Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness (1989)

Altars of Madness is the first full-length album from the legendary Florida Death Metal band, Morbid Angel. Recorded at Morrisound and released in early 1989, this L.P. features many songs that had been previously recorded on various demos and even an unreleased album from 1986. Fate determined that it would be this unholy release that brought together the evil forces that inspired Black, Death and Speed Metal to create a timeless classic.

Morbid Angel was one of the first Death Metal bands that I got into, so many years ago. At the time, I had only discovered a few others, such as Cannibal Corpse and Deicide. I immediately associated the vocal style with those bands but, musically, I thought of old Slayer. I remember sitting there, in the record store, previewing the album. I was supposed to just give it a quick listen and get the general idea; however, I ended up going through the entire L.P. right then and there, reading along with the evil and Satanic lyrics. Not only was I still young, but I was still fairly new to Death Metal, so Altars of Madness was very important in my musical development and my understanding of that particular sub-genre. I became obsessed with the album, listening to it every night, many times over. Naturally, I vandalized many school desks with my crude rendering of the Morbid Angel logo, as well.

"Immortal Rites" begins with the main riff being played backward. The guitars possess a hellish tone, similar to that found on Hell Awaits or Seven Churches. Sinister tremolo riffs flow throughout like blood from an open wound. The vocals are higher-pitched and raspier than the Death Metal vocals that I had experienced up to that point. David Vincent's ghoulish approach is far better than the deep and guttural style utilized by the legions of generic vocalists that came after him. Trey Azagthoth and Richard Brunelle unleash Hell through their guitar riffs, as the dark melodies haunt your mind. Of course, Pete Sandoval earns his keep as drummer, being quite proficient. As everything progresses, it manages to create an epic feeling, despite the relative brevity of the song.

The next song is "Suffocation", which wastes little time in breaking into a furious speed. There are a few tempo changes, as well as a razor-sharp solo near the end. In the grand scheme of the album, it serves to heighten the level of intensity.

"Visions From the Dark Side" begins with a brilliant tremolo melody. This hearkens back to the first Possessed album, in particular, "The Exorcist". It would seem that this album managed to influence many Scandinavian bands that were soon to begin releasing albums. As already mentioned, David Vincent's vocals are in top form, on this album. This is, certainly, his best performance. It is difficult to choose a favorite song, but this one definitely contains one of the best riffs on the whole album.

"Maze of Torment" starts out with a very memorable riff that will creep into your brain at the strangest times. Within moments, the song bursts into a high speed frenzy, unleashing Hell and suffering. Already, by this point, it is amazing that there is no filler on this album. It is rare for a Death Metal release to be so consistent. As the song progresses, the pace slows down to a ghoulish crawl, creating an eerie feeling.

The next song is "Lord of All Fevers and Plague", which is a bonus track for the CD version of this album, ever since the original release. This song is very fast-paced, for the most part, though it features changes in tempo and Trey's identifiable solos weaving in and out. The lyrics were written by Azagthoth, displaying his interest in Sumerian mythology. Late in the song, the tempo shifts again, reverting to more of an old school drum beat underneath the solo. It is very apparent that the songs on this album were crafted over time and perfected before being recorded.

"Chapel of Ghouls" is next, and is one of the most recognizable Morbid Angel songs. The song begins fast enough, though it slows down a little and includes a brief solo before resuming the previous speed. Around the 2:00 mark, there is a mid-paced and epic riff that creates an eerie atmosphere of old graveyards and murky forests. Trey's solo adds to this effect. AS the song build to its climax, a chorus of demonic vocals erupts from the bowels of Hell:

"Demons attack with hate

Satan in the fires of Hell awaits

Death against you all

God hear my death call"

This classic album continues with "Bleed For the Devil", which maintains a fast pace, throughout. It is relatively short. Vincent's vocals sound even more hoarse and raspy, containing the essence of death and evil.

"Damnation" carries this feeling on, though being a little less straight-forward than the previous song. The vocals are scathing and the guitars embody the 80s sound, especially the lengthy solos. Despite being recorded at Morrisound, this does not have the generic and boring production job usually associated with that studio. The overall sound is very reminiscent of early Slayer, especially the abysmal feeling of Hell Awaits.

Rapid-fire gunshots begin the next song, "Blasphemy", with the furious drumming of Pete Sandoval coming in and emulating this with precision. The original version of this song appeared on the Thy Kingdom Come demo, though is rawer form. This song is unrelenting in speed and aggression; however, the solos still maintain a lot of feeling, unlike many other Death Metal bands that toss solos in as if they were obligatory and meaningless.

This unholy classic concludes with the song "Evil Spells". This was originally recorded for the 1986 album, Abominations of Desolation, under the title "Welcome To Hell". The pace is neither fast nor slow; rather, it is more relaxed. There are sections that speed up a bit, yet these are brief. This song possesses a haunting atmosphere and serves well to bring such a monumental album to its conclusion.

With Altars of Madness, Morbid Angel established themselves as one of the elite bands in the underground scene of the late 1980s. This legendary album set a standard that has not quite been matched by any Death Metal band, before or since. In the liner notes, it says that "this album is dedicated to the underground and all Speed, Death, Black Metal fans everywhere." Altars of Madness is truly the point where all of these styles converged to create something memorable and special; something that Morbid Angel has not been able to repeat. Few albums stand the test of time like this one has. If you don't own this, impale yourself and rid the world of your feeble stupidity.

Deicide - Deicide (1990)

Deicide formed in 1987, then known as Amon. After recording a couple demos, they were signed by Roadrunner Records. The band was encouraged to change their name, since Amon was the name of the house on the King Diamond album "Them". By early 1990, Deicide entered Morrisound to record their debut L.P.

I discovered this band back in high school, after the release of Once Upon the Cross. The title track from that album was enough to get me interested in the band but, as usual, I chose to start from the beginning. Within a week or so, I went out and purchased the first one, instead. At that point, Hell Awaits was the most evil album that I possessed, so this didn't have a lot of competition. Religion was never pushed on me as I grew up. I was aware of Christianity, but it wasn't anything I really put much thought into. In the couple years before I got this album, I had really started to think about it and to analyze the effects that the great Judeo-Christian lie had on the world around me. Within no time, after finally taking a look at this filth, I was filled with utter hatred for it. During this period, bands like Slayer and Deicide did well to echo the harsh sentiment that I held for this feeble system of beliefs.

The album begins with what sounds like the gates of Hell opening and pure evil bursting forth. Thrash riffs and mid-paced double bass lead into faster, more typical Death Metal on "Lunatic of God's Creation". This song would appear to have something to do with Charles Manson. Glen Benton's demonic vocals stand out, here. The style that he utilized on this L.P. is far superior to the 'ultra brutal', too-deep-to-understand nonsense that he spews these days.

"Sacrificial Suicide" features more hateful and unholy vocals, as well as some catchy and memorable sections that remain in your brain. The guitar tone is pretty standard for Morrisound, sadly, dulling the edge to an extent. The sound is pretty similar to other albums recorded there, around the same time, such as Harmony Corruption. Some of the faster parts of the album are found on this song.

One may wonder what sub-genre that Deicide belongs to. By the old 80s definitions, the Satanic lyrical themes would make this Black Metal, without question. Of course, stylistically, the band fits in with the rest of the Florida Death Metal scene. Despite disliking them, even those in the Norwegian scene labeled them as 'commercial Black Metal'. To make things even more difficult, this album was released before bands like Mayhem and Darkthrone really set the standard for what the Second Wave of Black Metal was to sound like. Listening to the catchy thrash riffs of "Oblivious To Evil", it is difficult to really call this Black Metal, so it is best to simply leave this to each individual to decide on their own, if there is a need to categorize the record. Either way, it is Satanic, hateful and anti-Christian and that is all that matters.

Next up is, probably, the best known song by the band; "Dead By Dawn". Inspired by The Evil Dead, this song rages forth with intensity from the very beginning. The wicked solo, early on, is very reminiscent of Slayer. The drumming is very accurate and the guitars are well played, but the vocals really make this. The layering and demonic effects really do a lot to add to the Hellish atmosphere, even if it possesses more of a horror movie feeling, rather than a nocturnal ritual.

"Blaspherereion" is a bit faster than the previous songs, which is a welcome thing. Despite the fact that Deicide became a caricature of themselves, later on, the self-titled debut features many well-crafted songs. Enough cannot be said of Benton's possessed screams. He displays a great deal of force and variation. Everything is executed more than adequately, from the vocals to the musicianship.

The song "Deicide" begins with an epic build-up from the Hoffman brothers. It may seem strange to use such a word regarding an album which doesn't feature a single song near the four and a half minute mark, but this certainly describes the feeling created in the opening moments of this song. Despite the bland Scott Burns production job, the songs still manage to grab the listener by the throat and pull them into Hell.

"Carnage in the Temple of the Damned" was inspired by cult-leader Jim Jones. The intro is very interesting. Musically, this song displays less of the band's Thrash Metal roots than many of the other songs. None of the songs on Deicide overstay their welcome. They progress toward their logical conclusion in a timely manner and end before becoming repetitive.

The album continues with "Mephistopheles", which begins at full speed. A short time later, mid-paced thrash riffs and relentless double bass drumming dominate the song for a while. The layered, demonic vocals and Hellish lead solos come together to create a very unholy atmosphere, though the song is much like the rest on the album; catchy and memorable.

Deicide was never as inspired and filled with creative energy as they were when they created this album. "Day of Darkness" begins with several indecipherable screams of burning agony. As with the rest of the songs, this one wastes no time in accomplishing what it set out to do, doing a decent job of leading into the final song.

This classic debut album concludes with one of the best songs that the band recorded; "Crucifixation". A brief, thrashy intro builds up to somewhat of an epic section that features Slayer-esque soloing and a brilliant vocal delivery by Glen Benton. The lyrics are so utterly Satanic that one cannot help but appreciate it in the same manner as a good 70s or 80s horror movie. Once the song gets going, it maintains a pretty furious pace throughout. This is the most straight-forward and evil-sounding song on the album, and a perfect way to bring things to an end. Words simply don't do it justice. As the song finishes, the gates slam shut, once more, containing the evil for the time being.

Regardless of Benton's foolish statements or the band's rapid deterioration, after this, Deicide's self-titled L.P. is a classic slab of Satanic Death Metal and is worthy of the praise that it has received over the years. If you only listen to one album by this band, it should be this one. This release is not only important for establishing this band, but it had a strong influence on other Satanic Death Metal bands that came later, such as Hypocrisy and Necrophobic.

Obituary - Slowly We Rot (1989)

Obituary began their career in 1985, as a Thrash Metal band named Executioner. Even from their earliest stages, one could hear influences ranging from old Metallica, Slayer and Celtic Frost. The following year, after realizing that another band was already using this name, they changed the spelling to Xecutioner. Also influenced by bands such as Venom and Possessed, the band's sound shifted to Death Metal and they went on to be signed by Roadrunner Records, based on the tracks that they contributed to the Raging Death compilation, on Godly Records. They then changed their name, one last time, to Obituary.

Slowly We Rot is the first Obituary album, recorded in Morrisound Recording and produced by Scott Burns. Hailing from Tampa, Florida this band was part of a new metal scene that included the likes of Morbid Angel, Death, Nocturnus, Massacre, Malevolent Creation and Deicide, among others. However, Obituary seemed even more vicious than these bands. This was, as Monte Conner put it, truly "the legacy of Venom, Bathory, Celtic Frost and Slayer reborn into something which was nastier, leaner and altogether more extreme."

It was back in high school when I discovered this band. I often engaged in tape trading with some acquaintances. I exchanged a tape filled with various Testament songs for one that contained Obituary's second album, Cause of Death. I was immediately hooked and I purchased the album as soon as I could. Becoming greedy for more, I quickly sought out their first album and it was even more appealing, being rawer and possessing a great old school feeling. The razor logo, dripping with blood, turned out to be very fitting, as well.

An ominous intro sets the stage for a classic piece of Death Metal history. As "Internal Bleeding" begins, John Tardy's unique vocals vomit forth, accompanied by the thundering drums and gritty guitars. It is like being hacked to pieces by blood-rusted axes. The guitar tone is pure Celtic Frost and the vocals are absolutely sick. It is sometimes strange to see how different bands interpret those that came before them. To listen to a Darkthrone album, such as Panzerfaust, you hear a well-done imitation of Celtic Frost, though somewhat darker. With Obituary, there is the same strong influence from this band, yet they do not simply imitate them; they take what they began and carry it forward to new extremes.

"Godly Beings" begins at full speed, though it features slower sections. The fact that this was recorded on a mere 8 tracks does nothing to hinder the power and force behind this music. The first seven songs actually sound better than the last few, recorded later on 24 tracks.

The guitars on "Til Death" are like scythes slicing through your torso and severing your limbs. Tardy's sickening vocal delivery is quite unprecedented, not really sounding like anyone that has come before him. The scathing speed is contrasted by slow doom riffs and eerie guitar solos. This imbues the listener with a feeling of morbid lust, luring them into the graveyard to walk among the tombs.

Possibly the best song on the album, "Slowly We Rot" begins with a slow and doom-filled riff that is very reminiscent of Celtic Frost, remaining true to the morbid and ghastly atmosphere, while the originators of that sound were busy trying to sell out and appeal to mainstream posers. The opening riffs of the song are very memorable, as are Allen West's lead solos. The song shifts to a blistering speed, showing influences from Slayer's Show No Mercy.

"Immortal Visions" opens as full speed before slowing down to a morbid crawl. The song features various tempos and even a wicked, yet brief, guitar solo. This song is slightly overshadowed by the one that precedes it, as well as the following song; "Gates To Hell". Beginning with high speed ferocity, this song alternates between slow and fast riffs. The vocal lines are completely insane. As the song slows down, John Tardy's screams are morbidly hellish.

"Words of Evil", despite a few screams, is more or less an instrumental track. The one complaint that I would make about the album, thus far, would be that the songs are a bit too short. However, Obituary manages to accomplish what they set out to do, so perhaps the songs are just long enough.

The difference in sound is immediately noticeable, once "Suffocation" begins. Yet, within a few moments, the excellent songwriting draws the listener in and erases any thoughts regarding the superiority of the production job accomplished on the first half of the album. It is odd that the 8 track managed a better sound than 24, but sometimes less is more. At any rate, the musicianship is still top-notch as heard on the following song, "Intoxicated". That song features some of the heaviest riffs of the album, completely crushing all in their path. As the song concludes, the Slayer influence becomes more apparent.

"Deadly Intentions" starts with more of a mid-paced approach. The riffs get slower as the song progresses, accompanied by John Tardy's utterly repulsive vocals. The song speeds up for a bit, as West's razor-sharp solos slice through your flesh, before slowing down once more.

The next song is "Bloodsoaked". Again, this song is mid-paced from the outset, but it gets a bit faster in a short span. The riffs possess sort of an epic feeling, preceding the lead solo. A sense of dread and tension is building, as the vocals become more desperate and the solos sound more tortured. The end is truly near.

This classic album ends with "Stinkupuss", which begins with Celtic Frost-inspired riffs. As the song progresses, one finds old school drum beats, common in early 80s Metal, before blasting at full speed for a brief time. The slow pace returns, as the drums roll across like a tank, destroying all in their path. As the song fades into oblivion, anyone with a keen ear will be able to recognize that they just experienced something rare. Unlike many bands that form one day and record an album the following week, Obituary labored away in the underground for years before recording a full-length and it shows in the quality of the musicianship and songwriting. Rather than simply imitating those bands that inspired them, they took the influences and forged them into something new and violent. With Slowly We Rot and the album that followed, Obituary created a musical legacy that will never be forgotten.

Merciless - The Awakening (1990)

The Awakening was the first release from Sweden's Merciless. It was also the first album released on Deathlike Silence Productions, run by Euronymous of Mayhem. The album was recorded in the summer of 1989, predating most of the classic Swedish Death Metal albums from bands like Entombed and Carnage, though it was not available until February 1990. The music found on this L.P. is a mix of Black, Death and Thrash Metal. The influences range from early Possessed and Death to Bathory and Mayhem and even German Thrash Metal bands, such as Kreator. In many ways, this album is very reminiscent of Endless Pain.

The vocals are very much in the vein of 80s Black Metal, possessing a similar feel to Mille (from Kreator) or Dead (from Morbid). The vocals are not static; rather, there is a decent amount of variation, including higher-pitched shrieks and certain vocal lines being filled with a sense of desperation and others being consumed with utter hatred. The sound is very raw, far more so than the Swedish Death Metal albums being recorded at Sunlight Studio. The only one of their contemporaries that they might be adequately compared to would be Grotesque. Perhaps there are also similarities with some of the faster moments from Samael's debut album. While the sound is raw and aggressive, this is not used as an excuse for all of the songs to sound the same. There is a lot of variation in tempo and several riff changes. Each song is different from the next, maintaining an identity of its own, displaying excellent musicianship.

"Pure Hate" and "Souls of the Dead" truly bludgeon the listener with fury and malice. The title track has a slight epic feeling to it, due to the arrangement. The memorable riffs found in such songs as "Dreadful Fate" remain in your mind long after the album has concluded. These songs are very powerful and crushing, laying waste to the weak and inferior souls that dare to listen. The average song length is around three or four minutes, resulting in the album clocking in at just under half an hour. This is probably the one point worth complaining about. Songs like "Realm of the Dead" mix Speed and Thrash Metal well, creating a dark and occult feeling, yet still dripping with a traditional Metal sensibility. The lead solo in this song is perfectly placed and leaves the listener wishing that there were a few more like it, throughout the record. While this album is filled with a lot of aggression and energy, there are slower moments such as the doom riffs found in "Dying World". As the album nears its conclusion, "Bestial Death" features intense speed and nice guitar harmonies, along with hellish screams. This builds up to the climax of the entire L.P.

"Painfully awaiting the night

Never to see the light

Is this the price I must pay

A stench of dirt and decay"

These lines are found in the beginning of "Denied Birth", which was the song that made me completely obsessed with Merciless, upon discovering this cult Swedish band. This song really does well to blend together the sounds of 80s Black, Death and Thrash Metal. There is an epic feeling to this song, in particular, and it is fitting that it was chosen to end this classic album.

Archgoat - Angelcunt (Tales of Desecration) (1992)

In 1992, Angelcunt (Tales of Desecration) was spewed forth by Finland's Archgoat. The overall sound is quite similar to old Beherit, and it shares the aforementioned band's influences, to an extent, owing much more to the Brazilian Black/Death scene of the mid to late 80s; bands such as Sarcofago, Sepultura, Vulcano and Holocausto as opposed to Venom or Bathory.

Musically, some may get the sense that there is an influence from Death, yet this is Finnish Black Metal. Despite the vocals being a bit deeper than those utilized by many of their contemporaries, the atmosphere is dark and occult. The fast, grinding parts aren't expecially interesting; however, it is during the slower, doom-filled sections where the band seems to shine. The intro is neither good nor bad, rather it is simply there. The opener, "Rise of the Black Moon", sets the pace for the entire release, which is quite brief. As the E.P. continues, "Death and Necromancy" sticks to this formula, while also incorporating a nice guitar solo. At just over three minutes, this is actually the longest song on here.

"Soulflay" begins with a very good doom riff, though the song quickly returns to the fast and generic-sounding riffs that are found all over. There is a short section that includes some sort of organ, but it passes far too quickly. "Black Messiah" carries on with more mediocre riffs, with ephemeral slow parts, almost similar to Immolation. The music isn't bad. It's just kind of there. It could have been quite a bit better, had they put forth the time and energy to really work on the songs. The only feeling of any kind is during the slow riffs. The fast riffs are pointless and bereft of any evil feeling. It is as if the guitars are there only to make background noise for the vocals to bark out over. This is where the Death Metal influence is most prevalent. Both "Jesus Spawn" and the outro are entirely pointless.

This brief E.P. would have served the band better by being even shorter. This is vastly inferior to the output from other Finnish bands, such as Beherit or Impaled Nazarene. Once you have heard "Rise of the Black Moon", you have heard enough to get the general idea behind Archgoat.

Impaled Nazarene - Suomi Finland Perkele (1994)

Suomi Finland Perkele is the third L.P. from Impaled Nazarene. It was recorded in the misty depths of Finland, during the summer of 1994, and released that October. As one who prefers a certain level of seriousness with music, I found it difficult to get into this band, for years. I had heard the opening to "Total War" and was put off, more or less. However, I came to realize that what Impaled Nazarene embodied was a more traditional Metal attitude, similar to Venom, Motorhead and so on. At least, that was the impression that I had gotten. Once I finally gave this album a chance, I discovered that this was only one aspect of the greater whole. This album seemed to hold more than a few surprises.

The intro is rather brief, yet does well to build up a bit of tension. This is the sound of a horde of barbarians preparing for war. "Vitutuksen Multihuipennus" begins with fast tremolo riffs and blasting drums, not sounding too distant from their Norwegian counterparts, despite the supposed hatred that they had for them. The song maintains a fast pace throughout, though managing to incorporate a couple memorable riffs. The lyrics are in Finnish, and the vocals are slightly reminiscent of Master's Hammer. The only complaint about this song is that it is over too soon.

"Blood Is Thicker Than Water" is more mid-paced than the opener. The bass is very audible on this album, which suits it just fine. The main riff of this song is very similar to a riff found on Samael's Ceremony of Opposites album. Regardless of which one came first, Impaled Nazarene probably manage to make better use of it. The melodies in this song create kind of a depressive feeling. The lyrics follow suit, though one has to wonder if this is serious or not.

The pace picks up, once more, with "Steelvagina". Odd song titles, such as this, probably influenced my opinion of this band, long before I bothered to really give them a chance. The cold and epic tremolo riffs and venomous vocals are proof enough that I made an error in judging this band. For a group that professed some sort of negative opinion toward the Norwegian Black Metal scene, they certainly have a bit more in common with them as opposed to fellow Finnish bands, such as Beherit or Archgoat.

"Total War - Winter War" begins with a cheesy part that features a lot of shouting and cursing. This is where the less-than-serious Venom influence seems to come through. As the song really gets going, it maintains the fast pace that was heard on the previous song. The tremolo riffs are mixed with a lot of open chords, carried forward by the steady, blasting drums. This song, in particular, possesses a lot of the 80s metal spirit, especially toward the end.

The next song is "Quasb / The Burning", which begins with slight keyboard use that accompanies the slow, doom riffs. At 4:07, this is actually the longest song on the album. It maintains the feeling of a slow and painful death by suffocation, throughout. Some double bass comes into play, near the end of the song, though the pace never really goes beyond a funeral march.

This feeling is completely destroyed with the blasting fury of "Kuolema Kaikille (Paitsi Meille)" which is one of the fastest (and shortest) songs on the album. At :50, it is more of a chaotic interlude than an actual song. It serves its purpose well enough, breaking up the bleak atmosphere created by the previous song and setting the stage for what is to come.

"Let's Fucking Die!" returns to the oldschool 80s approach of Venom. This is the kind of song that one headbangs to, while driving at high speeds down dark stretches of highway. It even features a pretty wicked guitar solo, near the end. Strangely enough, this is really the only song that lives up to the preconceived notions that I had about this band.

The build-up to "Genocide" is fairly reminiscent of several old thrash albums from the 80s, feeling eerily similar to Slayer's "Hell Awaits". The song then blasts forward at full speed, complete with memorable tremolo riffs and sinister vocals. As with all of the songs on this record, it is over pretty quickly, never having the opportunity to overstay its welcome.

The next song is the one that got me interested in really checking out this album. "Ghettoblaster" features brilliant harmonies that remain embedded in your brain for years. The cold, tremolo melodies, the snarling and hateful vocals and the blasting drums all come together to create probably the best song on this album, as well as some great lyrics:

"Kill! Fucking kill!

No mercy for scum!"

It doesn't get much more straight-forward than that. The song is kind of short, though that may add to its appeal as it leaves the listener wanting more.

Suomi Finland Perkele concludes with "The Oath of the Goat". This mid-paced effort is the second-longest song on the album. All in all, it has kind of a bizarre feeling to it. It seems as if it is building toward something that never really comes. For brief moments, it appears that it will, yet it is almost as if they are holding back. The album ends with a very strange, choppy version of the war cry that begins the album, which only adds to the strange feeling this song possesses.

This album is very enjoyable, as Impaled Nazarene does well to blend their old school roots with the sounds of the Second Wave Black Metal bands. This is actually the only L.P. of theirs that I am familiar with, but I recommend it for anyone that doesn't already own it. The songs display a wide variety of tempos and each maintains its own identity. Even the 50 second song serves a purpose in the overall structure of the album. This is quality Finnish Black Metal. Buy this or kill yourself. Better yet, just go ahead and kill yourself.

Sargeist - Disciple of the Heinous Path (2005)

Disciple of the Heinous Path is the second full-length from Sargeist. Written in 2001, at the same time as the material on Satanic Black Devotion, this maintains the same atmosphere created on their first album. It would seem that, along with other Finnish bands like Clandestine Blaze, Sargeist is keeping more true to the old Norwegian sound than the current output from that country. The feeling from Darkthrone's Under A Funeral Moon and Transilvanian Hunger is still present, much like on their debut L.P.

The album begins with "Black Treasures of Melancholy". The song starts with a fairly fast pace, featuring mournful and introspective tremolo-picked harmonies. Torog's vocals are much the same as on the previous album, though maybe slightly less reverb. There is more of a gargled quality to them, rather than screaming. Shatraug's trademark songwriting is present, and this could not be mistaken for another band.

"Remains of an Unholy Past" begins with a slightly faster tempo than the previous song, and the tremolo melodies are dark and haunting. These depressive harmonies will take root in the murky recesses of your mind and obsess you. Lyrically, this is definitely a tribute to bands such as Mayhem and Darkthrone. After a few minutes, the pace changes, in sort of an unpleasant way. The galloping riffs aren't so bad, yet the one in between them is entirely pointless and the song is sort of derailed. A couple minutes later, the main theme returns and the cold and hopeless feeling returns.

The next song is "Cursed Blaze of Rituals". This is much slower than the previous two, and imbues the listener with a sense of misery. The open-arpeggio riffs are reminiscent of Burzum. The vocals on this one are very obscure. This possesses the morbid atmosphere of cold graveyards. Halfway through, the song speeds up to kind of a gallop. This doesn't last too long, as the song returns the the previous riff.

The title track is another mid-paced affair, beginning with a very memorable and miserable open-arpeggio riff. The feeling of despair is thick in the dark fog that surrounds you. A few minutes into the song, the riffs change, building sort of an epic feeling before the song speeds up. At no point does the atmosphere if the song get lost, through any of these changes. Everything flows together well.

The cold and grim feeling continues on "Heretic Iron Will". Your feeble spirit is trapped within a swirling black cloud of utter torment. The slow riffs transition to faster ones, alternating back and forth with a catchier riff, which is typical of Shautraug's style. This seems to be pretty standard for Finnish bands, in general. Keeping within the established framework of early 90s Norwegian Black Metal, Sargeist manages to make things interesting, as each song is easily identifiable.

"Echoes From a Morbid Night" is the final song of the album, beginning with fast tremolo riffs and blasting drums. The song alternates between faster and slower riffs, always keeping an epic feeling. There is truly a sense of finality to these harmonies, and it would serve well as the soundtrack for one who is left to lay on the freezing ground, deep in the forest, bleeding in the moonlight.

Other than one odd riff that seemed out of place, there is nothing to complain about, regarding this album. If you appreciated Satanic Black Devotion, this should be no different. The only exception may be that these songs are more mid-paced. If you are looking for a morbid and melancholic atmosphere, then you should get this.