Pest - Blasphemy is My Throne (2002)

Sweden's Pest is an interesting band. They began doing a weak imitation of Darkthrone, among others. Over the course of their career, there have been some highs and lows, ultimately leading them to embrace an even more old school sound to which they are better suited. However, their early years were quite mediocre and this is exemplified by the 2002 E.P. Blasphemy is My Throne. 

The songwriting here is incredibly weak. The compositions are too lengthy and they go absolutely nowhere. The title track has a couple of riffs that could have been useful, but ended up languishing amid several generic riffs that just go nowhere. These guys are just going through the motions, knowing which notes to play but not why they need to be played or how to put it all together. There is not an ounce of darkness to be found within these songs. "Along the Path of the Fallen" is another painfully generic track that meanders along for eight minutes and accomplishes nothing. 

Side B is similarly frustrating. "Towards Desolation" features some half-decent tremolo melodies that are very reminiscent of early Burzum, but the modern studio production sort of kills the vibe. The song is then buried in an unmarked grave when things transition to a poor man's Ravishing Grimness. "Circle of Damnation's Fire" displays some of the worst Celtic Frost imitation ever heard. 

Sometimes, a band should demonstrate a bit of patience and, rather than releasing material just for the sake of getting their name out there, they should hold off until they've written songs that are worth listening to. In the case of Blasphemy is My Throne, Pest seemed overeager to release something, despite the songwriting being utterly below-average and tedious to sit through. Some bands are slow starters and these guys really should have remained in the demo stage a lot longer, because this E.P. is completely worthless.  

Xasthur - Nocturnal Poisoning (2002)

Nocturnal Poisoning was released in late 2002, marking the first of many disappointing full-lengths to come from Xasthur. Alongside trash like Nargaroth, this may be one of the most overrated bands to ever soil the realm of Black Metal.

After being introduced to this solo bedroom project with the track "May Your Void Become as Deep as My Hate" (which was fairly decent and Burzum-esque), I did a little research and decided to give a listen to the first Xasthur album. Of particular interest was that this offering featured a cover of an old Mütiilation track. It seemed as if this band might have some potential. I was quite wrong.

Nocturnal Poisoning is an incredibly tedious listen. To my understanding, this is a fairly clear example of DSBM, but the only depressive thing about this is how utterly boring and mundane it all is. From the first track, it is apparent that Malefic is incapable of doing even the most basic Black Metal vocals, as his voice is so drowned in digital effects that all chance for any feeling to be conveyed by the vocals has been eliminated. That is not too much of a problem, as the songwriting is amateurish and bland. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to even call this songwriting. It would be more appropriate to call this a collection of uninteresting, generic, interchangeable and forgettable riffs that stretches on for over an hour. The overuse of clean guitars in the forefront also does a lot to remove any possible edge this music could have possessed.

Malefic demonstrates that Burzum and Strid were not the only bands he wished to emulate, as "A Gate through Bloodstained Mirrors" gives off somewhat of an old Graveland vibe, particularly with the drum programming. Occasionally, a guitar passage will feel slightly gloomy, but there is nothing to compare it to other than the terribly monotonous and boring riffs that make up the bulk of this wretched album. There are no ups and downs, no journey into the darkness. The riffs have no feeling, the vocals are just a pathetic mess of sound effects and the tracks are all the worse for the fact that they just drag on and on.

The best and most offensive song on here is "Black Imperial Blood". The soft and modern production neuters it, for the most part, with the horrible fake drumming overpowering the guitars. Anyone with any respect for Mütiilation would never have released this atrocity, as it is a complete raping of the original. That said, these are clearly the most interesting riffs on the whole album. In this case, not only was it a bad idea to include the cover track because of how poorly it came out, but it also shows just how weak the rest of the compositions are by comparison.

Later songs introduce more synth into the mix, as if this filth wasn't horrible enough already. "A Walk Beyond Utter Blackness" introduces a somewhat average guitar riff, then proceeds to do nothing to capitalize on it, spoiling it further with random clean guitars and excessively loud bass lines. Finally, nearly an hour into the torture session, the first decent (original) riff appears. The title track starts out with a rather lifeless and sombre melody, but soon loses steam and turns into a terrible Opeth outtake.

Truly, Nocturnal Poisoning is a complete mess. Cover art and song titles aside, there is nothing even remotely dark about this. This guy really just picked up on the absolute weakest elements of Black Metal and failed in his attempt to emulate them, creating a disgusting and worthless string of albums and split releases over the years. It's a shame that so much talentless scum manages to gain notoriety and support for the complete trash they call music, while other bands go unnoticed or forgotten. You are far better off listening to the older works from Burzum, Strid and Mütiilation. Xasthur was never anything more than a failed effort at making a cheap imitation of those that came before. Avoid this.

Nargaroth - Black Metal ist Krieg (2001)

Things are not always what they seem, and it is always important for one to think critically about the information that is presented to them. Black Metal has enjoyed a rather high level of popularity, within the underground (and beyond), for the past decade and a half. For those who do not remember, or were simply not around, it must be mentioned that things were not always this way. It was once something quite obscure and unknown to many. Even those who were aware of it often mocked and ridiculed it. With the media storm surrounding the Norwegian scene in the mid-90s, the popularity of this form of music began to grow at an astounding rate. Bands sprang up from all over the globe, and more and more listeners were turned onto this dark art. By the late 90s, it had become quite trendy in a sense, and a great number of posers and idiots had flocked to the bloodstained altars, in hopes of capturing some of its dark essence. Many attempted to recreate the magic of the past, while others simply adopted whatever elements they chose and mixed them with other influences, producing some bastardized form of music that should never have been. In this chaotic time emerged a Black Metal warrior from the long forgotten past. He went by the name of Kanwulf, and his band Nargaroth was established to uphold the true ways of the black cult. Not really... in truth, he was just another goth kid that latched onto the latest trend in hopes of impressing people and finding some community of outcasts to take him in. This feminine loser was better known to his friends and family as mild-mannered René Wagner.

Of course, anything of any real quality will, inevitably, begin attracting the attention of the wrong kind of people. It has happened within any kind of movement imaginable, whether it be related to music, film, politics, etc. Black Metal was no different, except that the shameful losers it attracted were even more ridiculous than usual. Ranking near the top of that list was the feeble-minded René, a disgrace to his German blood. Like many others, he was drawn to the aesthetics and the dark atmosphere evoked by the music, but he failed to look beneath the surface. His understanding of Black Metal is shallow and rooted in self-created mythology, influenced by fantastical stories printed in newspapers and magazines. 

This goth loser was not introduced to Black Metal until 1996, at the very earliest. More likely, it was even a year or two later. This is when he formed his own band and began imitating his new-found heroes. After a couple of demos, his band Nargaroth released Herbstleyd at the end of 1998. For one reason or another, this record appealed to a decent amount of people and this is something that René should have been proud of. He had infiltrated a world in which he did not belong, like so many others were doing around that time. But this was not enough for him. He wished to be associated with the originators of this musical style, instead of being among the legions of imitators. So he began to create a backstory for himself and his band, to gain more credibility in the scene.

According to his story (which often changed), he formed Nargaroth in 1989 and recorded the first demos in 1991 and 1993. During this time, he traveled to Norway and met with both Dead and Varg Vikernes and discussed the ill-fated path that Black Metal was on. He then went to prison on charges of manslaughter, then re-emerged a handful of years later to constantly weep and mourn for the old days (of which he was never a part, in any way) and to keep the ancient flame burning with his musical contributions. The only problem is that none of this is true.

The German Black Metal scene was a small and close-knit group, back in the mid-90s. No one involved had ever heard of Kanwulf or Nargaroth until 1997 at the earliest, and when asked about this idiotic drama queen Varg denied meeting him and went on to say that no foreigners were present except for a handful of Swedes. This does not even take into account that he was a mere child at the time, anyway. Countless people have come forth to dispute the claims made by René, in his quest for acceptance. Also worth mentioning is that his pseudonym was taken from a Canadian television program that did not even air in Germany until 1996, or so. Obviously, this would add more suspicion the the claims that those “old demos” were recorded and released in the early 90s. René also admitted later on that the inspiration for the name of his band came from Gorgoroth, which certainly did not exist in 1989. How ironic that this poser scum took on a dramatic tone in so many interviews, talking about how Black Metal died in 1994 and that everything that came after that was utter garbage. He was describing himself, perfectly. Somehow, he had convinced himself that his lies were truth and that he was the last of a forgotten age. The truth of the matter was that the era that he was so desperate to associate himself with was over before he had even heard of it. He spent a lot of time and energy in trying to craft the perfect image for his Black Metal persona, yet he allowed his true face to appear on national television in late 1999.

On a tv talk show called “Sonja Live”, he appeared in all of his feminine glory, seeming very giggly and shy and allowing himself to be ridiculed in a very low-class environment. Smiling and soft-spoken, he sat there in a fishnet shirt while his roommate lambasted him for listening to music too loud. The old school Black Metal warrior backed down and agreed to retreat to his car to listen to music, and could not have come off as more of a homosexual unless he began making out with the guy on stage. Far from the honourable Black Metal warrior that he pretended to be, this was most likely an accurate representation of his true personality.

To defend his actions, René took to the internet and masqueraded as other people in order to back up his own ridiculous claims or actions, as well as to speak highly of his own band. It was later discovered that the IP addresses for the fake users were all linked to the very university where René was taking classes. He brazenly lied time and again and then posed as random people to support his claims and to be his own number one fan... This guy truly had no shame.

As for his band's second full-length album, Black Metal Ist Krieg, it is nothing more than a pile of garbage and stolen ideas. It contains four cover songs from a handful of obscure bands that few were aware of. He had only been introduced to these bands a short time before recording the songs and, in the case of Moonblood, had actually said that they "were shit". Obviously, the idea behind this was to build even more credibility by pretending to possess knowledge of these obscure bands. Weird that someone would cover a band that he considers to be terrible, but understandable since they had a level of respect in the underground and he knew that others regarded them highly. Even more disgusting that this shameless poser has amassed such a following while a brilliant band like Moonblood languished in relative obscurity.

As for the rest of the album, it contains ridiculous lyrics that are all about Black Metal itself, resulting in unintended self-parody. Riffs are stolen, such as the Strid melodies in “Seven Tears Are Flowing to the River”, the Immortal plagiarism in “Erik, May You Rape the Angels” (which is a total farce, making a tribute song to someone that he had never met, pretending to be some close friend) and the obvious theft from Darkthrone in “Possessed By Black Fucking Metal”. Obviously, he spent a lot of time listening to End of Life, Pure Holocaust and Under A Funeral Moon, when writing the material for this album. Outside of these “borrowed” concepts, his own material is incredibly derivative and more of a mockery than a tribute. Just listen to “The Day Burzum Killed Mayhem” and read the lyrics and wonder how René managed to record this with a straight face. Such a laughable pile of human waste shouldn't even be allowed to utter the names of those bands. Boring and generic riffs, comical displays of false emotion and horrid movie samples all populate an album that has, somehow, gained a high level of respect among more casual listeners. Sad to see so many listeners that do not realize what a piece of trash this album really is and this was only the second one.

René continued his pathetic antics, even including a home video of him whining and crying that some people had seen through his lies and burning t-shirts and records for some unknown purpose. The thing that seems to go unnoticed is that this loser is an attention whore and always has been. Like a lot of other people, he saw Black Metal as some “island of misfit toys” that would accept him in ways that the goth community would not. It was also probably more interesting and excited him to think that he could be a part of something that was, at times, dangerous and legitimately evil. Kanwulf is nothing more than a weakling that has enjoyed the attention of uninformed listeners that take his false claims and simplistic music at face value.

That is the real problem here. It is not just that some loser ran around, spreading lies and trying to be part of something to which he did not belong. Posers are all over the place, and their presence is annoying but, ultimately, does not matter. The thing is that this particular person managed to create a mythology around himself (not so much his true self, but a character that existed only in his mind) and his band to fool many in the underground for several years. There are many that still revere the work and words of this fool, based on his hideous lies and posturing, and it should not only be known that it was all false, but that others like him are surely lurking all over. Honour is something that is rapidly fading from this world. Disingenuous people are multiplying in this modern age of technology and it is only getting worse. Do not be so quick to offer your support to such scum. Avoid anything that has to do with the stain upon Black Metal known as Nargaroth.

Maniac Butcher - Cerná Krev (1998)

Hailing from the Czech Republic, Maniac Butcher are well-known for a grim style of Black Metal that takes a lot of cues from their northern predecessors, as well as some influence from the likes of Master's Hammer. Anyone familiar with the band has a general sense of expectation whenever exploring a new album, as Barbarud and Vlad were very consistent with their songwriting. This hold true for their fourth full-length, released in 1998, Cerná Krev.

One of the first things that one might notice is that the production is slightly improved from the last offering. Without being overly plastic or soulless, Krvestřeb was still too over-produced for this type of music. Cerná Krev appears to correct some of the mistakes, with a more cohesive sound. The drums are not quite as hollow and distracting as the last time around, though they could still be buried a little more in the mix. The guitars have a cold and thin tone, really suitable to the compositions. 

Regarding the songwriting, this record contains over half an hour of rather straightforward Black Metal. The vocals are raw and often tormented, sounding like they are emanating from a shredded throat. This is quite appropriate, as the guitar riffs are razor-sharp and hearken back to the classic Norwegian albums from the likes of Darkthrone and Mayhem. There are even certain shared sensibilities with early Gorgoroth, especially as it relates to the guitar melodies. There is a good dynamic with the somewhat epic riffs contrasting with more urgent and intense ones, though the difference is subtle enough that it may not be perceptible by all. It is a shame that the song titles are not only in Czech, but that they are so lengthy, as it is rather difficult to identify the tracks by anything other than their numbers. The exception to this is the much more ethereal "Intermezzo", which slows things down and creates an atmosphere of almost calming darkness with more melodic riffs and use of a somewhat introspective clean guitar. After the blistering aural assault of the previous three songs, this instrumental is somewhat necessary. 

Following this, the album shifts back into high gear with intense riffs that would make Euronymous proud. Despite the obvious influences, by this point in their career, Maniac Butcher definitely had a sound that was easily identifiable. There is a certain dreariness that creeps into some of the tremolo melodies that serves as their mark. Track five is the first proper composition to feature any really noticeable tempo changes. The added dynamics do take away from the momentum built up by the initial parts of the track, but this is followed by an even faster section that is almost reminiscent of early Dark Funeral, before the main riff returns. The next song adopts a slower pace, building on the somewhat sombre feeling established in the second half of the album. The effort is a little hampered by the overactive drumming (which would not be as bad if it were lower in the mix). There are certain times when drummers should realize that less is more and that the guitars should be allowed more room to breathe and to create atmosphere, without so many fills and extra bits tossed in without reason. There is a Gorgoroth vibe as the song speeds up, but it is not done exceptionally well. 

Cerná Krev is strong album from this Czech Black Metal band and is an improvement over the previous record. While there are some average parts, the majority of the material is very solid and does well to continue the traditions that were established in the earlier part of the decade, while also putting their own stamp on it. The rawness and intensity shown by this band really put most of their contemporaries to shame and Maniac Butcher deserves all the more respect for keeping this style alive at a time when so many despicable bands were clogging up the scene. If you are sick of all of the current trendy releases and want something much more in line with the classics, this is very much recommended. 

Anthrax - Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't (2011)

Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't is the first single from Worship Music, and was released by Megaforce Records in June 1991. Or, rather, it should have been released about twenty years earlier than it was. Instead, it emerged in the summer of 2011 and marked the first new song to be recorded with vocalist Joey Belladonna in a couple decades. 

Following Belladonna's untimely departure in 1992, Anthrax struggled with a severe identity crisis. Traces of their sound remained, early on, as one could vaguely connect some parts of Sound of White Noise with its predecessor, Persistence of Time. The first album of the John Bush era had its moments, but ultimately it was a step in the wrong direction. Rosenfeld led his troops through the rest of the 90's and beyond, trying desperately to seem relevant and dumbing themselves down in an attempt to follow any trend that they thought might bring them a few more dollars. The experiments with being Pantera-lite, or even joining the Nu-Metal trend, were complete failures and it seemed as it Anthrax was finished. 

Somehow, they reconciled with Joey and managed to get themselves into the studio for the first time in several years and the results were far better than they had any right to be. "Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't" is not without its flaws. Obviously, it is over-produced and has a rather plastic sound. As well, the chorus melodies reek of modernity. However, the bulk of the song feels like a return to the days of Persistence of Time, which is a good thing. In fact, one might say that it is a bit of rehashing of the past, but it is still enjoyable for fans of the old days. The main reason for this is the vocal performance by Belladonna. Two decades later and he still possesses the same talent and ability as when they last recorded together. His voice really makes this work. Even the lyrics hearken back to the band's classic days, dealing with the topic of a zombie apocalypse, while managing to avoid the goofiness that that often plagued them. 

This single is by no means essential, but it is recommended for anyone that held even the slightest hopes for this band to again record something enjoyable. While it may be more of a nostalgia trip, it should be a satisfying listen for those that have been sickened by nearly everything this band has done since 1990. 

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.