Koldbrann - Nekrotisk Inkvisition (2003)

Released in April 2003, Nekrotisk Inkvisition is the first full-length album from Norway's Koldbrann. Though there seemed to be a bit of hype for the band, at least at one point, there is nothing all that exceptional to be found here. This record offers rather average Black Metal that too often ventures into the modern style. 

Truthfully, any mystique surrounding Norwegian bands was lost a couple decades ago. With the great multitude of bands that have spawned since the classic era of Mayhem and Darkthrone, the majority have been complete duds. Younger people may not know any better, but long gone are the days when simply hailing from the frozen north carried any sort of weight. 

Musically, Koldbrann does not offer anything particularly engaging. Many of the riffs sound like something that Euronymous probably threw by the wayside when writing material for De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. That said, Nekrotisk Inkvisition fares rather well when put up against contemporary albums from Norway. The guitar sound has a grittiness to it that suits the songwriting. Some of the riffs do possess a kind of dreary and bleak feeling, but they never fully get off the ground. As often happens with modern recordings, the drumming is louder than it should be, but this is only a problem during the sections that embrace the more modern machine-gun approach. As for the rest, only the cymbals prove a little distracting. The most enjoyable parts of this album are the rather straightforward bits that pay homage to those that came before. While Koldbrann fails to add their own unique stamp to the music, they are competent as what they do. 

Nekrotisk Inkvisition is not horrible, but it comes off as rather pointless. All of this sounded much better the first time around, at the hands of Darkthrone, Mayhem and Burzum. The trip down memory lane would have been more pleasurable with less modern touches to the production. Koldbrann would do well to look to Finland and bands like Horna, Clandestine Blaze and Sargeist (whose debut album, Satanic Black Devotion, was released a few months later) for an example of how to keep the old traditions alive while still managing to add something unique to the mix.

Necrophobic - Womb of Lilithu (2013)

When preparing to review this album, the first thing that I noticed was that it was supposedly dedicated to David Parland. I have to wonder why they would bother with such an empty gesture, when neither Tobbe nor Sterner cared anything about what their former bandmate and friend had been going through for so many years. Many times, David was upset by the fact that Sterner would hardly ever bother to reply to his calls or emails. At one point, he was so glad at the prospect of reuniting with these two, to work on a song for the re-release of Hellspawn's Bathory tribute, In Conspiracy with Satan. Yet, as usual, Sterner suddenly couldn't be bothered to respond to him. He also had no response for me when, months before David's passing, I'd contacted him to let him know that things were not good and that his old friend needed help. Being in New York at the time, I didn't know what else to do to help, other than trying to contact people that were closer and would (I thought) surely have cause for concern. Knowing that Tobbe was a bit more friendly with him, whenever they did speak, I'd contacted him several times between 2009 and 2013, urging him to get in touch with David, even if just to hang out and show some support and friendship. Mr. Sidegård, much like his bandmate, couldn't be bothered to care. Even when writing to their old (and now current) vocalist Anders, he merely said, "I'm sure he'll be fine" and went about his business. So the fact that these guys would dare to dedicate their new album to David, after showing such blatant disregard for him when he was actually alive, is completely disgusting and shameful. 

Womb of Lilithu was released in late October 2013 on the trendy Season of Mist label. Though fans of Necrophobic have grown accustomed to the long wait between albums, over the past decade, it has usually been worth it. Not so, this time. In the four years that passed since Death to All, they lost the very talented duo of Sebastian Ramstedt and Johan Bergebäck. The best they could come up with was to replace them with a former member of Unleashed, who does not fit in at all. However, he is not the only one to blame as the two core members were out of ideas long before this abomination was ever written. 

Clocking in at over an hour, this is a very tedious listen. Not so much because of the length, but because the material is just awful. Half of it consists of recycled riffs from Bloodhymns and Hrimthursum, with the other half composed of really awkward and out-of-place songwriting that does not belong on a Necrophobic album. Honestly, once the novelty wore off, even Death to All wore thin, with only a handful of tracks worth keeping. With Womb of Lilithu, so much of it sounds familiar from the very first listen. Even worse, it was done better the first time around. The band seems to be creatively bankrupt, at this point. Beyond the fact that is sounds as if they are plagiarizing themselves at various points, the music just isn't very good. Most of it blends together and leaves no real impression, except the parts that stand out for all the wrong reasons. The majority of this consists of a bunch of interchangeable Black or Death Metal riffs that have no feeling and serve no purpose. There is no darkness nor true aggression. Gone are the hauntingly sombre lead solos that the band had long been known for, replaced with a happier sound that is reminiscent of Iron Maiden, which creates a stylistic clash. There are also some that seem to be going for some weird Middle Eastern vibe, but more on that later. The songs just get worse as the record progresses, with Tobbe seeming to rap by the seventh song, to go along with the horrible groove. However, the real lowpoint of the record may be the track "Opium Black". It begins with some pathetic gotic Rock, similar to modern Tiamat, complete with horrible clean vocals. This has Sidegård's fingerprints all over it. If he had not already been ejected from the band for being a scumbag wifebeater, I would say that someone should tell him to keep these lame ideas for his worthless side projects. By the end of the album, more rehashed ideas appear, followed by a melodramatic outro. 

Lyrically, this foul recording falls deeper into the Middle Eastern nonsense that seems to have so completely infiltrated the minds of many in the Swedish metal scene, in the last several years. At times, it is as if they are trying to see how many references to qliphotic this and chaotic that, Lilith, Thaumiel, etc. that they can fit into each song. There is nothing even being said, rather, it's often just an exercise in reciting various names and terms with no purpose, much like the music itself. This idiocy has nothing to do with real Black or Death Metal, much like the music on this album. Anyone that thinks otherwise needs their head checked.  

The production is even worse than the last record, meaning completely modern and clear and overdone. Everything is mixed improperly, with Joakim's boring (yet oddly overactive) performance pushed to the front. The bass is too audible as well, which is very rarely a good thing. The guitar tone is weak and lacks even the faintest hint of rawness. Even the vocals are worse than before, with the various modern-sounding effects that are frequently used. The clean backing vocals and Tobbe's annoying vocal rhythms don't help things. There is no real reason to criticize the production too much, as even the most raw and necro sound possible would have failed to hide the wretched and laughable songwriting.  

Womb of Lilithu is the worst thing Necrophobic has ever released. Bands like Shining are often quoted as saying that they want their fans to commit suicide; all they have to do is make an album like this and listeners will be killing themselves in droves. I'd rather cut my throat and bleed out than to ever again have my ears so thoroughly polluted by such atrocious filth. While Death to All was rather formulaic at times, this actively defecates on the legacy created by past works such as The Nocturnal Silence and Darkside. Though Joakim has recruited their old vocalist, Anders Stokirk, it is unlikely that they will do anything worthwhile unless the songwriting is turned over to someone worthy of following in the footsteps of David Parland or even Sebastian Ramstedt. At this point, it's time to call it quits. Even the live performances are lackluster and one can tell that they are just going through the motions. Avoid this album and anything else this band does, from now on. 

Pest - Desecration (2003)

Not long after I first got to Stockholm, years ago, I met an acquaintance that was often pushing newer bands on me. I was exposed to the Swedish band Pest around the same time as Armagedda. Listening to Blasphemy is My Throne and The Final War Approaching, it seemed that both were doing a rather bland imitation of Darkthrone, so I ignored them. Though Armagedda redeemed themselves a little bit with their second album, Pest's debut effort left a lot to be desired. Released in October 2003, Desecration has always bored me, no matter how many times I've come back to it over the years.

When dealing with Black Metal from the twenty-first century, of course there is a great deal of Darkthrone-worship to be found. In cases when the bands also add something of their own to the formula, such as Clandestine Blaze and early Sargeist, this is perfectly fine. Unfortunately, Pest adds absolutely nothing. These guys are competent musicians, but their songwriting is very weak. They do their best to rip-off various Darkthrone tracks, sticking so close to the originals that the songs just seem like empty copies. When listening to this, I don't hear "Ninth Nocturnal Departure" or "Dark Northern Winters" or whatever other titles they've chosen for their plagiarized nonsense. I just hear a band failing to play covers of songs like "Natassja in Eternal Sleep" or "The Hordes of Nebulah". It's so bad that even the vocal patterns and some bits of lyrics are based on the originals. There is absolutely no imagination, no creativity on display here.

Another huge problem, aside from the terribly weak songwriting, is the production. The sound is much too modern and clean for this style of music. The truth is that they could have written very interesting riffs and come up with original vocal patterns and so on, but it would have sounded like garbage anyway due to the production. It's just too thick and clear and does not suit the music, at all.

Of all the Darkthrone clones out there, this one just isn't worth bothering with. Pest would later go on to make some decent music, from time to time, but Desecration was a swing and a miss, completely. Even people that don't mind total copycat bands should avoid this, as it is quite boring and mundane. 

Cannibal Corpse - Tomb of the Mutilated (1992)

Tomb of the Mutilated, released in 1992, very well may be the most well-known and beloved album from Cannibal Corpse. This is quite unfortunate as, even for this band, it is far from the best of their early works. It has its moments, but too many negative things drag it down.

To begin with, the vocal performance by Chris Barnes is terrible. His voice is much deeper and more guttural than before, lacking any feeling whatsoever. As opposed to the evil, risen-from-the-grave ghoul from Eaten Back to Life, he just sounds like someone vomiting into a toilet bowl and capturing the sound on tape. It does not to evoke a feeling of death or horror. It's just another percussive instrument, on an album that has far too much of a percussive sound as it is. Occasionally, he lets out a raspy scream, though these moments only prove that he could have done better and just chose not to.

The songwriting is not as good as that of either Eaten Back to Life or Butchered at Birth. There are far too many plodding, mid-paced riffs that really do nothing but serve as a background for the horrible vocals. The thrash influence seems to have completely died by this point, as well. There are some decent faster-paced riffs, but the wretched production has them buried beneath the percussion. Nonetheless, Tomb of the Mutilated does possess several memorable parts, found in tracks like "Addicted to Vaginal Skin", "Necropedophile" and "The Cryptic Stench". Things gradually improve throughout the course of the album, with the riffs creating a bit of a dark and morbid atmosphere, despite all the rest of the elements that are actively working against this. Some of the guitar riffs from songs like "The Cryptic Stench", "Entrails Ripped from a Virgin's Cunt" and "Post Mortal Ejaculation" really could have been expanded upon and worked into better, darker songs. As for the latter, it features the best moments of the whole record, with some riffs that might have been better suited for Black Metal. The break near the end, with the guitars standing alone and then a high-pitched cry and the blasting drums coming back in... this small part of the song possesses the darkest feeling and shows a bit of potential. Ever since my first time hearing it, so many years ago, I've felt like they could have done so much more with that section and with this album, in general.

The lyrics are a point of interest for many, and in this regard Barnes did quite a good job at conjuring up a variety of unsettling images and scenarios. While many have attempted to write rather disgusting lyrics, often just to outdo the next band, Barnes comes across as genuinely disturbed and that does add to the atmosphere of the record, to an extent. The lyrics would have had more of an impact had he chosen to utilize a more raw and decipherable vocal style, however.

The production is a definite step down from Butchered at Birth. The bass and drums are far too high in the mix, giving the overall sound a really weird vibe. The guitars do not possess the same kind of tone as on the previous two albums, somehow feeling weaker. The poor mix only emphasizes this even more. The vocals are probably mixed about as well as possible, given the circumstances.

In the end, Tomb of the Mutilated could have been much better than it is. A different vocal approach, and a production job that was less percussive, would have done quite a lot for the album just as it is. As well, some of the more boring riffs could have been scrapped. Despite all the setbacks, Side B showcases some rather decent material from Cannibal Corpse and certainly beats the hell out of anything they have done in the past twenty years. There's much better old school Death Metal out there, but this is still worth a listen if you're a fan of this band.

Doom:vs - Earthless (2014)

Six long years passed since the release of Dead Words Speak. With Doom:vs being a side project, this is somewhat understandable, but still far too long. Rumours of a follow-up started a couple years back, and yet it still took this long for anything to come of it. With the release of Earthless, in April 2014, it would seem that it does not live up to the expectations set by the previous works.

The primary drawback to this record has to be in the vocal department. For one reason or another, Johan decided to bring in Thomas A. G. Jensen from Saturnus to provide vocals for most of the album. This was a horrible mistake, as there was nothing about the vocals of the first two albums that needed to be improved, really. Jensen's voice is too deep, losing what little feeling could have been added to the music. These sort of toilet-bowl gargles were fine for the old Broken Hope records, but here they are ineffective. Even worse, the clean parts that he contributes are completely unlistenable, possessing a nasal and whining quality. However, the worst of all are the parts that are neither harsh nor clean, but just sort of a hardcore shouting. Johan still contributes some clean bits, doing his best My Dying Bride impersonation, but these brief moments fail to save anything as they come off as forced and disingenuous.

The songwriting is much the same as before, featuring a good number of crushingly heavy riffs with a bleak and dismal feeling, as mournful melodies accentuate this melancholic vibe. Early on, Earthless is somewhat reminiscent of October Tide's A Thin Shell, with the title track not being too dissimilar from "The Custodian of Silence" is some aspects. There is no severe drop in quality from the previous releases, though it is by no means good enough to warrant such a long wait. One would think that Johan could have come up with this material, quite easily, back in 2010 or so. The number of truly memorable melodies is quite few, not nearly enough to make up for the problems this album possesses.

The production is about the same as the last albums in that it is pretty modern-sounding, but not so overdone as to lose the feeling of the music. Of course, being several years later, there is a noticeable difference. There is a bit more fuzz to the guitar tone than before, with neither helps nor hurts the music. To be honest, making the sound more raw would only have made the vocals even more unbearable, as this guy does not have an underground voice, at all.

Earthless is filled with rather average material, with the exception of "The Slow Ascent", which includes some gloomy tremolo riffs. Of course, as with the rest of this disappointing album, Jensen ruins most of it with his terrible vocal performance. Johan may have a thing for Saturnus, but some people actually wanted another Doom:vs album and we got ripped off. So much for this band. Avoid this.

Ravenclaw - Winternacht (1996)

Ravenclaw was a side project from Gaamalzagoth, of Moonblood. Whereas he only did vocals in his primary band, here he handled everything himself. The band's second demo, titled Winternacht, was released in March 1996, around the same time as Blut & Krieg. The end result, however, is not as positive as one might have hoped for.

This is straightforward, raw Black Metal. Of this, there is no doubt. The musicianship is roughly the same as that of Occulta Mors in Moonblood, yet the songwriting is nowhere near as brilliant. While being solid, the riffs here are good on their own but average by comparison. Each song sticks to the same formula, more or less, being pure Bathory and Darkthrone worship with fast tremolo riffs and primitive drums. As for the latter, Gaamalzagoth utilized a drum machine and it sounds terrible. It really takes away from any feeling that the music could have had, especially with the particularly raw recording of the guitars. They just do not fit together well.

The sound is not really up to the same quality as one would expect from a proper demo of this period, though more along the lines of the Moonblood rehearsals. The quality is good enough for the guitar melodies to be heard, as well as the hate-filled vocals, but something about the guitars sound rather distant. This may also have something to do with the drum programming throwing the sound off.

Winternacht is not a terrible demo. It is certainly worth checking out for fans of Moonblood. However, with that said, do not expect the same songwriting genius. Gaamalzagoth is competent, but he is no Occulta Mors when it comes to composing music, it seems. For what it is, Ravenclaw is pretty decent and would have sounded quite good with real drums. Give it a listen, but keep your expectations low.

Moonblood - Fullmoon Witchery (1996)

As part of the monumental From Hell boxed set, released in November 2013, there is included a 7" E.P. that was originally recorded in 1996. Though only containing two tracks, Fullmoon Witchery is one of Moonblood's best efforts and is absolutely essential for fans of the band and of Black Metal, in general. The reasons for never properly releasing this at the time seem rather mysterious, as this is yet another recording that displays the genius that this band possessed and would have easily stood out among the majority of the albums that were released back then.

The music conveys an atmosphere that is cold and sombre. The fast-picked tremolo melodies are very memorable and possess a melancholic quality without being overtly depressive in the sense that is commonly associated with some bands, these days. The title track features some additional melodies that really add to the epic feeling of the song. As with many of their other works, it is as if this music transports your mind back in time. There is a gloominess that exists to mourn the world that was lost, long before this wrong and empty existence came into being. As for "Under the Abyssic Black Wings of the 3rd Angel", there is a bit of a Viking-era Bathory influence in the acoustic intro and the mid-paced riffs that serve to further take you on a journey to another time and place. Regardless of which style that Occulta Mors utilized, he was always able to create an epic atmosphere, which was accentuated by the evil and hellish voice of Gaamalzagoth. At times, the second song seems to foreshadow what would come with Nachtfalke. Some of the playing is a bit rough, but the vibe is always genuine and pure, which is worth more than a million "perfectly executed" albums with the sickening modern production and no feeling, whatsoever.

Regarding the production, this ranks alongside Sob a lua do bode and Of Lunar Passion and Sombre Blood as having the best sound of any recording throughout the band's career. Unlike the many demos and rehearsals, where one would have to train the ear and put forth effort to make out what was going on, at times, the guitars come through very well, here. The brilliant melodies created by Occulta Mors are able to be more fully appreciated on Fullmoon Witchery. The guitar tone is cold and, though not razor-sharp, still rather thin and trebly which suits the music perfectly. The blood-chilling screams and hateful-filled vocals are mixed at a perfect level to be heard and yet to not overpower the rest. The same can be said of the drumming, which is clear enough but not overbearing.

Fullmoon Witchery clocks in at only ten minutes in length and consists of but two songs, yet this recording is far more essential and important than 90% of the Black Metal releases that have come since its creation in 1996. These tracks have been floating around on bootlegs for some time, but if you haven't already acquired them in some manner then make haste in doing so now. This is highly recommended and is a good example of Black Metal done right... something that is often lost on people, in this disgusting modern age.