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:

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.

Thursday May 20 2004, 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:

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:

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".

Friday December 2 2005, by :Vragh:

Ondskapt - 2004 - Draco Sit Mihi Dux

Out of the Swedish Black Metal scene comes Ondskapt with their first fullength album, following their debut mini lp Slave Under His Immortal Will. It took me a few listens to get into this album, but it is a very good one. Here are many an influence. The soundquality is a little dark and the sound is more bassoriented than is common in Black Metal.

The vocals remind me of a slightly less bizarre De Mysteriis era Attila Csihar, operatic and with a sound of desperation. On this album are both moments that could have been taken from De Mysteriis era Mayhem as well as from Angst era Shining. Mostly this is not an album that is built upon fast double bass drums, the tempo is more towards the midpaced with tracks around 6-10 minutes long.

The allover sound on the recording and the vocals creates a very dark mood. Some truly amazing riffing on this album. If you enjoy Mayhem, Attila Csihar and Shining you are going to enjoy this album. This is a well executed, very professional piece of Black Metal Art.

Standout tracks are "III" and "VI".

Thursday May 20 2004, by :Vragh:

Obscurus Advocam - 2004 - Fervour and Devotion

This French Black Metal horde has unleashed their demo upon the underground. Presented on this tape are five tracks, including intro and outro, of mostly mid-paced Black Metal featuring members of Glorior Belli.

The music reminds me of the mid '90ies, with a sound reminding me somewhat of Ondskapt and Shining, being slightly melodic and depressive Black Metal. The vocals are at times similar to those by Attila on De Mysteriis, but mostly they sound like a more guttural version of those by Akhenaten
of Judas Iscariot.

The soundquality is a bit murky, and the volume of the recording is lower than average, but I really like this demo. It just emanates an aura of darkness. There's this dark feeling in the music that many bands of today just don't have.

Standout tracks are "II" and "V".

Tuesday January 4 2005, by :Vragh:

Mord - 2004 - Morde

Out of Germany comes this Black Metal act, featuring members of Zorn in the ranks. Six scathing hymns of mid-paced to fast hatefilled Black Metal, mostly reminiscent of Blodulv, but also early Ulver, Ildjarn because of the often rather repetitive riffing, and Borknagar. The tracks are rather long, averaging 8 minutes.

The vocals are raw, somewhat in the vein of those by Grendel in Blodulv, those by Garm on the first Borknagar album, mainly because of the drawn out screams, and of Dead of Mayhem, sounding at times like those by Dead on the Live in Leipzig album. Sabnock also does the vocals in Zorn.

The soundquality on this recording is harsh, but not too unclear. This does remind me of Ildjarn as well, but the earlier days, when he had a bit clearer soundquality on his releases. The drums are a bit towards the back in the mix, along with the bass. This is filthy Black Metal, as it should be!

Standout tracks are "In the Forest of Dead Souls" and "Necrophage".

Monday November 27 2006, by :Vragh:

Incursus - 2005 - Incursus 7"

American Black Metal act Incursus has released their first 7", containing two tracks plus an intro and an outro. Quite good, fast Black Metal is what we get on this black vinyl.

The mostly snarled vocals remind me of mostly of Spectre of Vultyr, with hints of a less highpitched
Maniac of Mayhem, Cerastes of Mysticum and Wrest of Leviathan (US).

The music reminds me of Vultyr and early Emperor with a bit of Thorns thrown in here and there.
This sounds like Norwegian Black Metal with a twist of USBM thrown in. Not bad!

The soundquality is slightly muffled, with a strangely bass oriented sound with a lot of treble in the
guitars. The drums are present, but a bit unclear and a bit at the back of the mix, with the vocals at the front and guitar in between. The bass is given a bit more space than is usually the case in Black Metal.

This is well above average Black Metal with a few surprises along the way. Of the two tracks "Black Burial" was the one that stood out slightly more. My only complaint with this release is that it was not a fullength. This is a band I will keep an eye on, for sure. Well worth checking out!

Wednesday October 15 2008, by :Vragh:

Bleak Forest - 2005 - Fog Over the Highlands

Out of Australia comes this oneman band, presenting us with some serious Black Metal. The overall sound on this release is one reminding me of the early to mid '90ies. Not at all bad! Three tracks of mid-paced to fast, and at times slightly melodic Black Metal with some moody acoustic parts in it is what we are offered here. This reminds me slightly of Ildjarn at times, although not as primitive and repetitive, and here are some regular Metal influences present as well. Slight Thornium and early Ancient is also something I hear in this.

The vocals sound like growled snarls. Somehow I think of Dead's vocals on "Freezing Moon". Something in the way they are performed, perhaps, since they're not extremely similar.

The soundquality is a bit fuzzy and murky, which gives a nice extra touch to it all. The vocals are slightly in the back of the mix, but you can hear the drums and the guitar rather clear, at least. The guitar sounds really aggressive. Most excellent. The production on the last track, the added bonus to this re-release of the demo is slightly different, and the guitars on this recording are even fuzzier.

Standout tracks are "Fog Over the Highlands" and "Black Moon Rising". These are also the two tracks that appeared on the original demo. This is worth your time to locate. Limited to 200 copies.

Wednesday January 18 2006, by :Vragh:

The Inferno Festival 2005 Report

Pre-Inferno Concert

Koldbrann

After travelling 500 km by car we arrived in Drammen for the Pre-Inferno concert. Silent Vanquish, Koldbrann and Mayhem were the entertainers for the evening. As always, things take longer than you expect, and this roadtrip was no exception. Things looked a bit bleak there for a while, but we arrived twenty minutes before Koldbrann were to enter the stage, and only missed the first band. Time for a beer and general anticipation, plus checking out the merchandise, of course. General excitement all around. Another beer. And then Koldbrann, one of the two highlights of the evening, entered the stage. Ever since I got my hands on their debutalbum back in 2003 I've wanted to see these guys live, and this show did indeed stand up to all my expectations. Aggression, corpsepaint, spikes and that great sound reminding you of the 1990ies, and the early days of Black Metal. What else could one want after several hours in a car? Mannevond's vocals are almost better live. If you ever have the chance to see these guys perform, there is no excuse not to! Not only are they excellent on stage, they are also really great guys offstage.


After some waiting (and another beer) it was time for Mayhem to take the stage. With Attila back on vocals, this was sure to be something out of the ordinary!

Attila

Attila live is a rather strange experience. He does some really weird noises inbetween the songs, but his vocals are excellent. He manages to sound like Maniac on the tracks where he did the vocals, as well as do his own vocals on the De Mysteriis tracks. Very impressive. The highlight of the set, for me at least, was "Life Eternal". Incredible song on the album, and just as good live. Attila seemed to be slightly out of place on the stage for a good part of the show, but after a while he got used to it (or maybe I got used to it, who knows). In the beginning of the second encore Blasphemer's guitar stopped working, which made for an interesting ending of the show. First there was bass, vocals and drums, but after a while it was clear that the guitar was not going to be fixed. Exit Blasphemer. After a few moments Necrobutcher stopped playing and walked off the stage. Now there were only drums and vocals, and then Hellhammer stopped playing, got up and left the stage together with Attila. Quite an odd ending, but also a bit amusing to see. After Mayhem left the stage it was time to do some work. An interview with Mannevond was done, and after this it was time to leave.

Accomodations in Drammen at 3 AM aren't that many, so we decided to give the car a go. Now, three people in a not too big a car is something that is manageable. Not something that is really amazingly comfortable, but it is possible to get some semblance of rest, at least. Our driver repeatedly asked me on the way up "So, where do we sleep in Drammen?" and my answer to this was always "It'll be solved, one way or the other." This was not the answer he wanted to hear, and as he has later stated, he was not in the least bit happy with this vague concept of travelling and accomodations. But it all worked out, after all.

After a rather uncomfortable and not too warm night in the car, we left for Oslo rather early the next day to get our press passes and get ready for three days of beer, interviews and loads of music. And Jack Daniel's. And beer.

Day 1
                                        

Driving in Oslo isn't as much fun as one would think. Lots of one way streets and dead ends. This is most likely something they have done just to generally annoy anyone who's not familiar with the

streets in Oslo. We decided to leave the car by the railway station and go by foot in the direction of the venue. This proved to be much easier than we had thought at first (ok, ok, yes we asked for directions), and suddenly, dramatically, we were in the right place. We walked in to get our stuff, and then we went off to get a bite to eat, after which we'd move the car. We had a plan. Food was taken

care of at a place called New Lille Amir, and this was our first encounter with  the amazing Chicken Shwarma that they serve there. This was practically the only place we ate at for the entire festival. I could eat myself to death on those things. After this most refreshing and tasty meal, we moved the car closer to Rockefeller, finding a spot just 50 meters from the venue. Excellent! And now it was time for what we went all this way for, in the first place, the Inferno Festival! Rockefeller is a great place to have this indoor festival at. There are actually two stages in the building. There is the big stage at Rockefeller, and there's the smaller stage downstairs at John Dee. What's really great is that you don't have to go outside to go between the two. Most excellent, since Norway is a bit chilly in March. And remember, all pubs and venues are non-smoking, so be prepared to go outside, or up to the roof if you want some nicotine in your bloodstream.

Taakeferd

Opening the entire festival down at John Dee was Taakeferd, probably the Black Metal band that is from the farthest north, being from Tromsø on the Norwegian coast. Taakeferd have been playing for a while, and I had heard some of their material before, but this was much better than I remembered, and it worked very well live. Fast Black Metal with a slightly melodic feel to them at times. The great thing about Black Metal live is of course the corpsepaint, and Taakeferd was no disappointment in that respect either.

                                        

After about half an hour they left the stage, and it was time to go upstairs to the bigger stage at Rockefeller and one of the three bands I didn't see that day, namely Chton, featuring members of Manes and a former member of Lumsk, play a kind of Death Metal that I'm not too fond of. More often than not I find that Norwegian Death Metal lacks something essential to the mix, just as many American Black Metal bands can't seem to get that Black Metal feeling right, so I skipped this and went for a bite to eat instead.

Nebular Mystic

After some food (and drink) it was time for one of the highlights of the festival, for me at least, Nebular Mystic entered the small stage at John Dee. Half an hour of aggressive Black Metal, is something you most certainly won't hear me complain about. This up and coming band seemed to be the one that the press was focusing the most on, of all the bands at the festival. Unfortunately I was going to do an interview halfway through their set, but when I got to the appointed place he was keeping busy with other things, and then he disappeared. A bit annoying, but what can you do, eh? The half I did see was most excellent, at least. Be sure to check out their recently released debut, "Necrotic"!

After the Black Metal assault of Nebular Mystic it was time for the old troll himself, Mortiis and his Gothic brand of Metal. Of all the artists, he was probably the one that was most out of place here, but he delivered a good show, despite him throwing the microphone stand around all the time, and he got a good response from the crowd I thought. His show suffered somewhat, because of the industrial elements being less audible, I thought. Still, quite enjoyable. After Mortiis I went to have a chat with Nebular Mystic, who proved to be rather not at all talkative. They had done numerous interviews already, and seemed rather beat. Still, it was an amusing interview to do, though it will never see the light of day, and after practically pulling the answers out of them I went down to John Dee for some serious Death Metal with Gorelord.

Featuring the very busy Frediablo in their ranks, this could have been quite interesting. Unfortunately it got a bit tedious after a few songs. This could be because I am more of a Black Metal person, I don't know, but I do enjoy some Death Metal as well, of course. I would say that Gorelord's fleshy sound is a bit more enjoyable on CD than on stage. However, I did have to check them out, of course. That's what festivals are for! Time to head up the stairs again.

Lamennted Souls

At Rockefeller Lamented Souls were getting ready to go onstage. This Doom outfit has gotten some attention lately, what with finally releaseing their long finished album, The Origins of Misery, featuring all the material they have released so far. Also, since this is a band featuring Simen Hestnæs of Arcturus and Dimmu Borgir fame, that has added to the hype, and this was something I was looking forward to see. However, I must say that this didn't get as interesting as I'd hoped. This isn't really great live music, and since people had been drinking for many an hour at this point, this unfortunately just felt a bit out of place.

Taking over the main stage after Lamented Souls was Swedish Viking/Death Metallers Amon Amarth. After a not too impressive start (did the drummer forget to warm up, or what?!), they eventually got the hang of it and delivered an over all ok show. Though, as with most all of the shows on the Rockefeller stage, I felt that the sound was lacking somewhat. These guys are not entirely my cup of tea though, a bit too melodic at times, and following this performance was this day's headliner Morbid Angel with David Vincent back on vocals.

Morbid Angel

After having cancelled all interviews earlier, since they were sleeping most of the day away (or just didn't feel like answering a lot of questions, who knows), they entered the stage at 01.00. Much to my surprise they started off the show with "Rapture", their biggest hit. A most excellent beginning. Where do they go from there, you ask? Well, they continued to play all the classic songs, of course. Practically every song you've ever wanted to hear live from their four first albums. These guys still kick ass after all these years. A very good show indeed. David Vincent is back where he belongs, but how he can stand playing in a tight latex shirt is beyond me.

This was a very tiring day. Morbid Angel left the stage at a bit after 2 AM, and after a night in the car, with not too much sleep it was time to head for the hotel, finally. Luckily, the hotel we stayed at (with the fitting name "Edderkoppen", "The Spider") wasn't far away, so after a short walk we were home. Sleep!

Day 2

On day two there was little activity on my part. I was feeling rather bad (from too much Jack Daniel's in the car before the festival opened for the day, and a bit of a cold), and still rather tired after the previous day as well. I saw the essentials, and slightly more, but that was it. The first band I even considered watching was Grimfist at 19.45. This is yet another band featuring Frediablo. That guy sure is keeping busy, though he has recently removed himself from some of the bands. These guys were not really what I was after, though. Again, Norwegian Death Metal and all that. And since Horgh left for Hypocrisy it wasn't as interesting to see them anymore. Be sure to check out their recent "10 Steps to Hell" album, though. Very good one, that.

Aura Noir

It was time for some more Chicken Shwarma instead, before Aura Noir, featuring Blasphemer of Mayhem in their ranks, entered the Rockefeller stage. This was something that I was a bit unsure as to what to expect. I am not so fond of their albums, and the whole Thrashing Black Metal thing just isn't my cup of tea, but I thought I'd give them a try. This proved to be a really good idea, since they absolutely crushed live. Fast and furious, and aggressive as Hell! Just what I needed. Czral's drumming is also always interesting to see. I sure hope he recovers from his fall, and is able to get back on stage and behind the drumkit soon. This is a band that I would love  to see again! Still can't stand their albums, though.

Arcturus

Then it was time for another of the many highlights of the festival (after the very unfortunate appearance of the Dirty Sanchez maniacs. What a bunch of sad characters.), Arcturus. Now fronted by Simen Hestnæs, who did some vocals on the "La Masquerade Infernale" album, this was something that I assumed would be very interesting. I had rather high hopes for this, but it exceeded my high est expectations, I must say. They put on an amazing show, played basically all the songs I wanted to hear, with material from all of their albums, as well as the track "Demon Painter" off of their new album "Sideshow Symphonies", and during "Chaos Path" they had the stage full of  vaudeville characters. A great show indeed. Simen did an amazing job with the vocals, and it was quite some time since I saw anything that had a show even remotely as memorable as this one.

This evenings headliner Candlemass was up next. These old Doomsters were quite the rage in the late eighties, and I thought I'd watch a song or two, since I listened to them way back when. Sadly, this was not as good as I had hoped. Maybe it was me, I have gone quite a long way since listening to these guys, or maybe some things are just better left in the grave, what do I know. In any case the theatric vocals of Messiah Marcolin, and the slow pace of the music didn't do it for us, so we decided to call it a night after about half a song, and left for the hotel.

Day 3

Nattefrost

On day three there was a bit more activity, on my part. I was feeling better than the day before, and so I was a bit more motivated, as well. The first band I saw this day was Nattefrost, and they were probably the most fun of all the bands at the festival. Not too serious (lyric and image wise), crushing Black Metal in the vein of Carpathian Forest (obviously) for half an hour. Who could possibly dislike that? Entering the stage in corpse paint, high heeled boots, fake breasts, string underwear and all smeared in blood was hard to beat for the other bands. What class! Luckily they also played the amazing track "Sluts of Hell", the highlight of any given festival or live event. This was one of the few bands that actually kept their outfit and corpse paint on offstage, after the show. It's always a good thing to not take yourself too seriously.

Grave

It was now time for me to interview Gehenna. The interview was a success, and we chatted on a bit after the interview as well. Very nice people, the Gehenna's. (the interview has since been lost, unfortunately.) While I was doing the interview, Swedish Death Metallers Grave had taken the Rockefeller stage, and as I got out into the venue again, they performed the only song I really wanted to hear with them, "Soulless". That's good timing, I must say. This track was about all I could take from these guys, for some reason it seemed that almost all of the Death Metal bands playing here this year just weren't any great livebands. Most of them were just standing there playing their songs. Usually no spikes, and not that aggressive either.

But then again, even Black Metal bands can be rather non aggressive, as Greece's Naer Mataron unfortunately proved to me. I was expecting a bit more from them. I had heard one of their albums a while back, and that was actually quite good, having some aggression in it and all. Live it was quite a different story. Melodic Black Metal seems to be all the rage around the world, these days, but me I've never really understood why, and these guys were rather a bit more melodic than I expected them to be. Sure, they could handle their instruments well, but it just doesn't do it for me, so after a few songs I left for the next disappointment of the evening, namely Green Carnation.

Tsjuder

I first heard their "Journey to the End of the Night" album a few years ago, and really enjoyed it. When it comes to progressive Black Metal, I am all ears. Then they did their one hour long, single track album, and had lost the edge in their music that I enjoyed, and after that I pretty much lost track of them. And here they are, playing the festival I'm attending, so I thought I'd see their performance and get something out of it. Unfortunately this was not very impressive at all to see, just rather uninteresting, really, so we went to get some Chicken Shwarma goodness instead, before another one of the highlights of the festival, namely Tsjuder, were to enter the John Dee stage.

I saw these guys in Copenhagen when they played there with Carpathian Forest (an interview we conducted back then is also lost to history.) and was looking forward to seeing them again. A really great show, this was. Raging Black Metal in the old vein, just as it should be! Corpse paint, spikes and brutality. These guys sure know how to rip! Also you noticed that they were appreciated, this was the only band that completely filled up the smaller venue, and they had to stop people from going down there, and let people in as people left, it was so full. Not at all bad. The festival's end was now drawing nigh, but there were still a few interesting bands left to see, and the first one out of these was Gehenna, on the Rockefeller stage. 

Gehenna

This wasn't as great as it could have been, unfortunately. The sound was a bit too unclear (again), but there were definitely a few great moments, like "Deadlights" and "Grenade Prayer". I do quite enjoy their unique, slow and heavy Black Metal. Over all it was great to see them live, despite the sound being what it was. Check out their latest album "WW", featuring the drumming of Frost of Satyricon. A very moody and aggressive album. 

After this it was time for the final band of this years festival, and headliner for this evening, namely reactivated Swedish MLO Death / Black Metallers Dissection. They perfomed a very professional show, and of course seeing some of the old classics live wasn't at all bad. They sure knew what they were

doing, and they had a professional air about them, almost as if they were born for performing on stage. As an added bonus Attila joined them on stage to perform the vocals on "Elisabeth Bathory", since it is a Tormentor cover (he kept himself busy with doing vocals for Sunn 0))) as well, but those guys had to wait, they were playing the Roskilde Festival later in the year as well, and seeing a drone band in the small John Dee venue was not something I would do.). These guys are not my absolute favourites, a bit too melodic for my taste, but I did enjoy what I saw before we left for the hotel, this last night in Oslo.

Dissection

In conclusion, I must say that this is one Hell of an event. Great fun and great bands. It's great to just walk around in the crowd and see many of the people that are part of the Norwegian scene. I strongly urge anyone with the possibility to go here to do so. And bring lots of cash. Norway is expensive, but oh so fun. And 20 bands in four days is a Hell of a lot of entertainment.

Ann Frestad of Khaoz Productionz should have a standing ovation for her efforts and kindness. And maybe a medal, too. She sure knows her stuff.

By :Vragh:

Acrimonious - 2006 - Broken Bonds of Balance 7"

Out of Greece comes this Black Metal band with a promo of an upcoming 7" containing 2 tracks of mid-paced to fast, Swedish and French sounding Black Metal. The material presented here reminds me of both Watain and Deathspell Omega, really, and is just slightly melodic. You can hear a distinct progress since their Perdition Gospel demo here. The material is harsher and sharper.

The vocals remind me quite a lot of those by Erik of Watain.

The soundquality is quite good, and has improved since their demo as well. Slightly murky sound, but that is something at least I enjoy. You mostly hear the guitars and the vocals with the drums ever so slightly further back in the mix. The production reminds me slightly of that on Mayhem's De Mysteriis dom Sathanas and Watain's Casus Luciferi. Both the tracks presented here impressed me, I must say. I am most definitely keeping track of this band, and so should you!

Saturday October 21 2006, by :Vragh: