite it being somewhat muffled, it is remarkably clear, somehow. You hear the instruments, and as with the fullenght, the vocals are most prominent in the mix. It is interesting to hear the differences between this demo and the album, the guitar sound is completely different. The bonus track was recorded more recently, and sounds like the material presented on the album. I would say that this is a recording you get if you enjoy the
album, not really something to start with. It's not bad, it's just that the album is better.
Standout tracks are "Transylvania", "Dark Forest of the Evil" and "A Gonosz Sötét Erdeje".
Saturday October 21 2006, by :Vragh:
Туман - 2005 - Transylvanian Dreams
Out of Hungary comes this Black Metal horde with their first fullength. Fast and harsh Black Metal is what we are presented with, and this is actually really good. Musically this reminds me of the good old days in general. There is a slight melodic feel at times, but this soon changes back to breakneck speed. This album reminds me of Ulver's Nattens Madrigal in its uncompromising sound and execution.
The vocals sound like possessed and hatefilled shrieks. A comparison to Burzum is not entierly wrong, although this is raspier and not as annoying. Apparently the vocalist is a woman, which makes these sounds even more remarkable. What's really interesting is how the vocals are used as an instrument more than is common.
The production is sharp as a knife. You hear all the instruments, with focus on the vocals and the guitars. The drums follow, slightly further back in the mix. There is actually a slight De Mysteriis dom Sathanas sound to the drums here. The snare is clear and in the front, but the toms are a bit muffled. What makes this album a winner is the aggression, speed and hatred that is present, something that I haven't heard in quite a few years. This is absolutely a band to check out further, and keep an eye out for in the future.
Standout tracks are "Átoklátomás", "Vihar" and "Holdlény".
Saturday October 21 2006, by :Vragh:
The vocals sound like possessed and hatefilled shrieks. A comparison to Burzum is not entierly wrong, although this is raspier and not as annoying. Apparently the vocalist is a woman, which makes these sounds even more remarkable. What's really interesting is how the vocals are used as an instrument more than is common.
The production is sharp as a knife. You hear all the instruments, with focus on the vocals and the guitars. The drums follow, slightly further back in the mix. There is actually a slight De Mysteriis dom Sathanas sound to the drums here. The snare is clear and in the front, but the toms are a bit muffled. What makes this album a winner is the aggression, speed and hatred that is present, something that I haven't heard in quite a few years. This is absolutely a band to check out further, and keep an eye out for in the future.
Standout tracks are "Átoklátomás", "Vihar" and "Holdlény".
Saturday October 21 2006, by :Vragh:
Trelldom - 1999 - Til Et Annet...
This is Norwegian band Trelldom's second album, and what an album it is! The production is greatly improved from their first album. The songs are better arranged, and everything about this album just feels right. Gaahl, founder and only fulltime member, has really outdone himself here. This is very well executed, rather fast, harsh Black Metal with some even faster parts at times, and good sound to boot. Some similarities can be drawn to Gorgoroth, but that might not be so strange since Gaahl does the vocals in Gorgoroth as well.
I don't think I have heard anything that is really similar to this album. Something about the drums and the repetitive songstructures that work extremely well makes this album stand out from the crowd.
A perfect example of this is the song "Slave Til en Kommende Natt". Mutt, currently in Taake, handles the drums on this album, and his playing reminds me in a way of the drumwork by Fenriz on Darkthrone's Soulside Journey, although not as technical, mainly because the drums are used as a full instrument. Strangely enough this release hasn't been nearly as well circulated as it deserves. This is one of the hidden gems of Black Metal. Gaahl is also a member of Gaahlskagg, Gorgoroth and Sigfader.
Standout tracks are "Slave Til en Kommende Natt", "Min Död til Ende", "Höyt Opp i Dypet" and "Sonar Dreyri".
Friday February 6 2004, by :Vragh:
I don't think I have heard anything that is really similar to this album. Something about the drums and the repetitive songstructures that work extremely well makes this album stand out from the crowd.
A perfect example of this is the song "Slave Til en Kommende Natt". Mutt, currently in Taake, handles the drums on this album, and his playing reminds me in a way of the drumwork by Fenriz on Darkthrone's Soulside Journey, although not as technical, mainly because the drums are used as a full instrument. Strangely enough this release hasn't been nearly as well circulated as it deserves. This is one of the hidden gems of Black Metal. Gaahl is also a member of Gaahlskagg, Gorgoroth and Sigfader.
Standout tracks are "Slave Til en Kommende Natt", "Min Död til Ende", "Höyt Opp i Dypet" and "Sonar Dreyri".
Friday February 6 2004, by :Vragh:
The Frost - 2006 - Damned and Forgotten
This Croatian outfit is back with a second demo. We are presented with five tracks, four of which are mid-paced to fast, slightly melodic Black Metal in the vein of early Ancient and Isvind, and an intro that sets a clear Ancient tone from the get go, with a small part Blood Axis in there.
The vocals here also remind me of those by Aphazel from Ancient, as well as of Akhenaten of Judas Iscariot fame, with some traces of Erik of Watain.
The soundquality is very good, as with the first demo, this does not sound like a demo recording at all. A drum machine is still utilized on this recording, which at times sounds a bit too plastic, but overall sounds quite ok. Compared to the previous release there is some progression here, when it comes to the overall sound and the drum machine. The material presented here also feels a bit fuller, somehow. Both demos have been collected on a single CD by Kerzakraum/Nerbilous Productions. I suggest you check it out.
Standout tracks are "In the Name of Eternal Darkness" and "Lost in the Valley of Death".
The vocals here also remind me of those by Aphazel from Ancient, as well as of Akhenaten of Judas Iscariot fame, with some traces of Erik of Watain.
The soundquality is very good, as with the first demo, this does not sound like a demo recording at all. A drum machine is still utilized on this recording, which at times sounds a bit too plastic, but overall sounds quite ok. Compared to the previous release there is some progression here, when it comes to the overall sound and the drum machine. The material presented here also feels a bit fuller, somehow. Both demos have been collected on a single CD by Kerzakraum/Nerbilous Productions. I suggest you check it out.
Standout tracks are "In the Name of Eternal Darkness" and "Lost in the Valley of Death".
Monday November 27 2006, by :Vragh:
The Frost - 2005 - In Conspiracy With Nature
Out of Croatia comes this one man Black Metal band with a first demo. The music presented on these three tracks is slow to mid-paced, and at times even slightly melodic, Black Metal. Musically this reminds me of Long Voyage Back, Shining, Armagedda and Blodulv. A drum machine is utilized here, but it doesn't sound as bad as the average drum machine does.
The vocals sound like a mix of Graav of Armagedda, Erik of Watain and those of Grendel in Blodulv and are really well done, aggressive and angry, just as it should be.
The quality of the recording is really quite good, with a clear and full sound. This does not sound like an average demo recording, but rather as a professional album recording. Very impressive. I would strongly urge you to buy this demo. Limited to 120 copies.
Standout track is without a doubt the extremely good "...Where the Wolves Path Lead" with
its sound of the '90ies.
Saturday June 4 2005, by :Vragh:
The vocals sound like a mix of Graav of Armagedda, Erik of Watain and those of Grendel in Blodulv and are really well done, aggressive and angry, just as it should be.
The quality of the recording is really quite good, with a clear and full sound. This does not sound like an average demo recording, but rather as a professional album recording. Very impressive. I would strongly urge you to buy this demo. Limited to 120 copies.
Standout track is without a doubt the extremely good "...Where the Wolves Path Lead" with
its sound of the '90ies.
Saturday June 4 2005, by :Vragh:
Strevlosh Zvezda - 2005 - Strevlosh Zvezda
Out of Serbia comes this band with their very own brand of Black Metal. Haven't really heard that many hordes using classical guitar as the most prominent instrument in Black Metal, I must say. This is quite good, mostly slow but with faster parts from time to time. On this promo we are presented with four tracks, and the last one is a rehearsal version of track three, but the finished demo will contain six tracks, without the rehearsal. For the most part there's just the classical guitar and the vocals, and here and there the songs explode into faster parts with blasting drums. Some parts of this album reminds me musically of Empyrium's Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays and Ulver's Theme's from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, with the vocals reminding me mostly of the harsh vocals by Garm on the first Borknagar album.
The soundquality here is very good, the guitar and the vocals can be heard clearly, and the drums are just slightly towards the back of the mix, keeping the focus on the guitar and the vocals in the parts with drums. The rehearsal track gives an interesting insight into how the band sounds outside the studio. A very interesting listen, this demo. It is not often you are taken by total surprise when you put a demo in the player to review it. The only bad thing about this disc is that it is far too short. I want more of this. Most highly recommended!
Standout tracks are "Nocturnus..." and "Leve Ruke Staza".
Wednesday January 18 2006, by :Vragh:
The soundquality here is very good, the guitar and the vocals can be heard clearly, and the drums are just slightly towards the back of the mix, keeping the focus on the guitar and the vocals in the parts with drums. The rehearsal track gives an interesting insight into how the band sounds outside the studio. A very interesting listen, this demo. It is not often you are taken by total surprise when you put a demo in the player to review it. The only bad thing about this disc is that it is far too short. I want more of this. Most highly recommended!
Standout tracks are "Nocturnus..." and "Leve Ruke Staza".
Wednesday January 18 2006, by :Vragh:
Spektr - 2004 - Et Fugit Interea Fugit Irreparabile Tempus
Out of France comes this horde consisting of members from Haemoth and Battlehorns. On this their first album we are presented with eight tracks of industrial tinged mostly fast Black Metal, intense and unlike most others. This is quite an impressive first release.
Musically this is a bit similar to ideas from 666 International era Dødheimsgard in structure, but taken many steps further, with some parts Thorns added. I am also reminded of Gaahlskagg's Erotic Funeral, but that is mainly due to the intensity and the sound on this recording. Samples are used extensively throughout the album, and here are also parts sounding like soundtrack music. It is quite a
varied album, composition wise, with crushing speed and aggression one minute, which then flows into calmer parts and then gets back to crushing your bones once again.
The vocals remind me quite a lot of Ildjarn, with a hint of Filosofem era Burzum, earlier Immortal and some early Gorgoroth as well, for good measure.
The soundquality on this album is very sharp and clear. Everything seems to be on the same level here, the guitars with their sharp, lethal sound, the crushing drums and the possessed vocals form a wall of sound where you can still hear the details. This is an album where you're not entirely sure what's coming next. Most excellent! This is an album that works best if you play it from start to finish. This is among the elite bands, along with such acts as Deathspell Omega, Funeral Mist
and Glorior Belli. Very highly recommended!
Standout tracks are "Reveal the Four Seals", "A Return to the Flesh", "Wizened Hand" and "Confusion/The Persistence (Ending Contakt)".
Wednesday October 15 2008, by :Vragh:
Musically this is a bit similar to ideas from 666 International era Dødheimsgard in structure, but taken many steps further, with some parts Thorns added. I am also reminded of Gaahlskagg's Erotic Funeral, but that is mainly due to the intensity and the sound on this recording. Samples are used extensively throughout the album, and here are also parts sounding like soundtrack music. It is quite a
varied album, composition wise, with crushing speed and aggression one minute, which then flows into calmer parts and then gets back to crushing your bones once again.
The vocals remind me quite a lot of Ildjarn, with a hint of Filosofem era Burzum, earlier Immortal and some early Gorgoroth as well, for good measure.
The soundquality on this album is very sharp and clear. Everything seems to be on the same level here, the guitars with their sharp, lethal sound, the crushing drums and the possessed vocals form a wall of sound where you can still hear the details. This is an album where you're not entirely sure what's coming next. Most excellent! This is an album that works best if you play it from start to finish. This is among the elite bands, along with such acts as Deathspell Omega, Funeral Mist
and Glorior Belli. Very highly recommended!
Standout tracks are "Reveal the Four Seals", "A Return to the Flesh", "Wizened Hand" and "Confusion/The Persistence (Ending Contakt)".
Wednesday October 15 2008, by :Vragh:
Soulless - 2005 - Summoning Heresy
Here we have Polish Death/Thrash Metal act Soulless, with their latest mini CD. We are presented with 5 tracks, including an intro and a cover of the Sepultura classic "Necromancer", which leaves us with 3 of their own creations. The music is mostly mid-paced, but with faster, blastbeating parts. This sounds similar to Fallen Christ, with a good portion Morbid Angel. An overall rather American sounding release.
The vocals sounds like a mix of old Thrash vocals, American Death Metal screams and Polish Death Metal growls. Quite brutal!
The soundquality is rather chaotic and raw, with the bass being mostly somewhat muffled. The drums are towards the front, together with the vocals, with the guitars a bit in the back.
Standout tracks are "Infernalis in Favorem" and "Beheaded Messiah". And the Sepultura cover kicks ass.
Sunday January 14 2007, by :Vragh:
The vocals sounds like a mix of old Thrash vocals, American Death Metal screams and Polish Death Metal growls. Quite brutal!
The soundquality is rather chaotic and raw, with the bass being mostly somewhat muffled. The drums are towards the front, together with the vocals, with the guitars a bit in the back.
Standout tracks are "Infernalis in Favorem" and "Beheaded Messiah". And the Sepultura cover kicks ass.
Sunday January 14 2007, by :Vragh:
Skaur - 2005 - En Hymne til Dauden
Out of Norway comes this one man Black Metal band with a rerecording of a previous demo bearing the same name. This version has been rearranged to bring together the 4 tracks on the previous release into one long track, which works very well. The music is mid-paced to fast, slightly melodic,
rather epic and very aggressive Black Metal, with quite a few acoustic parts. Earlier Ulver comes to mind, as well as Kampfar and Gorgoroth, but with a big chunk of originality, which is not something you find every day in the Black Metal scene of today.
The vocals mostly remind me of the distorted snarls by Gaahl on the Destroyer album by Gorgoroth, though more raspy than guttural.
The soundquality of the recording is well above the regular demo sound, rather clear and yet comfortingly filthy. The different instruments can be heard in the mix, though the vocals and the guitar are slightly in the front of the mix. The production reminds me of Gorgoroth's earlier efforts, though this has a superior sound. This comes very highly recommended! The original demo is sold out, but this track is also available on the split with Riddle of Meander. I strongly urge you to check
this out.
Thursday November 15 2007, by :Vragh:
rather epic and very aggressive Black Metal, with quite a few acoustic parts. Earlier Ulver comes to mind, as well as Kampfar and Gorgoroth, but with a big chunk of originality, which is not something you find every day in the Black Metal scene of today.
The vocals mostly remind me of the distorted snarls by Gaahl on the Destroyer album by Gorgoroth, though more raspy than guttural.
The soundquality of the recording is well above the regular demo sound, rather clear and yet comfortingly filthy. The different instruments can be heard in the mix, though the vocals and the guitar are slightly in the front of the mix. The production reminds me of Gorgoroth's earlier efforts, though this has a superior sound. This comes very highly recommended! The original demo is sold out, but this track is also available on the split with Riddle of Meander. I strongly urge you to check
this out.
Thursday November 15 2007, by :Vragh:
Semper Mors - 2004 - In Endless Despondency
From Greece comes this one man Black Metal band, presenting us with a three track demo of slow to mid-paced Black Metal. Musically I find both Transilvanian Hunger and Panzerfaust era Darkthrone here, as well as some Shining and Armagedda. Some interesting progressive parts are present here, as well. The vocals are similar to those by Nocturno Culto, only sounding more desperate. Despite this being a one man project real drums are used.
The soundquality here could have been a bit better. Lots of treble, and a quite chaotic sound in general. It takes a few listens to get used to it.
Of the tracks on this demo only one is shorter than ten minutes, which makes for a total of 25 minutes playing time, which is quite good for a demo. If you like your Black Metal raw and harsh you should definitely check out this demo.
Standout track is "In Endless Despondency".
The soundquality here could have been a bit better. Lots of treble, and a quite chaotic sound in general. It takes a few listens to get used to it.
Of the tracks on this demo only one is shorter than ten minutes, which makes for a total of 25 minutes playing time, which is quite good for a demo. If you like your Black Metal raw and harsh you should definitely check out this demo.
Standout track is "In Endless Despondency".
Saturday February 12 2005, by :Vragh:
Satanic Death - 2004 - Black Mass
From Argentina comes this Black Metal horde. Just recently they released their second demo containing four tracks. Presented here are three tracks of thrashing, mostly mid-paced Black Metal with blastbeats, and an outro.
Musically there are traces of Ophthalamia and early Marduk, with lots of Blodulv like riffing in it. Throw in a few guitar solos for good measure as well and you have Satanic Death. This sounds like very early '90ies Black Metal with a chaotic twist to it all.
The vocals are similar to early Marduk as well, being just a bit more guttural and with a bit more echo to them. The soundquality here is not at all bad. Something to get, I would say.
Standout tracks are "Demonic Chronicles" and "Sadistic Ritual".
Monday January 10 2005, by :Vragh:
Musically there are traces of Ophthalamia and early Marduk, with lots of Blodulv like riffing in it. Throw in a few guitar solos for good measure as well and you have Satanic Death. This sounds like very early '90ies Black Metal with a chaotic twist to it all.
The vocals are similar to early Marduk as well, being just a bit more guttural and with a bit more echo to them. The soundquality here is not at all bad. Something to get, I would say.
Standout tracks are "Demonic Chronicles" and "Sadistic Ritual".
Monday January 10 2005, by :Vragh:
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Rimthurs - 2004 - Demo 2004
Swedish Black Metal act Rimthurs has released this, their first demo upon the world. Presented here are six tracks of mid-paced to fast, slightly melodic Black Metal with a touch of heathenism. Musically this mostly has similarities to Allegiance, with some Thrash here and there. The track "Vitekrist" even has some parts that remind me of early Ophthalamia. Very well executed, this. The instruments are handled very well, and the material is quite good.
The vocals are mostly more towards being growled, and at times screamed. They sound similar to those done on the Allegiance albums as well, but being a bit deeper.
The soundquality here is well above average demosound, but still slightly murky, which is just the way I like it. The production sounds very much early '90ies Black Metal. Can't go wrong with that.
Standout tracks are "Krigvind", "Vitekrist" and "Må Du Bli Till Is".
The vocals are mostly more towards being growled, and at times screamed. They sound similar to those done on the Allegiance albums as well, but being a bit deeper.
The soundquality here is well above average demosound, but still slightly murky, which is just the way I like it. The production sounds very much early '90ies Black Metal. Can't go wrong with that.
Standout tracks are "Krigvind", "Vitekrist" and "Må Du Bli Till Is".
January 30 2005, by :Vragh:
Riddle of Meander - 2005 - Pandemonic Holocaust
Out of Greece comes this Black Metal horde with their first demo, containing two lengthy tracks of mostly mid-paced Black Metal towards the depressive kind. The music reminds me mostly of slower early Burzum, Isvind and Svartsyn (Swe). This really does sound Nordic, and has a feeling of the mid '90ies as well.
The vocals remind me somewhat of those by Necro in Pest (Swe) at times, but with an extra edge of depression to them. There's also more reverb added to them. They set a dark mood to the music.
The soundquality is not too bad. There is a slightly hollow sound to the drums, which is a bit odd, but not so much as to ruin the listening experience. The soundquality reminds me of Svartsyn (Swe) from a few years back. A keyboard is used at times, which really gives the music an extra edge. Limited to 200 copies. They have a second demo out as well.
Both the tracks presented here are quite good.
Thursday November 30 2006, by :Vragh:
The vocals remind me somewhat of those by Necro in Pest (Swe) at times, but with an extra edge of depression to them. There's also more reverb added to them. They set a dark mood to the music.
The soundquality is not too bad. There is a slightly hollow sound to the drums, which is a bit odd, but not so much as to ruin the listening experience. The soundquality reminds me of Svartsyn (Swe) from a few years back. A keyboard is used at times, which really gives the music an extra edge. Limited to 200 copies. They have a second demo out as well.
Both the tracks presented here are quite good.
Thursday November 30 2006, by :Vragh:
Pyre - 2005 - Behold a Pale Horse
American Black Metal band Pyre offers us their first official release. Chaotic mid-paced, but mostly fast, slightly thrashing Black Metal is what we are presented with on this album. Musically I find a few De Mysteriis era Mayhem in some of the tracks, and some Ildjarn moments, in others. Judas Iscariot is something I hear in this too, as well as some very Thorns sounding basslines. Very interesting. A cover of Darkthrone's "En Vind av Sorg" is presented here, which they do rather well
I must say, considering that they're doing it in Norwegian!
The vocals sound a bit like those by Akhenaten of Judas Iscariot, mixed with Nocturno Culto, Maniac and, at times, Attila of Mayhem. Quite an interesting mix to hear.
The production is slightly murky and the bass is a bit unclear, which leads to a somewhat chaotic sound, as stated earlier, but this is something you get used to quickly. The production reminds me somewhat of Gorgoroth for some reason. Over all I must say that this is an album that shows a band with great potential. Well worth checking out, and don't forget to keep an eye on this band in the future.
Standout tracks are "The Torrents of Thamuz", "Devil Pig" (No, actually not a Von cover), "Ten and Forty Centuries" and "Behold a Pale Horse".
I must say, considering that they're doing it in Norwegian!
The vocals sound a bit like those by Akhenaten of Judas Iscariot, mixed with Nocturno Culto, Maniac and, at times, Attila of Mayhem. Quite an interesting mix to hear.
The production is slightly murky and the bass is a bit unclear, which leads to a somewhat chaotic sound, as stated earlier, but this is something you get used to quickly. The production reminds me somewhat of Gorgoroth for some reason. Over all I must say that this is an album that shows a band with great potential. Well worth checking out, and don't forget to keep an eye on this band in the future.
Standout tracks are "The Torrents of Thamuz", "Devil Pig" (No, actually not a Von cover), "Ten and Forty Centuries" and "Behold a Pale Horse".
Friday December 2 2005, by :Vragh:
Pest - 2005 - In Total Contempt
Swedish Black Metal horde Pest are back, and with a vengeance! Their slightly delayed third fullength album is out, and I have to say that this album is, next to their amazing Blasphemy is My Throne minialbum, their best material to date. They have progressed somewhat since their last
release, while still maintaining the essence of Pest, and they even have songs here with a serious
groove to them. Their music is still mid-paced to fast, with mostly fast tracks, but with a slightly new approach at times. Musically they have some slight similarities to latter day Darkthrone and Armagedda on this release mixed with their own sound, which has become a bit angrier.
The vocals are a bit clearer, somehow, but still keeping their hateful aggression and harshness.
The instruments and the vocals are at the same level in the mix, so the production has been improved
since their last album. Very nice. Also they seem to have worked a bit more on the material here. After a while I got a bit tired of their last effort, but this album just keeps spinning in my player. Be sure to check this album out!
Standout tracks are "Thrones Ablaze", "A Vengeance Rising", "Slaves of Celestial Bounds" and "Dreams of Life Seem Morbid".
Tuesday July 5 2005, by :Vragh:
release, while still maintaining the essence of Pest, and they even have songs here with a serious
groove to them. Their music is still mid-paced to fast, with mostly fast tracks, but with a slightly new approach at times. Musically they have some slight similarities to latter day Darkthrone and Armagedda on this release mixed with their own sound, which has become a bit angrier.
The vocals are a bit clearer, somehow, but still keeping their hateful aggression and harshness.
The instruments and the vocals are at the same level in the mix, so the production has been improved
since their last album. Very nice. Also they seem to have worked a bit more on the material here. After a while I got a bit tired of their last effort, but this album just keeps spinning in my player. Be sure to check this album out!
Standout tracks are "Thrones Ablaze", "A Vengeance Rising", "Slaves of Celestial Bounds" and "Dreams of Life Seem Morbid".
Tuesday July 5 2005, by :Vragh:
Pest - 2002 - Blasphemy Is My Throne
This is the first official release from this promising Swedish Black Metal band, not to be confused with the Finnish or German bands with the same name. This is in-your-face Black Metal as it should be, cold and aggressive. Presented here are six tracks, of which the last two are taken from their last demo. Influences are mainly classic Darkthrone and Satyricon, but they also have a nice extra edge of their own in their sound. This is necro Black Metal and could very well have been released in the mid 1990ies.
The music is mid-paced to fast, and the production is harsh, as it should be. The vocals are slightly reminiscent of Nocturno Culto's on Under a Funeral Moon, but they sound distinctly as Pest, no better way to describe it. Yet another really good Swedish Black Metal album in the new wave of Black Metal.
The vinyl versions of most of Pest's albums differ from the CD versions, and this album is no exception; the vinyl recording of this album is actually even harsher than the CD version. Pure hatred! Both versions of this album are limited, 300 on vinyl and 500 on CD. Act fast before they are sold out. You have been warned!
Standout tracks are "Blasphemy is my Throne" and "Along the Path of the Fallen".
The music is mid-paced to fast, and the production is harsh, as it should be. The vocals are slightly reminiscent of Nocturno Culto's on Under a Funeral Moon, but they sound distinctly as Pest, no better way to describe it. Yet another really good Swedish Black Metal album in the new wave of Black Metal.
The vinyl versions of most of Pest's albums differ from the CD versions, and this album is no exception; the vinyl recording of this album is actually even harsher than the CD version. Pure hatred! Both versions of this album are limited, 300 on vinyl and 500 on CD. Act fast before they are sold out. You have been warned!
Standout tracks are "Blasphemy is my Throne" and "Along the Path of the Fallen".
Monday May 31 2004, by :Vragh:
Perisynti - 2006 - Hiilenmusta Lammas
Out of Finland comes this interesting horde with their first fullength. Eight tracks of mid-paced to fast
Black Metal in the finnish tradition is what's presented on this disc. The music is very catchy for being so uncompromising, with really good riffs and varied drums and a Death Metal feel to it. This is very riff based Black Metal, with an extreme driving force in the guitars. This reminds me of Darkthrone's Panzerfaust album.
Handling the vocals is the man behind Muinainen Ruhtinas, Krimn V., which obviously is what the
vocals here remind me of, as well as Sin-Nanna of Striborg. Raspy and not your typical highpitched Black Metal vocals but definitely not less angry. There is no mistaking that this is from Finland, since there is that harsh edge only the finnish language can bring.
The soundquality is extremely good and just right to get the nuances of the music and the vocals through. The production is more bass oriented than most Black Metal releases. The focus is on the
vocals and the guitars, while the drums are not at all your typical Black Metal drums. Very refreshing.
Standout tracks are "Turmeltuneen Ihmisen Luonto", "Kuin Hetken Hurme Hangella Hohtaa", "Hekuman Sarvet" and "Hiilenmusta Lammas".
Sunday August 23 2009, by :Vragh:
Black Metal in the finnish tradition is what's presented on this disc. The music is very catchy for being so uncompromising, with really good riffs and varied drums and a Death Metal feel to it. This is very riff based Black Metal, with an extreme driving force in the guitars. This reminds me of Darkthrone's Panzerfaust album.
Handling the vocals is the man behind Muinainen Ruhtinas, Krimn V., which obviously is what the
vocals here remind me of, as well as Sin-Nanna of Striborg. Raspy and not your typical highpitched Black Metal vocals but definitely not less angry. There is no mistaking that this is from Finland, since there is that harsh edge only the finnish language can bring.
The soundquality is extremely good and just right to get the nuances of the music and the vocals through. The production is more bass oriented than most Black Metal releases. The focus is on the
vocals and the guitars, while the drums are not at all your typical Black Metal drums. Very refreshing.
Standout tracks are "Turmeltuneen Ihmisen Luonto", "Kuin Hetken Hurme Hangella Hohtaa", "Hekuman Sarvet" and "Hiilenmusta Lammas".
Sunday August 23 2009, by :Vragh:
Pandemonium - 2006 - The Autumn Enigma
Out of Sweden comes this band, presenting us with their second fullength. What we get here are 8 tracks, including an outro, of rather melodic, progressive Death/Black Metal. Musically this reminds me of Embraced and Amorphis.
The main vocals are rather deep but still quite clear growls, slightly towards those by Dan Swanö in early Edge of Sanity, with clean sung passages that remind me of Amorphis, as well as vocals sounding similar to those by Kalle Johansson of Embraced, and somewhat towards the Cradle of Filth kind of vocals. Perhaps also a bit of Chuck Schuldiner in them.
The soundquality is very good. The vocals are ever so slightly in the front, with the drums close behind, but you hear all the instruments in the mix. A keyboard is used throughout the album, but this is done very well. It is not used, as in many symphonic Black Metal bands, too excessively and in the front of all the other instruments, but as one of the instruments, and that is just the way to do it. The keyboards mostly remind me of those on Amorphis' Tales from the Thousand Lakes album, but varies from track to track.
Standout tracks are "The Fire", "The Nameless Season", "Autumn Enigma" and "Reflecting Mirrors".
Monday November 27 2006, by :Vragh:
The main vocals are rather deep but still quite clear growls, slightly towards those by Dan Swanö in early Edge of Sanity, with clean sung passages that remind me of Amorphis, as well as vocals sounding similar to those by Kalle Johansson of Embraced, and somewhat towards the Cradle of Filth kind of vocals. Perhaps also a bit of Chuck Schuldiner in them.
The soundquality is very good. The vocals are ever so slightly in the front, with the drums close behind, but you hear all the instruments in the mix. A keyboard is used throughout the album, but this is done very well. It is not used, as in many symphonic Black Metal bands, too excessively and in the front of all the other instruments, but as one of the instruments, and that is just the way to do it. The keyboards mostly remind me of those on Amorphis' Tales from the Thousand Lakes album, but varies from track to track.
Standout tracks are "The Fire", "The Nameless Season", "Autumn Enigma" and "Reflecting Mirrors".
Monday November 27 2006, by :Vragh:
Ovskum - 2004 - Atto I
This is the first fully mixed and finished demo by this Italian Black Metal outfit it seems. Presented here are three tracks of slow to midpaced Black Metal, a total of 15 minutes playingtime. Both the music and the vocals sound very similar to earlier Burzum without sounding like a bad clone.
The soundquality could have been a bit better, perhaps - you hear the guitars in the foreground, followed by the vocals a bit further away, and then the drums can be heard in the background, however despite this I really like the feeling in this recording. It reminds me of the early days. Be sure to check out their upcoming split with Necrolust.
Standout tracks are "I" and "II", the second one being close to 10 minutes.
Monday July 26 2004, by :Vragh:
The soundquality could have been a bit better, perhaps - you hear the guitars in the foreground, followed by the vocals a bit further away, and then the drums can be heard in the background, however despite this I really like the feeling in this recording. It reminds me of the early days. Be sure to check out their upcoming split with Necrolust.
Standout tracks are "I" and "II", the second one being close to 10 minutes.
Monday July 26 2004, by :Vragh:
Overlord Industries - 2005 - Pissingonanazi.com
This Swedish outfit is back with more of their special brand of Metal. This time around we are presented with six tracks an intro and two interludes. The material on this demo has progressed a bit since last, yet you clearly hear who we're dealing with here. The trademark soundquality and guitar sound is present. The same Thrashy Metal, with some Death- and Black Metal in it. All seems to be as before, until we get to the third track, "Something in Common". This took me by surprise the first time around, and it still amazes me after a bunch of listens. It works amazingly well. They have added a trombone to this track, it actually begins with it, and then the song proceeds with the rest of the instruments, and the trombone joining in here and there. This is very good indeed! The trombone shows up here and there during most of the other songs here, but on "Something in Common" it is best by far. Such an amazing groove! The influences here are still from all over the place, and a bit hard to pinpoint. They remind me of Cadaver Inc. and latter day Sepultura, with some really slow, old school Black Metal in there as well, but there's lots more to be discovered here.
The vocals are as before. They remind me a bit of a less extreme and Thrashier version of those on the early Burzum records. Hard to explain, really, but still good.
The vocals are as before. They remind me a bit of a less extreme and Thrashier version of those on the early Burzum records. Hard to explain, really, but still good.
The soundquality is as good as before, being well above the average for a demo recording, and the music is still mostly mid-paced, but feels a bit more varied and innovative this time around. This demo feels a bit more complete than their last effort. A bit more even. Some really good riffing on this demo. I like that. I like when bands have something unexpected in their music, when I can't predict what's next, and this is a good example of that. I want more, but skip the interludes next time.
Standout tracks are "Something in Common", "Goodmorning Cruel World" and "KEL", the faster track on this demo.
Wednesday January 4 2006, by :Vragh:
Overlord Industries - 2004 - Superunderground Vehicle
Here we have the third demo by the Swedish Metal outfit Overlord Industries. We are presented with five tracks with influences from all over the place. Very interesting, that. I find some small parts Black Metal here and there, but this is mainly Death Metal with Thrash and Metal parts.
The vocals consist of either growls or screamed growls, mostly the latter.
The soundquality is quite good, and they handle their instruments well. The music is mostly mid-paced and is extremely catchy, somehow. The guitars on the track "CFF" are just so extremely good!
This is without a doubt the best track on the demo, which is well worth buying just for this one track. A good demo from a promising band walking their own way. I am looking forward to hearing more from these guys.
Standout tracks are "Illness", "CFF" and "Depopulation".
The vocals consist of either growls or screamed growls, mostly the latter.
The soundquality is quite good, and they handle their instruments well. The music is mostly mid-paced and is extremely catchy, somehow. The guitars on the track "CFF" are just so extremely good!
This is without a doubt the best track on the demo, which is well worth buying just for this one track. A good demo from a promising band walking their own way. I am looking forward to hearing more from these guys.
Standout tracks are "Illness", "CFF" and "Depopulation".
Monday March 7 2005, by :Vragh:
Orcustus - 2002 - Demo
Orcustus is a Norwegian Black Metal band with a few rather known names in the ranks. Tormentor (Gorgoroth, Gaahlskagg), Dirge Rep (Gehenna, Enslaved) and Infernus (Gorgoroth) are members of this band, along with newcomer Taipan. This demo is really great, retro Black Metal at its finest.
The soundquality and vocals give a feeling of classic 1992-93 era Black Metal with the vocals sounding reminiscent to those of Emperor on their split with Enslaved and Marduk on their Those of the Unlight album.
The music is midpaced to fast with influences from the Emperor part of the aforementioned Emperor / Enslaved split and early Gorgoroth. The last track, "Lucifuge Damnation", could very well have been from Zyklon-B's Blood Must be Shed MCD. This is very interesting, and the coming fullength, to be released probably towards the end of 2004, certainly is something to look forward to.
Two of the three tracks from this demo, "World Dirtnap" and "Death Becomes You", have also been released on a 7" by Southern Lords in 2003. Unfortunately both of these releases are sold out. Both the demo and the 7" were limited to 1000 copies.
Standout track is "Death Becomes You".
Thursday May 20 2004, by :Vragh:
The soundquality and vocals give a feeling of classic 1992-93 era Black Metal with the vocals sounding reminiscent to those of Emperor on their split with Enslaved and Marduk on their Those of the Unlight album.
The music is midpaced to fast with influences from the Emperor part of the aforementioned Emperor / Enslaved split and early Gorgoroth. The last track, "Lucifuge Damnation", could very well have been from Zyklon-B's Blood Must be Shed MCD. This is very interesting, and the coming fullength, to be released probably towards the end of 2004, certainly is something to look forward to.
Two of the three tracks from this demo, "World Dirtnap" and "Death Becomes You", have also been released on a 7" by Southern Lords in 2003. Unfortunately both of these releases are sold out. Both the demo and the 7" were limited to 1000 copies.
Thursday May 20 2004, by :Vragh:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)