Svartsyn - Aandens Melankoli (1996)

Previously known as Incitatus, Norway's Svartsyn recorded only a single E.P. before vanishing back into the fog. Released in May 1996 on Osiris Records, Aandens Melankoli strayed from the trademark Norwegian Black Metal sound. In actuality, this can be considered more of a Black / Doom release, predating Nortt by a few years. While relatively obscure, this effort succeeds in creating a dark atmosphere and should not be ignored.

This 12" contains only three songs, with "Forhekset av Nordlyset" and "Den Monumentale Horde" running together to create one musical piece. The latter is a re-recorded version of a song that appeared on the 1994 Incitatus demo. The material is slow-paced, with eerie keyboards accentuating the mournful guitar melodies. Everything seems to crawl along, with the weight of the world crushing it to the ground. The harsh vocals and the overall presentation seem to be all that connects this to the realm of Black Metal. "Mektighetens Herskere" only increases the Funeral Doom feeling, moving forward at an even slower speed and draining the life out of anyone that is unfortunate enough to hear these miserable sounds. The vocals are more of a clean chanting that is kept somewhat to the background, with limited accompaniment of a harsh voice. The guitar riffs are beyond sorrowful and convey a sense of hopelessness and torment that eliminates any trace of light or positivity. One can detect a bit of influence from Funeral's Tristesse demo, though this is quite unlike anything else that had been released up until this time.

The production is rather primitive and sounds more like demo-quality than that of a 12" E.P. There is a hissing that is ever-present throughout the entire recording, which kind of adds to the character. The drums are far off in the distance, while the guitar tone is rather raw and ugly. The poor sound also contributes to what little Black Metal feeling that exists here, along with the harsh vocals. Had this been done in a proper studio, it is likely that it would have possessed a thicker and heavier sound, which seems appropriate for the material.

Aandens Melankoli is yet another obscure Norwegian release that deserves to be heard by anyone that has an appreciation for dark and miserable music. With three songs clocking in at over twenty minutes, there is plenty of time for the sombre aura to envelope you and to corrupt your spirit. This should appeal to fans of Nortt, though it must be said that this music is actually more coherent and effective. Quite a rare release, so get your hands on this however you must.

Rotting Christ - Triarchy of the Lost Lovers (1996)

The third full-length album from Rotting Christ, Triarchy of the Lost Lovers, was released on Century Media Records in August 1996. This effort takes the style that was established on Thy Mighty Contract and Non Serviam to its logical conclusion, with more emphasis on the melodic aspects. Though this is the final L.P. from the band's classic period, it may take a few listens to grow on you, due to some of the changes.

The material on Triarchy of the Lost Lovers is more mid-paced, in general, than on the previous albums. Despite the fact that those records featured a decent amount of slower riffs, Rotting Christ really takes the time to develop this aspect of their sound and to limit the use of faster parts. As a result, much of the music here has more of an epic feeling than before. This is also strengthened by the increased utilization of lead solos, which are all over the place. Rather than speeding through and doing very little, the leads do well to accentuate the atmosphere. The playing is very tight and it is clear that the band has full control over what is going on. The synth is still being employed, though still in a more subtle manner. The vocals feature much less of the higher-pitched, raspier screams than before. That is unfortunate, though the style of the music really leaves less room for this approach. Otherwise, Necromayhem sounds quite the same as on the last couple records. The drumming sounds more realistic, this time around. Though Sauron was credited on the previous albums, the percussion sounded exactly the same as the drum machine used for Thou Art Lord. While the band's other full-length albums were not exactly primitive, there was still room for straightforward tracks like "The Sign of Evil Existence". Here, nearly every song is much more thought-out and rather complicated, with a variety of tempos and riffs. The music features similar doom-inspiring riffs as those found on Non Serviam, just less stripped-down and more melodic. There are still a good number of the band's trademark staccato riffs, though employed at a slower pace. Between the songwriting and the mix, itself, this album has more of a cold feeling as opposed to the warmer feeling of its predecessor. The end result is strong material that holds up, over time, with unforgettable melodies that are difficult to shake. "King of a Stellar War", "Snowing Still" and "One With the Forest" are some of the best examples and serve as highlights of the album.

The production is one of the things that may turn some people off, perhaps as much as the title itself. It is much clearer than on the band's previous material. In truth, it is a little over-produced. However, with the style of music that is presented on Triarchy of the Lost Lovers, it is not as if it would have benefited that much from a necro sound. Given that the music is so much more melodic and epic than on the earlier works by Rotting Christ, the production is rather appropriate. The guitars dominate the soundscape, while not really being pushed too high in the mix. While each instrument can be heard very easily, the riffs are highlighted and the rest is obviously there to support the guitars, instead of distracting from them. The overall sound is more dynamic than the last album, which sounds sort of flat by comparison.

Triarchy of the Lost Lovers is a solid record. It sacrifices speed and intensity for melody and an epic feel, which seems like a natural progression from the last couple of albums. With this release, there is no shift in style; rather, the band's sound has evolved and certain elements have grown in prominence. For the most part, all of the songs are pretty consistent and carry their own weight. This is the last Rotting Christ album worth getting and should appeal to fans of Thy Mighty Contract and Non Serviam, as long as you can get past the slower pace and the more polished sound. There is an absence of any type of dark or evil atmosphere, but this L.P. possesses a character of its own that makes it a unique addition to the band's discography. Give this a chance.

Deicide - Serpents of the Light (1997)

By 1997, it was quite evident that Glen Benton was very serious about serving the will of his evil master. The only thing was that his master was not Satan, but the almighty dollar. Deicide's fourth full-length album, Serpents of the Light, was released in October of that year and was even more accessible than their previous effort. This, combined with the fact that they embraced the Black Metal trend that was hitting American shores that year, and it was very clear that the band was merely a vehicle for the four members to line their pockets, instead of possessing any true desire to spread the message of Hell.

Such an assertion is backed up by the poor songwriting. Now, in many ways, this is more enjoyable than Once Upon the Cross. The overall pace is faster, though the music is not lacking in the memorable groove parts. It still has a rhythmic feel, very much driven by the percussion and vocal patterns that follow closely along. While there are certainly more fast riffs than on the last record, none of them really have a feeling of darkness or evil. Deicide never had much in common with the early Death Metal bands, so it is not as if they lost that type of atmosphere. However, at least on their first album there was an aura of evil. Serpents of the Light is somewhat gloomy, but that is about it. Some of this may be due to the droning riffs and the melodic lead solos that do their best to give some kind of life to the songs. The vocals are even more boring than before, getting deeper and more generic. Furthermore, the vocal patterns are fairly uniform, throughout the whole album. The lyrics are basically interchangeable, in structure and content.

Speaking of the lyrics, it seems that there was some sort of shift this time around. Most of the songs carry a strong anti-Christian sentiment, which is expected. However, there really is nothing Satanic about this. The whole approach is more reality-based and ends up coming across rather tame, especially compared to a song such as "When Satan Rules His World", which was on the last L.P. There is one track that sticks out, which deals with things from a different perspective. "The Truth Above" deals with the topic of mankind coming from aliens, maybe because the band spent a little time listening to Hypocrisy's The Fourth Dimension or Abducted. It does show a little development in lyrical themes, and ends up being on of the most interesting songs, musically, as well.

The production is the main point of different between Serpents of the Light and Once Upon the Cross. While the latter was boring and typical, resulting in a flat and uninspired sound, the former appears to take some influence from Black Metal, which was becoming popular in the states around the time this album was being worked on. The guitar tone is thinner and has a sharp sound instead of the blunt tone from the previous record. Everything is more crisp, though the vocals really sound out of place with this sort of production. It would have made more sense for Benton to return to his earlier style, emphasizing the higher-pitched parts and leaving the deeper stuff for other bands.

Serpents of the Light is the last Deicide album worth bothering with. Really, the first one is the only one that is essential, while the three that follow are merely for those that need a bit more from the band. This was the final release to have any real continuity, before the guys kept trying to reinvent themselves or figure out how to recapture what they lost many years earlier. This is not really recommended as, by this point, the band's act had grown stale and watered-down.

Deicide - Once Upon the Cross (1995)

Once Upon the Cross is the third full-length album from Deicide, and displays a certain amount of regression in musical style. Released in early 1995, this is the sort of record that works well as an introduction to Death Metal, due to its accessible nature. Though not an awful release, this record marks the beginning of Deicide's decline and the point where the band became a caricature of itself.

The material is very average and boring, at times. None of the riffs possess even the slightest hint of evil or darkness, a far cry from the band's self-titled debut. The songwriting is very simplistic, when compared to Legion, and some have intimated that the change in direction came as a result of the previous album being too much for many listeners to wrap their brains around. That does not seem too likely, since their sophomore effort was not as complex as some believe. Whatever the reason was, Once Upon the Cross would appear to revert back to the band's original path, yet it would be unfair to put this anywhere near the first record. For one, the music rarely ever moves at a decent pace; everything seems to drag a bit. There is no intensity to the playing. So, without any energetic feeling or dark atmosphere, the only thing that prevents this album from being completely ignored is the fact that it is rather catchy. That is not a quality that is really desired within Death Metal, but it is safe to say that is the main reason why people continue to listen to this. It is very rhythmic and the vocal patterns are easy to digest as they follow along with the main riffs, more often than not. Benton's style is even deeper than before and it is at this point where he really begins to lose his identity and to sound like most other generic Death Metal vocalists.

The lyrics are, of course, concerned with Satanic and anti-Christian themes. Naturally, it would not be Deicide without a great deal of disdain shown for Judeo-Christian mythology, which ties in well with the cover art that depicts a bloodstained sheet over a disemboweled Christ. The band's lyrics were never all that intelligent or articulate, yet something about Once Upon the Cross comes off as less serious. The thing is, as long as the song titles are more creative than "Kill the Christian", the actual content would matter a little less. I would be lying if I said this was not all sort of appealing as a fifteen-year old, when this first came out, but it wore thin quite quickly.

As for the production, it sort of matches the lethargic pace of the music. The guitar tone is thicker and goes along well with the beefed up bass and drum sound, along with the deeper vocals, in creating a dense and heavy sound. Everything is a little too polished and this does not help the album out, much. Still, with the simplistic riffs and the catchy choruses, even the most underground production could not have salvaged this record.

Once Upon the Cross is not the worst that Deicide has ever offered up, but it is less interesting than those that preceded it and the one that followed. Most Deicide fans will probably approve of this, and it serves well as the type of album that one would use to ease someone into Death Metal. That said, it really lacks in quality and is quite laughable when compared to the band's first L.P.

Mordant - Black Evil Master (2011)

Mordant's sophomore record, Black Evil Master, was released in November 2011 and was the first L.P. to come from this band since 2004's Momento Mori. Despite offering up a very solid album, firmly entrenched in '80s Speed and Black Metal, the band was plagued by line-up troubles and just could not get things off the ground. Following the Back from Hell demo, it seemed as if Mordant would finally pick up from where they left off, yet they soon fell silent again. By 2010, after years of setbacks, the band rose from the grave to begin working on their second album.

From the very beginning of Black Evil Master, it is clear that Mordant sought not only to make up for lost time but also to improve upon what came before. The songwriting shows even more '80s influences, with riffs that are reminiscent of Motörhead, Venom and Bathory, while also injecting dark and nocturnal melodies that remind one fellow Swedes such as Necrophobic, Watain and especially Nifelheim. The latter appears to be an extremely strong inspiration for Mordant, with a lot of the same type of lead melodies and just the overall approach. Musically, this is a very strong record and each song stands on its own, quite well. It is full of memorable riffs and vocal patterns, as well. Just one listen is enough for songs like the title track and "Total Inferno" to become embedded in your brain. An ominous and haunting atmosphere is present, throughout the entire album. This is aided, as well, by the vocals, which are sort of distant and raspy. The style suits the music very well, hearkening back to the First Wave of Black Metal. The same can be said of the songwriting, itself, which is a good combination of Black and Speed Metal, showing a good amount of intensity and passion in the execution. There are no blast beats and the songs rarely get up to such a speed that would necessitate them, anyway. The tempo varies, over the course of the album, with the fastest parts never exceeding that which would be commonly found on early '80s releases.

The production is not as harsh as one might imagine, based on some of the descriptions. Everything is rather clear and the sound enables the pure nocturnal atmosphere to consume the listener. Despite all of the old school influences, this sounds closer to Necrophobic's Death To All, as opposed to the recent output of Power From Hell. That said, the mix is just right and the levels are where they need to be. Being someone that really prefers guitar-driven albums, I might suggest that the drums be lowered a slight bit, but that is more of a personal preference and does not really affect the end result. The guitars are certainly loud enough to dominate the record, which allows all of the excellent riffs to be heard quite clearly. The guitar tone is thinner than on the previous album, which works better within the context of the music. Even the bass is more audible than some would expect, but mostly during the slower parts. The vocals are just loud enough to be heard well, without going over-the-top and distracting from the music.

The lyrics are purely Satanic and seem to be kind of primitive, more in line with the old school bands than their more introspective peers. This is actually a good thing, as it is a lot more suitable than the whole trend of bands that delve so deeply into Judeo-Christian nonsense is very tiring. The more straightforward approach of being possessed by the Dark Lord and raping angels is enough to show disdain for the Great Lie without confusing listeners. Many modern bands seem more into the idea of impressing others by showing off how many countless hours they have wasted by studying Judeo-Christian mythology. Mordant takes an approach that some may think of as less intelligent, but it is actually more fitting to the overall musical style and presentation of the record.

Black Evil Master is a great album of Black / Speed Metal, highly recommended to fans of the old First Wave bands as well as the likes of Nifelheim and Necrophobic. It combines old school riffs and arrangements with brilliant melodies that embody the darkness of the night and create a feeling of primitive evil. If Mordant is able to follow up on this, they just may build enough momentum to become as well-known as many of their Swedish brethren. If you liked Momento Mori, you will enjoy this even more. Get this now.

Shining - Submit to Selfdestruction (1998)

Released in May 1998, Submit to Selfdestruction is the first official offering from Sweden's Shining. This E.P. contain two songs of Depressive Suicidal Black Metal, according to many. It would be difficult to really label this as Black Metal, considering the total absence of any sort of evil or Satanic vibe. This would be better described as Dark Metal or even blackened Doom, before putting it into the same category as such albums as Under the Sign of the Black Mark, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas or Under a Funeral Moon.

Musically, this bears some similarities to the works of actual Black Metal bands. One can easily detect influences from Burzum and Strid, though the most notable inspiration for this had to be Bethlehem. The vocals, in particular, seem to try mimicking the type of tortured screams found on Dictius Te Necare, or even Varg's early releases. This is also, probably, the weakest element of the entire release. Niklas's performance is laughable, failing to convey any real feeling, and coming off as very childish and pathetic. The material features a lot of tremolo riffing with slow-paced drumming underneath. This really has nothing to do with any other Swedish band, taking a good deal of influence from the Norwegians, instead. There are parts that include clean guitar and spoken word passages, which is an obvious nod to the band's German heroes. The two songs of this release are not very good, but they have their moments. "Endless Solitude" boasts a mournful guitar melody, late in the song, that is actually kind of memorable. The title track is less engaging, until things slow down during the latter half. Even then, it fails to truly pull the listener down into a realm of utter misery and sorrow.

Regarding the production, it is really poor and serves as a detriment to the music. The already-weak vocals are buried in the mix, though that may have been to hide just how awful they were. In addition, the percussion is much to high and distracts from the guitar melodies. For something that was attempting to be a part of the Black Metal movement, there is no excuse for the guitar to be taking a secondary role while the bass and drums are featured so prominently. More or less, everything is able to be heard, but the lack of emphasis on the guitar limits the potential that this effort possessed.

Submit to Selfdestruction is an average E.P. that is fairly consistent in its inability to create a really sombre atmosphere. One can clearly see what Shining was going for, but they were way off the mark with this one. The material presented here displays no sense of originality or sincerity; rather, this is merely the product of children that were trying to imitate other bands that they liked with no real understanding of how to create something meaningful. Avoid this band, altogether.

Merciless - The Treasures Within (1992)

The Treasures Within is the sophomore effort from Sweden's Merciless. Though recorded in 1991, its release was delayed until late 1992. At a time when many bands were following up with a new album each year, things like this may have contributed to the fact that Merciless ended up being much less known than many of their inferior peers. However, punctuality was not the only problem that plagued this record.

The production does not suit Merciless, at all. Despite the material possessing a more pronounced Death Metal vibe, it was a mistake to opt for such a sound. The guitars lack the raw and overpowering feeling that was present on The Awakening. This is not for a lack of intense riffs, but simply due to the poor mix. Rather than the guitars dominating and possessing the power to reach out and tear you limb from limb, it comes off as rather restrained. The drums are a little too loud and sound less powerful, for some reason. The overall sound is kind of similar to Tiamat's Sumerian Cry, but they did not go for the total Swedish Death Metal production with buzzsaw guitars and so on.

The arrangements are much more complex than on The Awakening. While there are a great number of similarities, The Treasures Within is really a completely different entity. While the album is still built on top of a foundation of Kreator-inspired thrash riffs, the songwriting is less straightforward and includes a lot of mid-paced Death Metal riffs. There are a lot of tempo changes, something that was less prevalent on the first record. The atmosphere is less aggressive, which is quite clear on the re-recorded version of "Dying World". Rogga's vocals are still as venomous as ever, which is one of the best things about this L.P. Between the throat-shredded vocals and the leftover thrash parts, this record is still easily enjoyable, albeit to a lesser degree.

The Treasures Within is a solid record, though it fails to reach the same level as its predecessor, due to the combination of less consistent songwriting (or a shift in style) and the odd production. Had Merciless maintained their thrash-heavy style and avoided the growing Death Metal trend, they may have made more of an impact with this album. Either way, it is worth picking up.