Mütiilation - Satanist Styrken (1994)

Satanist Styrken is the third Mütiilation demo, released in early 1994. The influence of the Norwegian Black Metal scene had grown so strong that the title of the demo, as well as one of the song titles, is in Norwegian. Strangely, the material is a step below the tracks from Remains of a Ruined, Dead, Cursed Soul, which was supposedly recorded during the previous year. Despite the drop in quality, the sound is closer to that recording than to the demos that preceded it, and the overall atmosphere is much more grim as well.

The first track is "Skoger av onde drom", which begins with a doom-inspired riff that carries a miserable feeling. This is followed by a faster riff that gives off a trance-like feeling, and seems to have some noticeable Darkthrone influence. The sound is muddy and several of the elements end up blending together during the fast-paced sections. The production is not much better than the early demos, but the musicianship certainly shows signs of improvement. The songs flow much more nicely, and there are less abrupt stops. Still, there are parts that seem awkward, though that may just be part of the band's charm. This song later appeared on the Vampires of Black Imperial Blood reissue, and the result is ten times better.

"My Last Night Among Those Times" follows this, and is very reminiscent of the material from their aborted 1993 full-length. The vocals are hellish and tormented, while the muddy riffs clog up the drumming like coagulated blood. Despite the low sound quality, the riffs maintain a dismal feeling and the tortured howls of Meyhna'ch suit the song. One can detect the old school Black Metal influence here, likely from early Bathory or even a bit of Hellhammer. It ends with a sorrowful acoustic section that adds a bit of depth to the track.

The next song is "Eternal Empire of Majesty Death", and is the only one from this demo to make it to the original version of the band's first album. The pace is a bit slower than what was later recorded, and the atmosphere is very lifeless and melancholic. The sounds give rise to many nightmarish visions, plaguing the mind of the listener and giving a strong push toward an untimely demise. The utter darkness that spawns from this song engulfs you in pure hopelessness and sorrow. While it is much clearer on the L.P. version, the dreary vibes are somewhat lost when compared to this one.

The demo wraps up with "Infernal Holocaust in the Mourning Dawn". This one utilizes a faster pace and maintains the raw and primitive feeling. The vocals are even more indecipherable, seeming kind of gargled in a strange way. The mid-paced riffs stand out and help to add a more subtle measure of gloom to the proceedings. Things really seem to fall apart near the end of the song, which represents a descent into the very depths of hell. The final notes are as ominous as a funeral bell, signaling the untold suffering that shall soon befall you.

Satanist Styrken is raw and mournful Black Metal and is a must-have for any Mütiilation fan. This demo captures their sound very well and gives a good representation of the band in their most creative period. Their sound had been well-defined by this point as they had fully established their identity and artistic direction.

Mütiilation - Ceremony of Black Cult (1993)

Ceremony of Black Cult is the second demo from the French Black Metal band Mütiilation. Released in early 1993 (about a year after their first demo, Rites through the Twilight of Hell) this recording shows a decent amount of development and represents one more step toward becoming one of the most revered groups affiliated with the LLN.

Though the intro does not quite have the desired impact, the first song relieves all doubts about whether or not the band had progressed in terms of songwriting and ability. "Desecrate Jesus' Name" features the same type of riffing that Mütiilation utilized so frequently on the first demo, but the playing is far more competent and the riffs manage to flow much better. The transitions are still largely non-existent, but the execution shows vast improvement in such a relatively short amount of time. There is a lot more variation in guitar melodies and percussion, and the vocals are a little more audible as well. Meyhna'ch's morbid wailing was already taking shape by this point, as well as the band's tendency to create a sombre atmosphere.

"As the Night Falls" begins with a mid-paced riff that shows some doom influence, before the pace picks up a slight bit. One can easily notice that the vocal patterns were more thought-out and that the songwriting, in general, was given more attention. Rather than a random collection of riffs, the songs here sound more coherent. Despite this, it is difficult to believe that this same band would record the material for Remains of a Ruined, Dead, Cursed Soul later in the same year, as those compositions sound more developed, though still in the same primitive style.

The next song is "Sorcerer's Land", which starts out with a rather pointless section with only drums and vocals (accompanied by the subtle rumbling of a bass guitar). After this intro, there is an awkward pause and then a new riff simply begins in progress, almost, with the vocals seeming kind of chaotic. A slower doom riff comes along to add some depth to the track, though the band fails to capitalize on this effect. This song would later be merged with the Bathory song "Rite of Darkness", which appeared on the reissue of Vampires of Black Imperial Blood.

The demo concludes with another version of "Under the Fullmoon", which features an altered intro. It sounds pleasant enough, but does not suit the vibe of the song and is actually less effective than the previous acoustic intro. This recording replaces the atmospheric funeral organ with several seconds of feedback and odd vocal effects. Again, another change that actually works against the feeling of the original.

Ceremony of Black Cult is not essential, but is certainly worth a listen for all fans of Mütiilation's early work. Production-wise, it sounds about as rough and ugly as the previous demo, so there are no real surprises. It is a step up in other areas, though the improvements are accompanied by glaring faults. The one thing that could have saved this recording the most would have been a better vocal performance. Had Meyhna'ch been imbued with the dark essence that possessed him during the Remains of a Ruined, Dead, Cursed Soul session, then the entire impression of this demo would have been far different. Nevertheless, it is still superior in many ways to the band's later output, which felt far too manufactured. Regardless of any defects, this recording sounds organic and real. If you like raw and under-produced Black Metal, give it a listen.

Mütiilation - Rites through the Twilight of Hell (1992)

When I discovered Mütiilation, they only had only released two full-length albums, unless you count the Remains of a Ruined, Dead, Cursed Soul compilation that introduced me to this black cult. I quickly sought out any and all of the band's works, including this interesting demo from 1992. Rites through the Twilight of Hell almost seems like a full album, upon first glance. It has an intro and several average-length songs, and the whole thing clocks in around half an hour. However, actually listening to the tape shows that it is not only a mere demo, but an extremely rough one, at that.

The production gives a bad name to the word necro. This is some of the lowest-quality stuff that I can listen to and still tolerate. To put it into perspective, it is one step above Mayhem's Pure Fucking Armageddon. The guitars actually possess a nice, filthy tone, which is one of the positive points for the recording. However, the vocals are almost completely buried, adding only a small fraction of what they should to the overall atmosphere of the demo. The drums are also quite low, though this is probably for the better. In a sense, the whole recording comes off as just a rough tape of guitar riffs with vocals and drums added for effect.

For some time, I wondered why Meyhna'ch failed to re-record most of these songs, since it strikes one as being a waste. However, a closer listen reveals that the songwriting just is not very strong, and several of the tracks sound quite similar. There are a few decent ideas, here and there, but there is a complete lack of coherence within the material itself. The fact that a song like "Black Wind of War" was later salvaged (for the Hail Satanas We are the Black Legions E.P.) shows just how much the band developed over time. A few of the riffs appear later on, in altered form, but the majority was simply too unstructured to be worked with.

One of the main problems with the vocals, other than being buried so deep, is that there is hardly any logic to the vocal patterns and phrasing; little thought seems to have been given to the placement, and it all gives the impression of something that was improvised on the spot, in some cases. The guitar playing is very sloppy as well, with some really nice ideas being destroyed due to poor execution. In particular, this applies to a decent melody that emerges in the latter half of "Born in Malediction", along with the subsequent solo. It possesses a nice raw feeling, but one gets the sense that it could have been so much more. The drumming is quite awful too, though serving its purpose, reminding one of a kid playing drums on some boxes or maybe pots and pans. It actually works to their benefit that the percussion is not easily heard.

As for the songwriting, it is all very simplistic and primitive. An aura of doom pervades much of the music, here. There are a lot of mid-paced, down-picked riffs that carry a mournful feeling and convey some sense of misery and loss. The dark atmosphere of the music is only a shadow of what could have been (as with most aspects of this recording), but the potential is evident. The arrangement and structuring all comes off as haphazard and disjointed. Though it is a nice touch, the organ section of "Under the Fullmoon" really should have been worked in a more natural way. Rather than each song possessing its own identity, several of the riffs sound alike, on the first listen, which makes it difficult to get well-acquainted with the material. The music seems to take equal influence from 80's bands as well as the Black Metal scene that was taking shape to the north. Despite the rough nature of this recording, one can tell that Mütiilation had a vision that they were aspiring to. It was only a matter of time before they developed the talent to pull it off.

Rites through the Twilight of Hell is, probably, only of interest to die-hard fans and is not a good starting place for anyone that is new to the band. It is a collection of rough ideas that would slowly coalesce to form a unique entity that would span the next decade and a half. If you want to see the primitive beginnings of Mütiilation, this is it.

Mgła - Mdłości (2006)

Mgła is a Polish Black Metal band that plays a rather primitive style of music that is rooted in the early 90's scene. Formed in 2000, they took their time before releasing any material, as they seemed more concerned with honing their craft and making a good impression. In this case, it was a very good thing that nothing was rushed. The 2006 Mdłości E.P. was limited to 500 copies and displayed a group with firm control over their songwriting and overall execution.

This band came recommended from a friend that I often talked music with. After going on about how I felt that there were no current bands worth paying attention to, this very recent E.P. was tossed my way in order to prove otherwise. One night, while the candles illuminated my freezing cold home, Mgła found its way into the rotation, along with Katharsis, Clandestine Blaze and Sargeist. The material was much more impressive than I had expected, though I did not really follow up on it.

The first song, simply titled "Mdłości I", begins with an ominous riff that soon bursts into a storm of raw hatred. The drumming is rather straightforward, though there are some tempo changes to keep things interesting. The guitar riffs show an adherence to Darkthrone's philosophy, in some ways, while also possessing some of the serpent-like melodies that can be found in the early Watain material. The vocalist puts on a good performance, sticking within the bounds of the Second Wave and betraying a Nocturno Culto influence. The riffs have some epic quality to them, giving the feeling that you are being taken on a journey through cold and desolate lands. The song is very memorable as the guitar melodies stick with you for hours or even days.

"Mdłości II" is a bit shorter, but no less effective. The tremolo melody is unbearably dismal and hypnotic in a way. The simplistic percussive approach works well to accentuate the guitar riff and to allow it to absolutely drain all life from the listener. The drumming pattern offers some amount of variation, but it never distracts from the bleak and mournful riffs. The vocals possess a sense of desperation that compliments the overall atmosphere very well. During the faster-paced sections, the miserable vibe of the song is most strongly felt, as the anguished melodies tear through you.

This E.P. is well worth the time and effort to seek out. Mgła displayed a great amount of potential, with this release, and I have to wonder why I let this band slip through the cracks. Perhaps, due to the year of its release. Either way, seek this out and don't make the same mistake.

Katharsis - 666 (2000)

After forming in 1994, the German Black Metal band Katharsis went on to release a few rather low quality demos, which were considered lackluster at best. The material was not particularly strong nor were the recordings very easy on the ears. However, by 2000, the band managed to capture their raw and chaotic brand of music in the form of the 666 L.P. Released in very limited numbers by Sombre Records, this album showcases a band that had ignored all of the trends of the time period and adhered to a strict early 90s mentality.

I discovered Katharsis in late 2003, after seeing that Scorn had contributed lyrics to Watain's Casus Luciferi. At the time, I was quite open to hearing more underground Black Metal in the same vein as old Darkthrone, so I allowed a lot of sub-par stuff to pass through my hands. My first impression of this band was that they were just keeping the flame burning, but not really doing anything special. As a result, I allowed this album to collect dust for a few years, before really giving the band more attention. Even after listening to all of their albums, over the past several years, I cannot fully shake the initial feeling that I got upon first hearing them.

The album begins with "666 (Hohelied der Wiedererweckung)", which features some of the more interesting riffs of the entire album. It starts out strong, with a guitar melody that sounds like it could have come from Under A Funeral Moon. The production is somewhat similar, as the guitar tone is razor thin and possesses a cold feeling. However, the drumming stomps all over this, being more chaotic than necessary and too high in the mix. Once you get past this, the riffs are pretty decent and the vocals suit the music quite well, also. This song features a decent amount of changes and displays a good measure of variation in composition, yet it loses focus after a few minutes and becomes far too chaotic and drags on longer than it should. Drakh sounds like most other Black Metal vocalists from the Second Wave that Katharsis so strongly worships, keeping in line with the likes of Nocturno Culto. The only difference is that his sound is a little more throaty, allowing some low level of shrieking to mix in with his voice. This song loses its focus, after a few minutes, and shows one of the band's main weaknesses: they are not yet capable of maintaining the momentum that the songs build.

The next song is "Thy Horror", and it is a little shorter and less tedious to listen to. Again, the riffs are kind of generic and the overall feeling is that this has been heard before. Even worse, it was done much better the first time. That is not to say that this is not enjoyable. It fulfills the desire to hear more music in this style and keeps the old feeling alive. At a time when even the originators of this sound had given up on it and most other bands were experimenting, it was definitely a positive thing for some bands to continue on in this direction. The highlight of the song comes near the end, with a haunting riff that should have been introduced earlier on. It is far too brief, but it does show potential.

This is followed by "Raped By Demons / Massacrament", which possesses an energetic beginning, though it soon loses its appeal. The drumming is annoying on this track, and even the vocals seem too deep for the music. The slower sections are not as bad, though not all that interesting. The middle of the song hearkens back to old Slayer, particularly Show No Mercy and Hell Awaits. Things pick up a bit, after this, with a couple of decent solos. It just goes to show how much bands could benefit from tossing in guitar solos, every now and then. For music so rooted in old Bathory, it is strange how this type of thing is so uncommon.

"The Black Grail" is next, and it is the highlight of the album. All in all, it is the most solid track to be found here, and includes some of the best riffs as well. The songwriting really comes together for this one, and it helps salvage the album. The atmosphere is dark, but not as utterly black as the band may have hoped. Still, the riffs are cold and manage to slice through you. Late in the song, the drumming ceases for a few moments, allowing the guitar and the vocals to really pull you in. The desperation in Drakh's voice goes well with the epic melody, enabling this song to really stand out from the rest. The lyrics for this album are more along the lines of Orthodox Black Metal (whatever the hell that is supposed to mean), instead of more traditional subject matter. The themes are similar, just done in a different manner.

Freezing cold riffs introduce "Lunar Castles (Harvest)", and this song manages to carry on the momentum that was built on the previous track. The tremolo melodies are accompanied by simpler drumming patterns that really allow the guitars more room to breathe and to create a dismal atmosphere. The tempo shifts a bit, near the middle, but still maintains the feeling and does not lose focus. After speeding up again, the track ends with the guitar melody being left alone, bereft of voice or percussion, and this conveys a sense of absolute desolation. The only thing that would have improved this would have been if the riff carried on for a little longer. Otherwise, a very solid track and one of the most well-executed representations of what Katharsis is capable of.

666 ends with "Nazarene (Into the Flame)", starting out with an unsettling intro that creates a sense of tension and makes the listener a little uncomfortable. As the music rises from the fiery depths, a feeling of intense hatred can be felt. Naturally, the title says it all, and most people listening to this should share in such feelings of disgust and loathing. The song sticks to the same template as most of the others, featuring fast tremolo-picked riffs and blasting drums. The vocal delivery is great, with an added amount of venom being spewed forth and the guitar melodies burn like raging flames all around you.

"Jesus Christ! Your fucking crown is fallen
thou art doomed and I have won
King of Jews! There is no resurrection.
Nazarene - into the flame..."

What Katharsis created with 666 is an album of raw and hateful Black Metal that keeps in the tradition of old Darkthrone, yet without sounding like a carbon copy. The band, for all its faults, definitely sounds like its own entity. The songwriting is a little inconsistent, but songs like "The Black Grail" and "Lunar Castles (Harvest)" really showcase the talent and potential that the band possesses. This is not essential, yet still recommended for anyone looking for this style of music.

Armagedda - Only True Believers (2003)

These days, rather than spend some years playing small gigs and recording demos, many bands skip straight to putting out a full-length album, whether or not they are truly prepared for such an undertaking. Often, it turns out that their debut albums are released prematurely, before the material has had time to really take shape and reach its maximum potential. As a matter of fact, it seems that a lot of bands hardly bother to really find their style and fully commit to a direction before getting a record deal. Such was the case with Sweden's Armagedda, whose 2001 album The Final War Approaching was inconsistent and not really worth much attention. However, some bands actually learn from their mistakes and improve upon them, which is what these guys did by the time they got around to recording their sophomore album. Spawned from Necromorbus Studio, under the watchful eye of Tore Stjerna, 2003's Only True Believers displayed a band that was far more capable than what one would have expected.

It was in the early months of 2004 when I discovered this album, though I had been aware of it since before it was even officially released. Still living in Stockholm, I had many opportunities to pick this up, but the band's first effort left a bad taste in my mouth and I had written them off as negligible. At the time, I was still too busy listening to Watain's recent release, Casus Luciferi, to pay much attention. Eventually, I got curious enough to give it a quick listen, particularly after hearing that Erik had played drums on the record. I was not immediately impressed, since I was comparing it to other albums, but when listening to it right after their feeble debut, I could not help but appreciate the improvement that had been made.

"Refuse the Blood of Jesus" begins with a ridiculous intro that actually started things off on the wrong foot. This has been the case with many that have heard this record, and it is something of a mystery that they would include this. At any rate, once the song begins, one can immediately tell that the band has come a long way since their first album. The songwriting is more concise and less derivative. Of course, the influences are still apparent, but the sense of outright plagiarism is absent, this time around. The playing is tighter and the overall feeling is that Armagedda is a serious band rather than children imitating their idols. The opener is rather fast-paced throughout, with various tempo changes and a lot of variety in the riffs and drumming.

The title track keeps this up, and one can get a sense that Graav has finally come into his own as a vocalist. It is not totally different from his sound on The Final War Approaching, but it comes off as less comical and it no longer feels that he is trying too hard to sound evil. The production is a lot stronger, not overdone in the slightest, but more full and possessing more of a punch. Somehow, it is more reminiscent of Darkthrone's A Blaze in the Northern Sky, whereas its predecessor was going for the more necro sound of Transilvanian Hunger.

"Emperor from the Eternal Dark" is next, and this is one of the true highlights of the album. It starts with an almost upbeat rhythm, but an eerie part soon creeps in and slowly corrupts the sounds that bleed from the speakers. The main riff of the song is a standard tremolo melody that is driven along with the skilled drumming of Hor. The riff changes help the song maintain the listener's interest, and the brief lead solo possesses a morbid feeling. The track never delves to the depths of the abyss, but the listener gets a glimpse of such horrors and this serves as a bit of foreshadowing. Otherwise, the song is fast-paced and straightforward, yet interesting.

The next song is "For I Am His Slave", which almost hints at some later Darkthrone (for the time), but actually managed to pull of the necro Black Metal feeling far better than they were capable of at this point in their career. By the middle of the song, they inject an old school section that sort of reminds one of Hellhammer or Celtic Frost, but not too overtly. It goes back and forth between these riffs again, sort of dragging on a little longer than such ideas deserved.

"Poetry from a Poisoned Mind" is another one of the best songs on here, possibly ranking first. It starts out at full speed, with wicked vocals and unsettling riffs. This absolutely destroys anything from the first album, and shows that the band worked hard to realize their potential. The middle section is the best, with the eerie riff and the ghastly vocal work. The atmosphere is utterly morbid and consumed with darkness. This is the type of feeling that Black Metal bands should seek to imbue their listeners with. The tremolo riff that follows this is mournful and still black as night. Everything, from the guitar melodies to the subtle drum techniques, comes together to create what is, quite possibly, the best song that this band ever recorded. It fills your mind with visions of misery and death, feeding the growing urge to slice open your veins and spill your blood under the empty nightsky.

The pace picks up a bit with "Demons", though it features some random tempo changes. I am not sure if it is just the unfortunate position that this song holds on the album, following such a masterful performance, of if the track is filler, but it does not really grab my attention in any way. At first glance, it seems just as solid as the preceding tracks, but it is lacking something.

"FTW" slows things to more of a mid-paced gallop, reminiscent of early Darkthrone. Though the band is still unable to fully escape this, they do far more more with the influence and actually add their own ideas to the mix, so the end result is much more enjoyable. Some clean guitar is utilized, adding a nice effect, albeit briefly. This track is one of the longer ones, clocking in around six minutes, but the execution enables it to keep some level of interest. While there is still a hint of the nightmarish tone from earlier, the song lacks the overpowering morbidity of some of the other pieces.

The album concludes with "Endless Fields of Sorrow", which is a slow-paced song with a rather sorrowful and hopeless feeling. The riffs hearken back to early Darkthrone, as well as hints of Burzum and the old Mütiilation material. It possesses kind of a droning, depressive atmosphere, despite the faster parts that come and go. Like the filthy rats that we all are, these sounds lure us out of our shadowed dwellings and down the path toward the endless graveyard that rests atop the mouth of hell. The most epic melodies of the entire record are found here, causing this track to stand out from many of the others. As the album ends on such a dreary note, the listener can feel the life being drained from him.

"Over empty fields of nothingness
Through everlasting darkness
Follow the path, away from mortal life
Soon i will be there"

Only True Believers is a very solid album and well worth checking out. Everything has improved from The Final War Approaching, from the production job to the songwriting itself. While the Darkthrone influences are still easily detected, the band did something very important that they failed to do the first time around: they infused their tribute with a few original ideas and ended up with a much more impressive record for their efforts. This album is not a classic, for it is still too derivative and simply emerged in the wrong era to have any real impact; nevertheless, for anyone interested in this style it is highly recommended.

Nehëmah - Light of a Dead Star (2002)

Nehëmah is a French Black Metal band that claims to have formed in 1992. Without a great amount of background information to work with, this comes off more as wishful thinking than anything else. This may have been the year during which Corven got his first guitar as a childhood Christmas present, and the 1995 demo was probably something quite similar to Nargaroth's early material; in other words, likely a lot of misinformation in order for the band to somehow claim roots back to the Second Wave, putting them in league with the very bands that they so strongly emulate here on this 2002 release, Light of a Dead Star.

My initial exposure to this band came as a recommendation from a friend. However, said person's taste was more geared toward modern releases, so I hardly took this very seriously. After more prompting, I finally gave in and checked this album out, though I cannot say that I was surprised. Mild irritation may be the most accurate description, summed up well by the first track. The album's intro is three excruciating minutes of flames, with annoying synth that gives off more of a Star Trek vibe than anything medieval or dark. This is not quite as comical as the intro to Graveland's In the Glare of Burning Churches, but it is three times longer and thus worse in the long run.

The music owes a lot to the early Norwegian scene, bearing strong influences from the likes of Darkthrone, Mayhem and Emperor. There is also a bit of mid-period Marduk in here, with some of the slower parts bearing similarities to the Nightwing album. While reminding one of older bands is nice, the material here does not always hold the listener's attention. The guitar riffs are rather straightforward, but often lacking any real power of their own, partially due to the horrible mix. That is not to say that the melodies are one-dimensional, as the band does succeed in creating a morbid atmosphere, at times. The songwriting also displays a higher level of ambition than many other bands of the same style, as the members of Nehëmah at least push themselves to the extent that you can tell that they were reaching for something higher. "In October Nightshades" is a good example of this band at their very best. The tempos vary, with slower sections coming along to really allow the riffs to breathe. During these moments, the bass is more audible in the same sense as on the early Watain material, and adds another dimension to the sound. Unfortunately, the synth does not seem to compliment the music very well, actually working against it in some cases. In most cases, the drumming is not overdone, except for on tracks like "I Will Sleep with the Dragon", in which the double bass and near-grinding method kills much of the song's potential, only being salvaged when things slow down long enough for the aura to be felt properly. The vocals are actually enjoyable, with Corven's approach hearkening back to Nocturno Culto's performances on the early Darkthrone material (Under A Funeral Moon, in particular), though occasionally he strays too far and ends up sounding like Legion instead, which is not a good thing. There is also limited use of clean vocals, though nicely buried in the sound in a similar manner to Emperor's initial attempts at utilizing a clean voice. One has to give the band credit for at least mixing things up and not taking influence from one single band. Instead, bits and pieces of various groups can be heard.

It is odd, however, that Nehëmah shows no connection with earlier French bands. It would almost seem natural to hear a little Mütiilation or Vlad Tepes influence, but this type of sound is completely absent. Perhaps, Corven and his bandmates had little or no knowledge of these bands, since their focus was strictly on the Scandinavian Black Metal scene.

As for the production, it sounds a little too modern for the material. It is not over-produced or possessing the slick, plastic sound at all, but it definitely betrays the record's era and does not help the band in its quest to capture the early-to-mid 90s Black Metal sound. It almost sounds as if it could have been recorded in Abyss Studio, at certain points. The guitar tone is somewhat cold, but the drumming is so horribly high in the mix that it stomps all over the riffs, more times than not, and this is obviously worse during the faster parts. The vocals are at an appropriate level and the amount of reverb is enough to help with the desired effect. While not suggesting that this should have been done with a more necro mindset, the band definitely would have benefited from working with someone with a better feel for the music.

Light of a Dead Star is a solid effort, though not anything to get too excited about. While it may exhibit more potential than other records of the time period, from fledgling bands such as Armagedda, it never fully realizes that potential. Nehëmah fails to reach the ambition they aspired and listeners would be better advised to stick with the classics and not go to any great lengths for this.