Sterbend - Dwelling Lifeless (2006)

Sterbend was a German band that featured members of Nyktalgia, held in somewhat high regard in certain circles. They only recorded on full-length album, 2006's Dwelling Lifeless, which was released on No Colours Records. This L.P. was quite popular among the teenage crowd, especially those that liked to slash their bodies up and post the photos online to impress their friends. How something so completely below-average and pathetic ever managed to impress anyone is beyond me, as there is nothing about this album that is even remotely adequate.

The band's music has been labeled as 'depressive Black Metal', yet this is very misleading. On the contrary, I cannot stop myself from laughing each time that I have heard it. There is nothing dark or mournful about this, whatsoever. The saddest thing about this is that they got away with, blatantly, ripping off Burzum riffs and claiming them as their own. “Depressing Paths through Fullmoon Forests”, for example, makes poor use of guitar melodies that were originally found on “Det Son En Gang Var”, from Hvis Lyset Tar Oss. Sterbend was, supposedly, formed in 2000 and yet somehow took six years to record their debut album. This seems very pitiful, considering the fact that the songwriting is totally unoriginal. It is obvious that melancholic Black Metal is best left to the French, as they manage to do it properly, in many cases. This horrible record is an insult to all those through whose veins course German blood. The wretched material is not even the worst aspect of the album. The vocals are so cringe-worthy that one almost feels embarrassed for the poor loser. So many people have attempted to imitate the vocal style utilized by Varg Vikernes on the early Burzum albums, and yet none have failed in such a horrific manner. There is nothing tortured or anguished about Typhon's voice; instead, he sounds like a little girl that has been sent to bed without dessert. I am not sure what he thought he was doing, but he utterly failed at creating any sense of despair with his feminine shrieks. In the case of Varg, or Landfermann of Bethlehem, one can really feel the terrible grief and misery in their voices. Typhon was unable to emulate this, at all, so he just employed a weak, high-pitched squeal. The only depressing thing about this is that so many people accepted this and even praised it.

As for the production, it is rather standard for an underground release, though still much more polished than the sort of albums that it is trying to rip off. The vocals are too loud, though more due to the atrocious style than anything else. The guitar tone has no feeling to it, almost coming off more like a Death Metal album in that regard. There is nothing cold or desolate, here. The drumming is too high and clear, the same sort of rotten mistake made my poser bands like Nargaroth. It possesses all of the characteristics of an album that is trying to be more underground than it really is and failing in the process.

Simply put, Dwelling Lifeless is a piece of trash. Even if you consider yourself to be a fan of depressive Black Metal, avoid this. It is about as uninspired as a Xasthur album, and is little more than a sloppily cobbled-together record that is comprised of stolen riffs and mediocre ideas. The vocals, alone, would be reason enough to line the band members up and shoot them dead. Sterbend is a joke and is not even worth hearing for the comedic effect. 

Mortifera - Vastiia Tenebrd Mortifera (2004)

Mortifera began as a concept within the mind of Noktu, which was only realized once Celestia was (temporarily) put on ice. Rising from the same scene that had long before produced such bands as Mütiilation and Vlad Tepes, Mortifera does well to carry on the same tradition of bleak, melancholic Black Metal. This is despite the fact that its creator goes against the earliest tenets of the sub-genre, going for a more personal approach that focuses more on negativity rather than Satanism or even the slightest hints of anti-Christian sentiment. However one chooses to look at the beliefs and concepts behind the band, at least they did not fall into the same trap as Deathspell Omega, being consumed by Judeo-Christian mythology on their 2004 effort Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice. Released in October of that same year, Mortifera's debut album, Vastiia Tenebrd Mortifera, creates a miserable atmosphere that one can hardly bear.

The album begins with “Fvrahgments”, an instrumental track that starts with clean guitars that convey the a sombre feeling. As the distorted guitars slowly fade in, one gets experiences a sensation not unlike being dragged into a horrible nightmare. The riffs are primitive and hearken back to the days of the LLN, though not quite sounding like a carbon-copy. The woeful bass lines are clearly audible, adding another dimension to the music. As the song progresses, the atmosphere darkens even more, setting the tone for the rest of the album.

The first proper track is “La Revenant”, opening with fast tremolo melodies and blasting drums. This takes the listener on a bridge back to the early-to-mid '90s, with the raw guitar sound doing well to give the material the edge that it needs to really have the most effect. Beyond the depressing riffs, the main thing that one might notice would be Noktu's vocals. His anguished screams seem to be the product of intense sorrow and being force-fed shards of broken glass. Though the riffing style never changes, throughout the song, the drumming gets more relaxed, at certain points. This helps place more emphasis on the gloomy vibe being established by the melodies. There is a clean section, near the middle, though this should not be a turn-off of any kind, as it suits the overall composition.

“A Last Breath Before Extinction” possesses a slightly more ominous tone, with slower drumming underneath the fast-picked guitar melodies. The structure of the song is somewhat reminiscent of Strid, as well as the sort of miserably negative feelings that it conveys. The vocals are not as over-the-top, but still on the more grim side of things. It is obvious that this is an extension of what the French Black Legions began, a decade earlier. The song crawls at a morbid pace, extinguishing all signs of life and hope, leaving nothing but despair in its wake. It is fairly repetitive, but this only serves better to enhance the aura. Ending with a clean guitar section, the song fades into nothingness as you realize just how alone you are in this world.

The next song, “Epilogue D'une Existence de Cryssthal”, is an instrumental interlude that features only an acoustic guitar. It repeats the same few chords, more or less, for three minutes. As a stand-alone track, it is not very strong, but works well within the context of the album. It kind of builds on the desolate feeling that was present at the conclusion of the previous tune.

“Ciel Brouillé” is a mid-paced track that takes its lyrics from Baudelaire's 'Les fleurs du mal'. Noktu's vocals take on a more tortured sound, as heard on the first song. Something about this music manages to reach in and connect with the most horrible thing that we each harbour within ourselves, bringing it all to the surface and amplifying it tenfold. The material seems to be somewhat more melodic, coming off as less raw at times. The vocals really make this, though. That is not to discount the actual guitar melodies, but only to give credit to the great job that was done. So many times, vocalist try to imitate what Varg Vikernes did on the old Burzum albums, only to fail. Noktu's approach is something different, almost bearing similarities to the early work of Tomas Lindberg, mixing it with his own hideous voice. Regardless of influences, it meshes well with the songwriting and production to create something truly miserable.

This song is followed by “Abstrbve Negabvtiyon Rebssurectyion”, which almost sounds upbeat by comparison. The tempo is a little more lively and varied. The atmosphere is rather calming, as opposed to the oppressive aura of the previous tracks. The latter half is a bit more bleak, but still nothing like what came before. Not even the sombre whispers could add enough gloom to combat the black hole of negativity that encompassed the first half of the L.P. That said, this is still a memorable track and features some decent riffs. In some ways, it is a good thing to have at least one song that offers a little bit of a break. The minimal contrast actually helps demonstrate just how mournful the earlier pieces were.

“Aux Confins Des Tenebrss” is an outro of sorts, closing out the original material. It is reminiscent of early Katatonia, with the clean guitar, weeping bass and the downtempo drumming. It is an instrumental, more or less, though some shrieks of torment are included for good measure.

The final offering on this album is a cover of “Fruits of a Tragic End”, originally by Noktu's primary band Celestia. Somewhat odd that it was not included on that band's debut full-length. Either way, it features much of the same, though there is a somewhat more primitive feeling to the songwriting, and one could easily imagine one of the LLN bands recording this, several years earlier.

Vastiia Tenebrd Mortifera does well to combine various melancholic elements to create Black Metal with a particularly desolate and hopeless character. Mortifera builds upon the foundation created by the founding fathers of the Second Wave, as well as those mentally ill members of the French underground of the previous decade), successfully crafting an L.P. that is consumed by raw suffering. It may be slightly more melodic that the output of bands like Black Murder or Mütiilation, but the same dark and gloomy feeling is present at its core. 

Hypothermia - Suicide Fixation (2004)

It is no secret that I am not terribly fond of most modern music, so there are times when friends or acquaintances must repeatedly push something for me to give it a chance. Such was the case with the Swedish band Hypothermia. After avoiding it for some time, I finally checked out the 2004 demo, Suicide Fixation, which is entirely bland and worthless. 

Hypothermia suffers from the same fallacies that plague most bands in this so-called "Depressive Black Metal" movement. The songwriting is mundane and talentless, droning on with no atmosphere whatsoever, consisting of slow-paced drums and some of the most boring and useless tremolo riffs ever created. While the pacing of earlier bands is copied, the subtle intricacies that actually created some sort of feeling are totally lost on such charlatans.

Even worse than the below-average guitar melodies are the hilarious and laughable vocals, which are far too high in the mix. The vocal performance is easily the worst part of this atrocious demo. Mr. Carlsson must not have yet hit puberty when he recorded this in his bedroom, as the screams are just pathetic and sound like a little girl that has fallen from her bike and scraped her knees. The majority of the time when people attempt to imitate the style of vocals used on the early Burzum albums, they fail horribly and Hypothermia is no exception. 

Hypothermia is yet another in a long line of useless projects that fail to provide anything of merit. There is nothing depressing about Suicide Fixation, other than the fact that some people are clueless enough to think that it is worth listening to while more deserving bands languish in obscurity.

Gestapo 666 - Black Gestapo Metal (2005)

Gestapo 666 got off to a rough start, recording a brief demo and then remaining silent for several years. Noktu was quite busy with Celestia and Mortifera, while Meyhna'ch left the band (though it is likely that he was never a dedicated member to begin with). It took until June 2005 for the band's first full-length, Black Gestapo Metal, to finally see the light of day. What listeners can expect is a continuation of the style that was utilized on the first demo, but with better production. In many ways, this is reminiscent of the first Vermeth record, in that it comes off as a somewhat generic representation of the Black Legions, just with higher sound quality.

The songwriting is not terribly creative, though that is hardly what one would be looking for with this band, anyway. It is accepted that Gestapo 666 is merely keeping the LLN spirit alive, in one form or another, and this is its main charm. On its own, the material that comprises Black Gestapo Metal is not all that impressive. However, to those that remember the dark and grim times that spawned the likes of Black Imperial Blood (Travel), Feasts or March to the Black Holocaust, this L.P. serves as a posthumous tribute to those that went before. Personally, I often wished to hear such recordings with a slightly better sound, just for the fact that so many brilliant riffs were hiding amidst all the chaos. Still, that was also part of the character of those bands and the music that they created. Gestapo 666 removes the hissing, feedback and excessive distortion to give listeners a clearer impression of the French Black Metal sound.

The arrangements vary, from track to track, but the LLN riffing is easily heard. Some songs possess more aggression, though an overwhelming gloom hangs over the majority of the material. This is most evident on the track “Opening the Crypt of Death”, which is one of the highlights of the album. It is certainly in the minority, being one of the only tracks to feature such a slow pace, but the dark atmosphere that it creates is very memorable. This is mainly due to th prominence of the guitar riffs. Black Gestapo Metal is a release that is very much driven by the guitars. Drumming exists only to keep time, really, and even the vocals are buried under layers of damp soil. Of course, therein lies one of the negative aspects of the album. The mighty Meyhna'ch was replaced by Satanic Tyrant Werwolf, of Horna / Satanic Warmaster fame. It is not that he does a bad job so much as he fails to put forth a great deal of effort, throughout the entire recording. He does just enough to get by, without going the extra mile. It is good that he did not employ his usual style, yet he did not do enough to match the maniacal sort of vocals that one would expect from this music and it really holds things back, quite a bit. The album also suffers from the fact that several of the riffs sound like they were recycled from the aforementioned bands. There is a strong lack of originality that plagues this album, resulting in a lack of any unique character.

It is odd to think that this release is considered as having high quality production, compared to bands like Black Murder, Torgeist and Vlad Tepes, yet it would still be thought of as rather lo-fi when compared to most contemporary records. Black Gestapo Metal actually rests at a very enviable position, being just clear enough for everything to be heard fairly well and to allow for the music to make the most impact, yet still raw and gritty enough to belong to the underground. As previously mentioned, the guitar is the dominant aspect of this album, and rightfully so. The drums and vocals are buried in the mix, to an extent. In the case of the vocals, it seems to be a little too much, though it may help conceal the mediocre performance.

Gestapo 666 is not an essential band but rather one that is primarily of interest to those into the old French scene. Their first L.P. fails to measure up to most of those old demos and albums, but the spirit is there and it is still a solid dose of Black Metal, if not a bit average. While there are some things that could be improved upon, it is worth hearing. Chances are, though it is not likely to blow you away, it will grow on you with repeated listens. 

Vlad Tepes - La Morte Lune (1997)

 

Vlad Tepes is an odd band in that they did all that they could to ensure that their music only reached the hands of a select few, at least at the time. With the quality of songwriting that Wlad and Vorlok were capable of, it is doubtless that they would have produced countless classic Black Metal albums. For one reason or another, they chose the path of obscurity. Along with extremely limited demo tapes and split releases, Vlad Tepes made their art less accessible by utilizing horrible sound quality that went beyond necro. This added a sense of character to their music, in some sense, yet could also detract from the riffs at times. The band's final offering (of original material) came in the form of La Morte Lune, released in August 1997. This tape represents a bit of a regression, as far as the sound quality goes, opting for an even fuzzier and more oppressive feel than ever before.

When first confronted with the shoddy production and grim approach, some might expect the music to be sub-par and amateurish; however, such an assumption would be quite erroneous. Much like their counterparts in Germany, Moonblood, Vlad Tepes wrought brilliant soundscapes within the realm of lo-fi Black Metal. There is absolutely nothing second-rate about the songwriting or musicianship that is on display, here. One might get the impression that only harsh sounds will vomit forth from the speakers, yet there are many haunting subtleties that create a morbidly disturbing atmosphere. The different songs possess a variety of tempos, from the typical fast-paced tracks that one would expect to those that best resemble a hellish war march, fit for demons and other creatures from the darkened past. The feeling conveyed is pitch-black and sends chills up your spine, especially “Morte Lune”. The vocals are still as unrestrained and feral as ever, hardly following logical patterns. While the voices call from the depths of the underworld, freezing your soul, the guitar melodies swirl around you like blackened flames that distort reality. “L'Envol Du Corbeau”, in particular, transforms your surroundings into something hardly recognizable, where nightmares bleed into your waking thoughts, with the line separating them becoming imperceptible.

As mentioned before, the production is hideous and this only benefits the music by helping to establish an obscure and distant feeling. The mix is bass-heavy, creating a thick wall that hardly allows for any treble to exist. Still, the riffs can be discerned with close attention, while the drumming sort of blends into the noise, at times. Many would say that a clearer sound would have made this music even more enjoyable, but the rotten quality actually helps the macabre atmosphere. This is not a case of poor musicians trying to hide their imperfections by utilizing a necro sound. Anyone familiar with Vlad Tepes knows that they were quite skilled when it came to writing and recording Black Metal. They were far more talented than a good number of bands that were praised for doing little more than adding keyboard nonsense over sterile riffs.

As far as it is known, La Morte Lune is the final recording of original Vlad Tepes material. It is quite possible that the band persisted and simply kept their music to themselves and those close to them. Either way, it was a loss to the LLN and to Black Metal, as a whole, when this band chose to descend back to the infernal depths from which it was spawned. Do not be turned away by the poor sound. This is high-quality material that deserves to be heard.

Gestapo 666 - Gestapo of Satan (2000)

Gestapo 666 is a French Black Metal band that was formed in 2000, by Meyna'ch of Mütiilation and Noktu of Celestia. Their first demo was released that same year, and features three songs. The music is fairly raw and primitive, but somehow fails to really live up to the expectations that one might have, considering the people involved. Still, it is by no means a bad release and is worth listening to, particularly for those that appreciate the old LLN recordings.

Musically, Gestapo of Satan sounds like something that came from the French scene of the early-to-mid '90s. From the songwriting to the mediocre level of musicianship that is on display, this is reminiscent of the early Mütiilation demos, to an extent. That said, none of the songs are anywhere near as memorable as tracks like “Under Ardailles Night” or “Suffer the Gestalt”. The first song, especially, is repetitive and boring, at times. Half the song is nothing more than Meyna'ch screaming the title, “Darkness and Satan”, countless times over a pretty boring riff. It is actually a rather disappointing and worthless song and also goes to show that his vocals are far below what they once were. “Gestapo of Satan” is much better, and probably the best track on here, with guitar melodies that actually possess some sort of melancholic feeling. It is rather fast-paced and possesses the same kind of chaotic feeling that was often present on recordings such as Satanist Styrken and Vampires of Black Imperial Blood. “Church Rape Division” maintains the dismal atmosphere, but is not consistent in doing so. Only the first riff carries the same kind of miserable feeling, followed by several disjointed ideas, but returning to end out the demo.

The production is really awful, hearkening back to the heyday of the Black Legions. It is still, easily, listenable, but it is often difficult to hear all that is going on. Sadly, the guitar melodies are very low and do not stand out all that well. The drumming is a bit louder, as if closer to the microphone. The vocals stand out on top of the rest, which is sort of necessary given that Meyna'ch is unable to do what he once could. This demo would have benefited from having the guitar higher in the mix, just to place more focus on the riffs.

In the end, Gestapo 666 is not exactly the most impressive thing that either musician has ever been involved with, though it certainly has its moments. It is clear that Meyna'ch's best days were behind him, at this point, and that he and Noktu did not put a great deal of time into writing and arranging this material. Gestapo of Satan is missing certain fundamental elements that one usually looks for; however it does possess is a level of sincerity that many other releases lack. If you are into the type of raw Black Metal associated with the LLN, give this a chance.

Carpathian Forest - Strange Old Brew (2000)

Strange Old Brew is a rotten album released by a band that was only ever consistent in their own inconsistency. With their sophomore effort, Carpathian Forest chose to explore the more experimental side of things, while also taking a more modern approach to songwriting. The end result is an L.P. that only contains a couple songs worth hearing, and even those are hardly what one would consider to be essential listening.

This record consists, primarily, of disorganized ideas and mediocre execution. The quality of the music represents a severe drop from the band's previous output, especially Through Chasm, Caves and Titan Woods. Half the album is meaningless filler. Out of eleven tracks, four of them easily recognized as garbage, right from the start. The ridiculous intro and outro, along with the two useless instrumentals, do absolutely nothing for the album and only serve to add to the feeling of disarray. Poor compositions like “Mask of the Slave” and “Martyr / Sacrificulum” show just how generic and uninspired Nattefrost and Nordavind were, when writing the material for Strange Old Brew. “Bloodcleansing” and “The Suicide Song” are a step above these, but still rather bland and forgetful. “Return of the Freezing Winds” is at the same level, though the stolen Celtic Frost riffs should count against it. It is pretty sad to think that most of the passable moments of this record have been heard before, countless times. The highlights of the album are “Thanatology” and “Cloak of Midnight”, which are both mid-paced tracks that convey a gloomy and sombre feeling. That said, standing out amongst refuse is hardly an achievement, and neither one comes close to matching the atmosphere of “Journey through the Cold Mists of Svarttjern”. None of the songs on this album give off the feeling that Carpathian Forest were really trying to do anything other than pump out another below-average album, in order to make a few dollars and keep their name out there.

This album was already a few years old, by the time I gave it a listen, and I made the mistake of trying to digest it alongside Black Shining Leather. I failed to really pay attention to the differences between them, and really did not give either a good deal of attention since I was much more impressed by their first E.P. When actually listening closely, Strange Old Brew is not only represents poorer songwriting, but the overall vibe of the record is kind of offensive. Production-wise, this sounds too modern, which seems to work against the very idea of ripping off old school ideas. It is not terribly overdone, but enough so that it affects the feel of the songs. The better tracks on here would have benefited from more of a grim and ugly sound, or perhaps something colder at least. Of course, they had very little connection to the true underground and most of their Norwegian peers had long ago abandoned the old ways.

Strange Old Brew is an album that should be avoided, as it will likely only succeed in lowering your opinion of Carpathian Forest. They were never the greatest Black Metal band around, in the first place, but this record is over 50% trash. The rest is either sub-par or barely average, which is not something that is worth your time, money or attention when considering how many genuinely good bands are waiting to be discovered. Already, at such an early stage in their existence, it seems this band lost what little creativity that they once possessed.