Darkthrone - Under A Funeral Moon (1993)

After releasing the classic A Blaze in the Northern Sky, Darkthrone began working on the follow-up, taking their time to perfectly craft every melody, every note; to create nothing less than pure, freezing cold Black Metal. While Fenriz mentions the presence of "fucking Death Metal riffs" that crept into the previous album, due to time constraints, this is where the band completed the dark metamorphosis. Under A Funeral Moon is one of the most grim and morbid recordings ever made. The Celtic Frost vibe seems absent here, replaced by even more Bathory worship. (In one interview, Nocturno Culto actually mentions taking Under the Sign of the Black Mark into the studio to give the producer an idea of the sound they wanted.) However, to imply that this entire album is simply derivative of what came before would be an error. Darkthrone came into their own, in many ways, on this album. While their influences are still obvious, there is a lot on this album that is neither Hellhammer nor Bathory, but rather pure Darkthrone.

This is raw and minimal, like nothing before. A Blaze In the Northern Sky was primitive yet very powerful and thunderous. The drum work on Under A Funeral Moon is quite different. Despite being exceptionally talented (as was certainly displayed on Soulside Journey) Fenriz showed a deeper understanding of what Black Metal is supposed to be and toned it down. The drums are basic and also lower in the mix than on the last album. They are there only to keep the song going forward. The focus here is on the guitar melodies. The guitars are much thinner and the bass is actually audible, maintaining a doomy feeling throughout much of the album. Despite the fuzzy guitar sound, everything is remarkably clear. Every note can be heard. Nocturno Culto's vocals are supported by a healthy amount of reverb and he sounds like he has just risen from a grave.

"Natassja In Eternal Sleep" is a fast paced song, with a mournful and repetitive tremolo melody that is accompanied by hauntingly sorrowful lyrics. The mood is evil yet also mournful, as the lyrics tell the story of a dead witch. Musically, this is a perfect example of, what would become known as, the typical Darkthrone sound.

"Summer of the Diabolical Holocaust" continues on at full speed, until midway through the song. This is when the bass becomes quite audible and the listener is overcome with a morbid grave lust. The eerie solo is very reminiscent of Bathory. This slower section of the song has a similar feel to Mayhem's "Freezing Moon".

What follows this is one of the most morbid riffs, as "The Dance of Eternal Shadows" begins. Nocturno Culto truly sounds as if he is calling out from the grave. The song begins very slowly, before picking up with the fast tremolo melodies. The song slows down again, near the end, as the feeling of death fills the air. As life fades, hell awaits. This song is very chilling, to say the least.

"I am ready...for the god below."

"Unholy Black Metal" is very fast and serves to bring a bit of life back to an album otherwise steeped in death and morbidity. The somber atmospheres and mournful melodies take a break and the listener is able to pull the knife away from their throat and let go of it for a moment. This song is very minimal, and could not have been more appropriately named. The old Bathory vibe is very clear, particularly in the brief solo. But this influence would get much stronger as the song ends...

"To Walk the Infernal Fields" has to be seen as a tribute to Bathory's "Enter the Eternal Fire", borrowing some riffs. This is the longest song on the album, and returns to the mournful and depressive atmosphere that prevails elsewhere on Under A Funeral Moon. Much like "Enter the Eternal Fire" this song is midpaced, with subtle melodies underneath the main riff. Late in the song, everything slows way down and it feels like a funeral march, with thunderous drums and cymbals leading the way to the nocturnal graveland. As you gaze into the abyss, certain of your own doom, the main riff returns and pulls you away from the edge.

“With my art, I am the fist in the face God.”

The next song erupts from the darkened abyss like a horde of demons. "Under A Funeral Moon" possesses some of the best riffs on the album, as well as lyrics that are absolutely perfect for the atmosphere that is being created. If it is possible for one song to embody everything that is great about an album, this would be the one. The Bathory-esque solo is bone chilling and the vocals could not sound more deathly and demonic. The slower section in the middle is brilliant and really takes the listener down, deeper and deeper. The story being told is that of a nocturnal ritual, leading through the gates of death and beyond. There are some very cold riffs here, foreshadowing what is to come on the following release, but this album fills my mind less with imagery of Winter forests and more with grim cemeteries, funeral torches and an overpowering lust for death and Hell.

"Inn I De Dype Skogers Favn" is very repetitive and feels less inspired than the rest of the album. It is not bad, but simply not as interesting as the other songs. There are some tempo changes, but there is something lacking from this one.

"Crossing the Triangle of Flames" really feels like it is dragging you down to Hell. The fast tremolo riffs and hateful vocals dominate the song, while Fenriz employs some interesting variation with the drums. Then the song slows down, and the guitar is nearly alone with only sparse drum fills. The riff is actually similar to something that one would find on a Burzum album and definitely has the trademark Norwegian sound. As cold winds sweep over the desolate graveland, Nocturno Culto snarls:

"I am Lucifer!"

Then the bells begin to toll. A slow, morbid riff repeats as the album fades out, leaving only the chiming of the funeral bells. With the funeral moon illuminating the cold landscape, the nocturnal rituals have been performed and the listener now finds himself face to face with his dark master, leaving all traces of life and light behind. This is Black Metal. This is the feeling that it is meant to convey.

Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992)

In 1991, while working on their second album for Peaceville Records, Darkthrone abandoned the path that had been cleared for them and wandered into the desolate forests. They achieved a decent amount of success with their debut album, Soulside Journey, and they were soon to follow it up with another brilliant Death Metal album. Truth be told, as a Death Metal band, they crushed the majority of their peers in Scandinavia. However, three of the four members felt that a change was needed. Inspired by the ancient ones that had gone before them, such as Bathory, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost and Mayhem, they scrapped the material for the Goatlord album and began creating something primitive and dark.

From the frozen landscape of the bitter cold Northland, A Blaze in the Northern Sky took the metal world by surprise. It met with some resistance, before it was even released. Bassist, Dag Nilsen, was not pleased with the change in musical direction and was unceremoniously expelled from the band. However, since he did have a hand in the songwriting, to some degree, the other members felt that it was only right that he play on the album as a session musician. Once it was completed, Peaceville seemed displeased in what they heard, since they were expecting a Death Metal album. They showed no understanding of Black Metal and wanted the album to be remixed because it wasn't heavy enough. Even the aesthetics were completely different. Rather than a painting for the cover, they used a grim photo of Zephyrous in the cemetery, during one of their nocturnal rituals. Real names had been abandoned in favor of pseudonyms. Perhaps taking inspiration from Dead, who had killed himself just months earlier, they now wore corpsepaint. They were no longer the Death Metal band that Peaceville had initially signed. Darkthrone remained firm in their convictions and knew that if Peaceville didn't want to release the album, they could fall back on Euronymous and his label, Deathlike Silence Productions. Not wanting to lose a recently signed band to some tiny label, Peaceville agreed to release the album as it was, and the second wave of Black Metal was officially unleashed.

The album begins with "Kathaarian Life Code". The intro starts out with a low drone, and a thundering bass drum, followed by a slow and ominous chanting in the background. The atmosphere that is created by this has to be heard to be truly understood, words do not do this justice. Soon after Fenriz’s tortured vocals come in over this in something of a spoken word form, filled with hate, yet giving the impression that he is being strangled.

The song erupts with furious violence, guitars extremely fuzzy, drums creating a violent wall of sound. It is quite reminiscent Vader's Necrolust demo. As for the vocals, Nocturno Culto emits some of the most demonic sounds ever recorded. He sounds possessed by the forces of evil. His vocals are much more raspy and grim than on the previous album. The song does not maintain the fury for too long before going into a more mid-paced Celtic Frost-inspired riff. The tempo changes aid in ensuring that such a lengthy song never becomes repetitive. Already, one gets the feeling that this could have, easily, been released five years earlier. This is total primitive Black Metal, the way it was meant to be. The final guitar melody of the song is about as cold as it gets.

"In the Shadow of the Horns" is next, and this continues the Celtic Frost worship. But this is much uglier than anything on Morbid Tales. The brief solos on this album remind me a bit of some old Bathory, though Nocturno Culto says he was greatly influenced by Death's Scream Bloody Gore. However, that may have been only in regard to Soulside Journey. The song really shows its brilliance as it speeds up, with the tremolo riffs and blasting drums accompanying Nocturno Culto as he channeled the voice of the night, itself. Most people really enjoy the mid-paced parts, but I think the fast melody is the best part. Late in the song, an acoustic guitar is played over everything else, and the effect is perfect.

"Paragon Belial" opens with riffs worthy of an old Bathory release. Not long into the song, riffs from the aborted Goatlord session bleed in. They try their best to play these horror Death Metal riffs in a Black Metal style, but they certainly stick out. However, the later part of the song more than makes up for this, with a somewhat mournful and epic vibe taking over. As the song slows down, Nocturno Culto's tortured voice howls:

"My flesh yearns...for the tombworld."

The slow, somber riffs that end this song are very memorable and create a dark and gloomy atmosphere. It feels like a good song to die to.

"Where Cold Winds Blow" is another fast, freezing cold Black Metal song. The main riff seems to have the purpose of hypnotizing the listener and preparing them to be possessed. As the tempo changes from blistering fast to somewhat mid-paced, the hatred in Nocturno Culto's vocals flows out like venom. Musically, there is a strong Bathory and Mayhem influence on this song, with this track best representing the sound that would soon become identified with the Norwegian scene. As the pace picks up a bit, the melody is very memorable and inspires one with a sense of dread, before the thundering drums and droning guitars return. There are a few instances where the guitars are left alone, with no drumming or vocals, which does well to really convey a sense of frozen solitude. So far, this album isn't just paying homage to the old Black Metal bands, it's killing them slowly while setting a new standard.

The title track continues in much the same fashion, opening with a venomous fury before settling into a Bathory-esque mid-paced Black Metal riff. That's not to say that the album is nothing but Bathory and Celtic Frost worship. They take a good deal of influence from the old bands, while also infusing that with their own creative direction, which is what makes this album so special. This song already existed during the Goatlord sessions, but it was adapted for this album with the Black Metal opening. The slow melody, near the middle, creates a dark and eerie feeling as a morbid voice calls out:

"The next thousand years are OURS!"

The song ends with a perfectly placed guitar solo, which adds to the atmosphere. The end is near.

"The Pagan Winter" brings things to a proper conclusion, starting with a bitter dismal riff that has a gloomy feeling, before transitioning to something more inspired by Bathory. Brilliant, freezing cold melodies, perfectly timed tempo changes, excellent vocals and a hellish guitar solo make this quite a memorable song and a good way to end the album. This song possesses an epic feeling and produces mental images of traveling through a desolate wintry landscape, in the light of the full moon, on the way toward a cold grave. The Celtic Frost riffs near the end are well done, also.

The ominous chant that began the album now returns, thus ending this masterpiece of Norwegian Black Metal. While Mayhem, Burzum and Immortal were all working on albums, Darkthrone was the first to release anything and were responsible for unleashing the fury from the north that would soon spread across the world, like an ancient plague.

Tiamat - Sumerian Cry (1990)

I first discovered Tiamat, back in high school, when I was trading mix tapes with my Latvian penpal. I was introduced to this band because she included a couple songs from the Clouds album. At the time, I was listening to a lot of melodic stuff from Europe, including Hypocrisy's The Fourth Dimension and Tales From the Thousand Lakes by Amorphis. When I actually sought out Clouds, I was a little disappointed and found it difficult to get into. But then I read about how their older stuff was completely different. That's when I discovered Sumerian Cry.

Sumerian Cry is the first full-length album from Sweden's Tiamat, rising from the ashes of Treblinka. There is a bit of debate regarding the style of music presented on this album, which features tremolo riffs (which were common with Swedish Death Metal bands), blastbeats and a morbid vocal style. The inverted crosses, corpsepaint and spikes should also signal that the band was still striving to create Black Metal, in the same vein as Samael, Grotesque and Imperator. As a matter fact, this is not so far removed from what Mayhem were doing around this same time.

On the other hand, this was recorded in Sunlight Studio and that is very obvious. It has a very similar sound to the early albums from Entombed, Carnage/Dismember and even Soulside Journey by Darkthrone. However, as a point of reference, this album is much more primitive than Darkthrone's debut. Stylistically, there are elements of Black, Death, Thrash and Doom Metal here. While Tiamat does utilize various elements, the aesthetics, lyrics and overall atmosphere seem to be more in tune with early Black Metal.

Sumerian Cry was recorded during late October 1989, making Tiamat one of the first of the well known Swedish bands to record in Sunlight Studio. As previously indicated, the tempo changes quite a bit, throughout the recording, but the blastbeat seems to be fairly consistent. The guitars have the typical, heavy Swedish sound and Hellslaughter's vocals sound possessed! The sinister whispers also add to the darkened atmosphere. The songwriting is pretty primitive, but there are moments that foreshadow the band's more melodic and mature efforts.

The album begins with a short synth/acoustic intro, before the crushing guitars come in and "In the Shrines of the Kingly Dead" is unleashed. This song really sets the tone for the whole album. As a matter of fact, one can notice that this album may have influenced others in the scene, as some of the ideas that were briefly touched upon were later borrowed and expanded upon by other bands, such as Edge of Sanity and even Marduk, on Dark Endless. "The Malicious Paradise" stands out as one of the best songs on here, as well as "Nocturnal Funeral" and "Altar Flame". Two-thirds of the way through this album, one would assume that it is a very solid effort and worthy of some praise...

However, I will warn everyone to avoid the song "Evilized". It had potential to be a decent Black Metal song, but there's some sort of jazz section (yes, I said fucking JAZZ) halfway through. I don't know what the Hell happened there and it was most unexpected. The first time I listened to this, I actually thought the CD player had switched to 'radio' or something. Sadly, this was a harbinger of things to come. Why they had to taint such a good album is beyond me, but it's only a minute or so. Still, I recommend just skipping past this song, entirely.

They salvage the album with the godly "Where the Serpents Ever Dwell/Sumerian Cry pt. 2". This song is extremely slow and doom-laden. The riffs create a very dismal and somber atmosphere. This one song sits alongside "The Malicious Paradise" as the best songs on this album and, possibly, my favorite Tiamat songs.

I strongly recommend this L.P. for fans of late 80s/early 90s Black Metal, such as Mayhem, Samael, Imperator, Grotesque and Necromantia. I would also recommend this for fans of early Swedish Death Metal albums, such as Left Hand Path, Dark Recollections, Into the Grave, Like An Everflowing Stream, Nothing But Death Remains and Where No Life Dwells, though it is best to keep in mind that this album possesses a much darker atmosphere than any of those could hope for.

Brutality - When the Sky Turns Black (1994)

Brutality was formed in the late 80s, in Florida. They played with many well known bands, such as Obituary, Malevolent Creation and Hypocrisy. After releasing the brilliant debut album, Screams of Anguish, they began work on their sophomore effort, When the Sky Turns Black. This album (and its predecessor) is leagues beyond anything else that came out of Florida, around that time.

Let's take a look at some of the competition. 1994 saw the release of Obituary's World Demise and The Bleeding from Cannibal Corpse. Obituary's best days were long behind them and, though Cannibal Corpse managed to put together their best album (which isn't saying much), it still pales in comparison to what Brutality was doing. Brutality was a victim of the explosion of Death Metal bands in the early 90s, but they were far superior to many of them, especially other American bands. Perhaps their more intelligent lyrics weren't shocking enough to draw the attention that Cannibal Corpse garnered. Whatever the case, Brutality managed to release three incredible albums that should never be forgotten.

The title track opens with brilliant tremolo riffs and powerful vocals. The song is somewhat mid-paced, but it's hard to say since the song goes through so much of a progression. The album was recorded at Morrisound, but it's not apparent by listening to it. The production fits the music very well and it has its own identity.

"Race Defects" begins with a quiet, acoustic piece, before blastbeats and tremolo riffs come in. Many of the riffs that this band utilizes would actually make very good Black Metal melodies but this is definitely Death Metal. In some ways, it seems more similar to European Death Metal, rather than their neighbors in Florida. Again, the song varies in tempo from midpaced to extremely fast. And they show one more skill that seems lost on a band such as Cannibal Corpse or Deicide: they play excellent, meaningful solos. Instead of throwing something in, for the sake of doing so, they have taken their time to write very good songs. Nothing is rushed, here.

The listener gets some relief from the violence of the last song as "Awakening" is a quiet instrumental piece. It works well to create a somber atmosphere. In a way, it is like the calm before the storm.

The next song is an amazing cover version of Black Sabbath's "Electric Funeral" and is one of the very few cover songs that I prefer over the original. It is very well done and stays true to the original while also fitting in, perfectly, with the rest of the album. This was actually the first Brutality song that I ever heard. I was hanging out at my best friend's house on a Thursday night, listening to "The Haunted Mansion". By Saturday, I went to find this album. I failed to locate this one, but I did find their new one (at the time), In Mourning. I would eventually have to order this one from Nuclear Blast, since I never could find it on the shelves.

After the epic Sabbath worship, next up is "Foul Lair". This song begins with an incredible solo and mid-paced riffs befitting a Celtic Frost song. Again, the guitarist employs tremolo riffs over a very slow drum beat to create an epic atmosphere. As with the rest of the album, the pace changes at just the right moments. The songs progress, naturally, never feeling forced. Another brilliant solo is to be found in this song. Nothing complicated, but filled with mournful melody. Much like the cover art, that depicts demons hiding in the shadows and waiting for the sun to set, the music creates a very dark atmosphere.

"Screams of Anguish" begins with a chorus of Hellish screams. The song is filled with bludgeoning riffs and remains consistent with the feeling that is conveyed. This song also contains some typical Death Metal groove riffs that I don't find to be terribly useful.

Next is another instrumental, "Esoteric" which is similar to the previous one, in atmosphere. It is very gloomy and almost fools the heartbeats of the listener to slow down...

Then the next song attacks with fury and vengeance. "Artistic Butchery" lives up to its title. At this point, one really has to wonder why the Hell this band was, seemingly, overlooked in favor of inferior groups. Malevolent Creation, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide and Obituary (to name a few of their peers) were all creatively bankrupt by this point yet they maintained the spotlight.

"Violent Generation" signals the impending end and features a lot of interesting riffs. This is yet another instrumental but, unlike the previous interludes, this is a full-on assault on the senses.

The album closes with "Shrine of the Master". Beginning with vicious riffs and a solo that would fit in on an old Testament album, the band truly lives up to its name. With that said, this song seems to be filler. The best riffs from this one and "Artistic Butchery" probably could have been combined to make one song that was better than both of these. "Side A" is probably better than "Side B" but that is a minor complaint.

For any fan of early 90s Death Metal, I recommend that you seek out any Brutality album that you can find. This one ranks just below the debut album, yet it is still much better than many of the better known Death Metal albums from this period.

Marduk - Dark Endless (1992)

Dark Endless is the first full-length from Swedish Black Metal band Marduk. This is the most unique album in their entire catalog, and it is also one of their best. I first discovered Marduk through Opus Nocturne, several years ago. While it was a decent effort, the weak production job made it difficult to enjoy. It was hard to believe that the same guy that produced The Somberlain, Dan Swanö, was responsible for this. At any rate, after this album, I moved forward, instead of backward. Mistake number one. I liked some elements of the Nightwing album, but I disliked the vocalist and the overall production. Anything that the band recorded after that seemed to be nothing but pointless blasting nonsense with no feeling and it completely failed at doing the one thing Black Metal is supposed to do: create a dark atmosphere. So, after being disappointed with yet another sub-par release, in 2001, I gave up on this band and wrote them off. Mistake number two.

Heeding the advice of my girlfriend, I finally gave in and checked out the older Marduk albums. Those of the Unlight was vastly superior to anything that came after, yet Dark Endless soon emerged as my favorite. The first thing that I noticed about this album was that the production is very strong and is much more reminiscent of Swedish Death Metal bands from that era, such as Edge of Sanity. However, this is Black Metal, similar to old Samael and Treblinka/Tiamat. This was released around the same time that the Norwegians were redefining the sound, so it was before everything had to sound like that to be recognized as Black Metal.

There is a lot of variation in tempo, throughout this album. There are fast parts, blastbeats and plenty of tremolo riffs, but it's done with purpose rather than for the sake of being fast. There are a lot of slow riffs that help to create an atmosphere of doom. Minimal keyboard use is present here, to add to this. Every note seems to be played for a reason and they do well to create a dark feeling. The vocals of Andreas Axelsson suit this music perfectly and are typical for Black Metal, being high and raspy. And, unlike most Marduk albums I've heard, there are many memorable riffs and songs. The melodies stick with you even once the CD is over, making you want to listen again. Since the album is relatively short, it is easy to listen to it several times in a row.

Like many bands, Marduk definitely hit their peak early on and this is a prime example of what they were capable of, before wasting time churning out pointless garbage in an effort to impress everyone with how fast and brutal they can be. Standout tracks include "Still Fucking Dead", "The Funeral Seemed To Be Endless", "Dark Endless", and "Holy Inquisition". However, the album is oozing with memorable riffs and melodies, so it's difficult to choose. If you like the old Swedish sound, but you prefer something darker and more evil, seek this out.

Hypocrisy - Osculum Obscenum (1993)

Over a decade ago, my best friend and I had a Friday night ritual that included meeting up and sharing our latest musical acquisitions. Back then, this was one of the main ways I got into new music (along with college radio and magazines). One gloomy Autumn night, he brought over Osculum Obscenum, the second full-length album from Swedish Death Metal band Hypocrisy. I had heard plenty of Death Metal over the years, but this was beyond all of that; far more evil and far more epic.

"Pleasure of Molestation" begins with a horror intro that really sets the mood for what is to come. It starts out quietly, and one gets the feeling of being pulled into a nightmare. Then, as the song gets going, the sound is not entirely similar to other Swedish Death Metal bands. The music is filled with dark energy and the vocals are extremely rough (almost as if Masse was gargling gravel) and filled with hate. There are many variations with the vocals, keeping things interesting. Similarly, the song includes various tempos. One can hear that it is Swedish, but the influences from American Death Metal, such as Deicide, are apparent as well. However, they quickly show that they are far superior to those who have influenced them.

"Exclamation of a Necrofag" keeps everything going. The bass seems to stand out on this particular song. Other than the heavy sound, this feels a lot like a Black Metal album. This may belong next to Necrophobic's The Nocturnal Silence as one of the earliest mixtures of the two. As the song progresses, there is a very slow part, reminiscent of Where No Life Dwells by Unleashed. This, combined with Peter's eerie guitar solo makes for a sinister atmosphere.

"Osculum Obscenum" begins with some odd effects and a ghastly moaning. The song is very slow and features layered vocals, giving a demonic feel (much like the first Deicide album). Never keeping to one tempo for too long, the song speeds up, quickly. The song is filled with brilliant Black Metal riffs, even if they are sometimes hard to focus on, due to the crushing drums.

By the time "Necronomicon" begins, the listener should really have a keen grasp on what this album is all about. Yet there are still surprises to be found and each song has its own identity. Again, one may notice that Masse's vocals are rough, even for Death Metal. His style is unmistakable and he does well not to sound like every other vocalist out there.

Next up is a crushing cover version of Venom's "Black Metal," which fits in perfectly with the rest of the Black/Death Metal that is featured here. Obviously, this is much heavier than the original.

Abruptly, "Inferior Devoties" starts up and continues the Satanic Death Metal onslaught. Later in the song there is a good Black Metal riff that doesn't quite get time to breathe, but it makes no difference as the pace slows down and an epic feeling is created with the slow riffs and chanting. However, this does not last long and the song marches forward, seeing the return of the aforementioned riff.

"Infant Sacrifices" is filled with evil, blasphemy and hate. This is what Death Metal should sound like. This song again displays Peter Tägtgren's ability to utilize epic riffs.

And now we come to the most epic song on the whole album, "Attachment To the Ancestor." Slow, doomy riffs fill the listener with a sense of dread and impending doom. The low, whispering voices and acoustic guitar add an eeriness. It becomes apparent that Hypocrisy really shine through during the slower moments, and this is the slowest song on the album. That is not to say that there is no variance in tempo. The song does, indeed, speed up for a bit. Everything is perfectly timed and structured to create the darkest feeling possible. This song is definitely one of the highlights of an album filled with brilliance.

"Althotas" is a great song to close the album with. This one song features Black, Death and Thrash riffs. There seems to be a little added desperation to the vocals and the melodies definitely give the feeling that this is the last assault before the end. The song then slows way down, with a fast tremolo melody playing along with the keyboard outro. Everything continues to slow down to an absolute crawl until there's nothing left but the brief horrific sounds that began the album. Simply one of the best endings to an album, period.

This album is evil and dark Black/Death Metal the way it should be. When compared to other Death Metal albums of the same period, this absolutely kills nearly everything. Eerie guitar work, Hellish screams, epic riffs... This is a classic and stands out as being above and beyond the majority of Hypocrisy's other works. This is the most solid and consistent album that they ever recorded. Buy this or kill yourself.

October Tide - Rain Without End (1997)

Rain Without End is the first full-length from October Tide, a side project of members from Sweden's Katatonia. Appropriately enough, I first discovered this album on a rainy day, many years ago. As I write this, the sky is gloomy and the cold rain has been falling for hours. A perfectly miserable atmosphere for such bleak music.

October Tide's debut L.P. was recorded in 1995, between Katatonia's For Funerals To Come E.P. and the Brave Murder Day album, despite not being released until 1997. This album has the distinction of featuring the final harsh vocal performance of Jonas Renkse, as he had tortured his throat beyond repair.

Stylistically, October Tide does not deviate from the established Katatonia sound of this era. One may wonder why this album was released under a different name, since it features the same melodic Doom Metal found on Katatonia albums. One reason may be that Anders Nyström was preoccupied with other projects, such as Diabolical Masquerade.

What one finds on Rain Without End is a more coherent version of Katatonia. The riffs are mid-paced doom and the trademark melodies and acoustic passages are present. Average song length is roughly five to six minutes. There's enough variation to keep things moving, yet not so much that is distracts from the flow of the song. The somber melodies and tortured vocals work, beautifully, to create a very bleak and dismal album that is unmistakably Swedish.

Standout tracks include "12 Days of Rain" and "Infinite Submission". This is nearly impossible to find, without paying a small fortune, as it has been long out of print. If you see it somewhere, do yourself a favor and pick it up. Fans of old Katatonia will not be disappointed.