Thergothon - Stream from the Heavens (1994)

Funeral Doom is a very unique sub-genre of Metal. This style of music takes things to a completely different extreme than what most others had in mind. As an offshoot of Death / Doom, these bands took the heavy and depressing vibe that was already present, along with the harsh vocals, yet slowed the music down much more than ever before. This helped add to the feeling of lifelessness, as the crawling pace was the total antithesis of the high-energy, fast-paced stuff that was more likely to get the adrenaline flowing. Thergothon's one and only full-length album, Stream from the Heavens, is considered to be the most influential work within this scene. Released in 1994 by Obscure Plasma Records (the same label that released Mayhem's Live in Leipzig), this monumental record has stood the test of time and never fails to obliterate those that are lured to the dark depths wherein this music resides.

Upon first entering the world of Funeral Doom, there is a distinction to be made between the words 'doom' and 'depressive'. One would expect a certain level of sorrow to permeate such songs, yet this is not always true. In fact, a lot of more recent bands focus on creating an atmosphere that is almost completely bereft of any feeling other than a sense of impending dread. In my view, these fail to connect with people on a more meaningful level and are not quite as dark as they could be. However, the Finnish band Thergothon perfectly blends both, creating a masterpiece of Doom that gives the listener the feeling that the end of the world is near while also poisoning your very spirit with a feeling of unbearable grief. In this way, the music captures the ill fate of the world in general, while also zeroing in and reflecting the more personal destruction that comes from within and the despair that it begets. The morbid pace of the songs has a way of really draining the life out of you, causing you to feel empty and hopeless. Very rarely do things pick up enough to where you get any sense of life, here, other than that which is slowly dying in utter anguish and misery. The guitar riffs are absolutely oppressive and make it somewhat difficult for you to breathe. Throughout the album, these slow and sombre riffs crush you, again and again, leaving nothing but crumbled remains. The guitars are the most dominant aspect of this, possessing a very heavy sound that has become the trademark of this sub-genre. The drumming is fairly low-key, which perfectly suits the songwriting. There are fills, here and there, but the percussion does well to maintain the funereal pace of the music and never distracts from the riffs. Accentuating the bleak atmosphere is the rather tasteful use of synth. In this case, it is not overbearing and comes and goes as needed in an effort to add a little depth. As for the vocals, there is some variation though the primary approach is a very deep and almost belch-like growl. Vocalists often ruin otherwise decent Funeral Doom, as so many go for such a low pitch that there is no feeling conveyed and thus they add nothing to the atmosphere. In this case, it is done in such a manner as to imbue the listener with the image of a being that has been subjected to untold torment. Whereas Count Grishnackh's voice, on the old Burzum albums, conjured the image of a create that was currently suffering terrible agony, Thergothon's vocalist sounds as one that has already suffered unimaginable hell and has been transformed into something almost inhuman. Traces of his humanity call out from the dark, from time to time, through the use of occasional clean vocals that do a lot to contribute to the dreary feeling. 

The production is fairly low quality. Everything is kind of muddy and subdued. The mix is such that all of the various elements blend together, in a way. Also working against this album is the fact that is possesses a relatively low volume, compared to most normal CDs. The poor sound is not necessarily a horrible thing and does not have such a detrimental effect on the music. There are times when the guitars come off sounding as if the master tape was slightly warped, before they produced the CDs. In a way, these shortcomings lend something to the overall obscure vibe of the album. The only difference that I would have liked would be a slightly sharper and colder guitar tone, which would have worked well with the atmosphere. That said, this warmer sound may have something to do with the oppressive character of the music. 

Stream from the Heavens is absolutely essential for those into Funeral Doom. You are not likely to find any other album in this sub-genre that is as completely flawless, regarding the songwriting and execution. From the apocalyptic feeling of tracks like "Yet the Watchers Guard" and "Crying Blood + Crimson Snow" to the utterly sorrowful and depressing quality of "Elemental" (the most epic track on here, and personal highlight of the album) Thergothon did everything right and set a precedent that has hardly been matched in all the years since. They perfectly captured the misery and emptiness of this existence, and such woeful sounds will likely lead many to an early demise. Seek this out with confidence.

Nightbringer - Death and the Black Work (2008)

Nightbringer is yet another below-average, trendy Black Metal band from the useless shores of America. For the most part, USBM is completely worthless, and these guys do nothing but add more truth to that statement. Rather than jumping on the depressive bandwagon, like so many of their countrymen, this band has gone for the pseudo-intellectual crowd that lurks in the underground. Everything about them reeks of posturing and going out of their way to impress people with how many occult books they've read and referenced in the lyrics. Like so many similar bands, these days, it is all image and no substance.

Released in 2008, Death and the Black Work is certainly one of the most boring releases that many of you will ever try sitting through. The only minor entertainment may come from counting the number of imitation Watain riffs, or simply laughing at the pathetic attempt at creating an occult atmosphere to match the image that the band so strongly tries to cultivate. Right away, you'll notice that the vocals are horrid. This guy relies way too much on a more guttural approach that has no place in this sort of music. It seems that, in one way or another, Americans cannot let go of their Death Metal roots, in a precedent set by Judas Iscariot long before. The songwriting is incredibly poor and under-developed. The guitar melodies are painfully boring and generic. Worst of all, they seem to go nowhere. There is this constant feeling as if the riffs are about to build up to something, but nothing ever happens. Apparently, even the drummer got bored with the lame riffs as, whether the pace is fast or slow, he is way too overactive in trying to compensate for the lack of interesting ideas. Nightbringer was too busy trying to fit in all of the trendy elements of modern 'cult' Black Metal that they forgot the one thing that mattered most, which is sincerity. This record does not possess one ounce of it. They've got the mixture of high and low vocals and the occasional Funeral Doom bits tossed in, with a very choreographed and inorganic feel to it all. This is truly the sound of a band trying way too hard, and coming up with absolutely nothing but random riffs that have about as little meaning as the faux-philosophical lyrics.

As for the production, the overall sound of the album is warm and muddy. This is not what you want in a Black Metal release. There is not one moment where it feels cold or dark, whatsoever. The mix is rather claustrophobic, with the percussion seeming to surround you and to block out the riffs, at times. This would be fairly detrimental to the album, if not for the fact that the riffs are pointless. The vocals are buried in the mix, to a degree, seeming to blend in with the guitars. With such a weak vocalist, they should have tried some studio trickery to make him sound somewhat better, but they opted to let him rot in a lame attempt at sounding more obscure and underground. Unfortunately, this all reeks of modernity, from the sound to the actual songwriting.

The band's bio claims that they have been together since 1999, yet Death and the Black Work gives off the impression that they had formed not long before recording this, after having listened to too many Watain and Deathspell Omega albums. This does not sound like the work of musicians with any real old school roots. There is no connection to the past, as this is completely derivative of their contemporaries, rather than showing any understanding of those who had come before. This only adds to the modern feeling that permeates every aspect of this recording. This is sure to appeal to the type of crowd that saves their lunch money to buy more Jewish occult texts, especially those whores that try to appear evil in an effort to impress their friends on the internet. Don't fall for the hype. If you want real Black Metal, don't go anywhere near this. 

Ulver - Bergtatt (1995)

Bergtatt is the first full-length from the Norwegian Black / Folk Metal band Ulver. Released in February 1995, on the record label Head Not Found, this album has gone on to attain high levels of praise, for one reason or another, despite being very weak and lacking real creativity. Here, we have a group of musicians that probably wanted little more than to ride on the coattails of others, joining a scene that they really did not belong to. That much would be proven, as the years passed.

It cannot be said enough that Bergtatt is an incredibly overrated album. Most likely, one reason for the high praise it receives is because the masses are simple-minded. If a band is doing something that they don't understand, many will assume that it is on a higher intellectual level than they are and, not wanting to seem ignorant, will hail it as brilliant. There is nothing impressive going on, here. Mixing elements that do not belong together is not a sign of musical maturity, rather it just displays that the band was incapable of creating anything meaningful within the established boundaries of the genre. What this L.P. is, is a clear example of what happens when musicians attempt to jump on a bandwagon of something that is popular, without truly understanding it. With this record, Ulver absolutely defecates all over what Black Metal is supposed to be about. The soft guitar riffs and mellow leads, along with the abundance of clean vocals, just screams easy listening. Hailing from Norway and tossing a painting of some trees on the cover is not enough to be counted among the like of Darkthrone or Burzum. There is nothing dark about this music, at all. Even the 'pure' Black Metal moments are generic and meaningless, and those are usually undermined further by the cheesy Folk elements. It seems clear that, even if these guys had tried to make a real Black Metal record, they possessed too little knowledge or passion about it, other than ripping off their peers. Even the most 'true' riffs sound like throwaway melodies from Gorgoroth or Enslaved. The harsh vocals are rather generic as well, sounding like an amalgamation of some of the better-known vocalists in the scene. This makes lower-tier stuff like Kronet Til Konge sound like a classic, by comparison.

The production is rather strange. The Black Metal sections are fairly rough and things kind of run together, at times. The drums, in particular, become quite muddled during the fast parts. The guitar tone is not too bad, and has a pretty cold feeling during those brief times when it goes unmolested by the other nonsense. That said, many of the softer elements possess a clarity that does not mix well with the rest. The leads sound uncharacteristically clear and the same goes for the acoustic passages and the clean vocals. It just does not sound very natural seems to further exemplify the clash of styles. The vocals are too high in the mix, clean and harsh, though the latter may be helpful in adding some small sense of roughness to the sound. 

Bertatt is an album that was made to try to capitalize on the hype in Norway. It is painfully obvious that Ulver had no true passion for Black Metal and got bored with it, very quickly. This may account for the sparseness of such passages. Far more time and attention was given to the Folk side of things, though these guys did little to try to reconcile the two styles with one another. It all comes off as very sloppy and contrived. This may best serve as a gateway album, to appeal to listeners that prefer something soft and easygoing, while giving them small doses of generic Black Metal. Don't buy into the claims that this is the product of genius. Definitely preview before buying, if you are still curious about it. If at all possible, avoid this.

Enthroned - Prophecies of Pagan Fire (1995)

Released in April 1995, Enthroned's first full-length album came as a direct result of their total worship of the northern Black Metal sound. To be sure, this is a lower-tier band and Prophecies of Pagan Fire is in no way original or even all that good, compared to the bands that these guys were inspired by. Here is an early example of the newer wave of Black Metal bands that, rather than looking to the '80s, were too busy rocking out to the likes of Emperor and Marduk to know anything about Bathory or Venom.

The bulk of this material is really boring and struggles to be average. For the most part, it comes off as a really mediocre attempt to emulate the Norwegian sound. The music really drags on, even from the start of "Deny the Holy Book of Lies", taking forever for the introductory part of the song to give way to the rest. This is something tolerable when a band is doing a good job building some sense of tension, or if the riffs are just that good. Neither is the case here. The guitar melodies are, largely, forgettable and do nothing to evoke a feeling of darkness. There are a handful of lead solos, throughout the album, that try to add some depth. While they aren't bad, the basic themes of the songs just cannot be helped. Occasionally, there are more old-school passages, but it sounds more as if they picked up the old influence from a newer band, rather than having any real '80s background, themselves. The cheesy keyboard bits are a total joke and only serve to make the atmosphere more comedic than it already is, featuring worse choices than even that of early Enslaved. The vocals sounds like a generic version of just about every Scandinavian band of the early '90s, just without the evil or possessed feeling. The vocalist also includes lame parts with deep and high mixed together, diluting the actual Black Metal feeling of the album even more. This is somewhat appropriate, since there are more than a few Death Metal riffs to be found on Prophecies of Pagan Fire.

The production is just awful, and not in a good way. It sounds like a muddled mess. The bass is too high, adding a sense of warmth to everything, thus eliminating what little chance the guitar riffs had of creating a cold and menacing atmosphere. The guitar tone, itself, sounds rather harmless and possesses no edge, whatsoever. It is almost as if the mix was done by someone with more experience with Death Metal than with Black Metal. The only good thing about this poor production is that, at least, the music is quite uneventful so nothing was ruined or lost. Even the most grim and raw sound imaginable couldn't have saved this.

The best songs on here are "Tales from a Blackened Horde" and "At the Sound of the Millenium Black Bells", though that is not saying much. It is a shame that Prophecies of Pagan Fire is the best album that Enthroned ever recorded, since that means that this band's entire existence has been completely pointless. They added absolutely nothing to Black Metal and it would have made no difference, at all, had they never existed. That is not to say that this is the only unoriginal band out there, for there are countless copycats lurking about, but Enthroned failed to even do a good job at ripping off their heroes. Rather than at least carrying on tradition, they simply took something and made their own inferior interpretation of it, passing it off as something worthwhile. It is not. Avoid this.

Blut aus Nord - Ultima Thulée (1995)

Blut aus Nord is a French Black Metal band that hails from Normandy, a region with close historical ties to the Scandinavians of the Viking age. Perhaps, it is because of this that the band's debut album, Ultima Thulée, sounds much more related to the output of the Norwegian scene as opposed to the band's own countrymen, such as Les Légions Noires. Released through Impure Creations Records, in January 1995, this L.P. represents the high point of Vindsval's songwriting.

There is a very otherworldly quality to the music presented here. On the most basic level, this is not all that dissimilar to some of the material released by the likes of Burzum and Immortal, a couple years earlier. However, this may be even more atmospheric than the former and a little darker than the latter. The atmosphere of this record is strengthened by an extensive utilization of eerie synth melodies, though the keyboards do manage to fit in a bit more naturally than on Satyricon's Dark Medieval Times. It almost sounds influenced by the synth instrumentals found on the early Burzum and Isengard records, especially on "Rigsthula". Other than a few certain points, the music is not as repetitive as one might expect, with a lot of variation within each track. The various sections of the songs work well to take the listener on an epic journey, with a mixture of mid-paced and faster riffs, also joined together with more ethereal passages that sound like something from the first Katatonia album. Such can be more clearly heard in songs such as "The Plain of Ida" and "The Last Journey of Ringhorn". Certain ideas take quite a while to conclude, but this only works to increase the odd, dream-like quality of the album. Also nice is how there are occasions where the lead guitar is used to add depth to the music, making a wise choice to not simply add more keyboards in a situation where the guitar is better suited for the job. The vocals are rather impassioned and consist mostly of tormented screams, though maybe a bit generic considering the time period. Either way, it works very well to add to the sombre feeling of the album. There are the occasional background chants, and the track "My Prayer Beyond Ginnungagap" consists of almost nothing but clean chanting, serving as an interlude of sorts. Of course, with the cultural ties to the north, it is no surprise that all of the lyrics deal with Norse mythology.

The production is very similar to that of Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism and Det Som Engang Var, to an extent. One would think that this could have been recorded at Grieghallen, almost. The icy guitar tone is very thick and full, yet somehow sounds hollow at the same time. Thankfully, this is the most dominant element, with the rest kind of buried deep within the snow and ice. It is a good thing that the percussion is not any higher in the mix, as it sounds like the work of a drum machine; therefore, it is all the better to remain less noticeable in order to not ruin the atmosphere. The overall production is probably considered raw by today's standards, but it actually sounds fairly well-done and far above demo-quality.

Ultima Thulée is like a lost Norwegian Black Metal album, in many ways. Despite being a French band with a badly translated German name, Blut aus Nord fit in well with their neighbors to the north, at least with the likes of Burzum, Immortal and Enslaved. If you are a fan of the early works from those bands, you are well advised to check this out. This is a very solid album and much better than anything they've released since hopping on modern trends.

Gorgoroth - Promo '94 (1994)

In April 1994, roughly one year after releasing their first demo, Gorgoroth decided to release a promo tape that included two new songs to be featured on their upcoming full-length, Pentagram. The band's sound had been streamlined, just a bit, from the earlier recording. Infernus, Hat and Goat Pervertor had also been joined by Samoth, of Emperor, during this time. The end product sounds more professional than the previous demo, though not nearly as good as the album that would follow.

The songs featured on here are "Katharinas Bortgang" and "Måneskyggens Slave". The latter is somewhat of an odd choice, in that Gorgoroth basically decided to ruin the surprise of the very best song of the upcoming album, six months early. Usually, it would be wise to save that for the full-length and to tease people with something else. Either way, this material must have increased the anticipation for the release of Pentagram, given the high quality of the songs. One of the main differences between this and the tracks on A Sorcery Written in Blood is the somewhat more melodic orientation of the songwriting. There are less old school '80s riffs thrown in, with more of a reliance on the hypnotic tremolo melodies. Both compositions are very dynamic, giving them somewhat of an epic atmosphere that was not present on the first demo. Another major shift is the change in the vocal department. Hat's voice has now become a much higher-pitched rasp, rather than the torn-throat shrieking of before. It flows a little better and suits the music, especially considering that he sounds to have better control over his breathing and a higher lung capacity, but it loses something in that his previous approach was just so utterly hateful that you could truly feel it.

Recorded in Grieghallen and produced by Pytten, the sound here is quite a bit better than A Sorcery Written in Blood. However, this does not represent the final mix that would be used on the full-length, thankfully. Though these are the same recordings that appear on the album, the overall sound is very different. Everything is kind of flat, as opposed to the fuller and more powerful sound of Pentagram. It is almost like the different between Transilvanian Hunger and De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. This is good in that it shows improvement from the demo and gives a decent idea of what is to come, but it cannot compare to the finished versions.

Promo '94 was likely a useful release at the time, keeping the band's name out there during a time when so many classic albums were being released. However, it is rather useless now. These are the exact same recordings that are on the Gorgoroth's first full-length, just with an inferior mix, so there is not even the curiosity of hearing a different version of the songs, as with the demo. This is not even really recommended for die-hard fans, as it just offers so little. If you seek this out at all, find one a reissue that also contains the previous demo tracks.

Dimmu Borgir - For All Tid (1994)

Dimmu Borgir. The name is practically a curse word within the Black Metal underground. This is a band that is reviled and ridiculed, with good reason. They are widely considered to be posers and sell-outs, more of a corporation than a real band. To most of us, a Dimmu Borgir record is a mere product; something that is made out of the desire the make money, lacking any true substance and having no connection with real Black Metal, despite taking its name. The music that this band is best known more accurately falls under the annoying term 'extreme Metal', which is basically a way to way to indicate that it features harsh vocals and lots of double bass, while the riffs are a mixture of Black, Death and Thrash Metal, all tied together by an abundance of horrible synth.

Yet, despite how hated these guys are, even a great number of 'elitists' will cite their first album as being decent. For a group of musicians known for creating so much worthless garbage, it is difficult to believe that they ever recorded anything worthwhile, but there are many examples of once-meaningful bands losing their way and traveling down the wrong path. It is common for bands to make good albums in the beginning of their career and to then to follow up with mediocre material. It was with this in mind that, about a decade or so ago, I finally gave this band the benefit of the doubt and listened to their 1994 debut full-length, For All Tid. This was a decision that I soon came to regret.

One would think that it would be rather difficult for a 'Norwegian Black Metal' album, released in 1994, to be all that bad. After all, this was considered by many to be the peak year of the movement. It was then that Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas was finally unleashed upon the world. This was joined by, arguably, the most influential Black Metal album of all time, Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger. Highly regarded records such as Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, from Burzum, and Emperor's In the Nightside Eclipse were released that same year, as well as the debut albums of Gorgoroth, Enslaved and Satyricon. Judging by this, one would expect nearly any Norwegian release, during this time period, to be a fairly safe bet. Yet there were some differences between Dimmu Borgir and the rest. For one, most of the aforementioned bands had, at one time or another, had some association with Euronymous, who was quite an influential figure in the scene. Those bands also had existed for some time, putting out albums or at least demos in the years prior to this, while this band sprang up during or after all of the media hype and pumped out a full-length in rather short order. That said, Shagrath at least had the background of having played in a real Black Metal band, Fimbulwinter, once upon a time. In recent years, he has claimed in an interview to have had some contact with Euronymous and Varg, while contradicting this in another by saying that he did not know him and had never met Varg, either. Chances are his only contact was going to the Helvete shop to purchase a record, once or twice. At any rate, it is very clear that there was no true association between Dimmu Borgir and the real Black Metal bands, thus making it easier to understand the disparity in musical quality and the total ideological disconnect.

Regarding the actual material on For All Tid, it becomes painfully obvious that Dimmu Borgir had no real concept of what they were doing, nor could they execute their weak ideas in a convincing fashion. As Shagrath once said, "many bands came into the scene after the death of Euronymous, that would not have lasted more than a few days if he had still been alive" and that "these children have no knowledge or respect for Black Metal". He was literally describing his own band, while pretending to be part of the old guard. This becomes all the more hilarious to think of while listening to the one Dimmu Borgir album that possesses the most 'credibility' within the underground. This is drenched in a lame gothic atmosphere, as the album is consumed by a total abuse of keyboards that often dominate the sound. If you found it difficult to stomach the synth found on Dark Medieval Times, then you will absolutely vomit when you hear this. It is not even used in a manner that could possibly add a dark or evil feeling to the music, rather it comes off as cheesy and almost romantic. The piano bits and clean vocal passages only add to this effect. One also has to wonder whose idea it was that a flute, or whatever that is, belonged in Black Metal.

Even if one were to somehow look beyond all of these irritating elements and to focus solely on the guitar riffs, there would come only disappointment. The riffs are completely generic and create absolutely no feeling, on their own. There is not one single guitar melody on this album that jumps out and commands the listener's attention. None of this works well to convey any sort of feeling, other than a feeble attempt to mimic other bands while pouring a lot of bad ideas on top of it all, creating nothing more than a total mess. Even lumping this in with Black Metal feels dirty. While there are raspy vocals and a good amount of tremolo riffs, there is nothing at all dark or evil about this record. For All Tid lacks even a single moment where the atmosphere becomes black as night and a sense of menace can be detected. At least there could be some kind of sorrowful feeling that imbues the listener with a melancholic vibe. In fact, the material here sounds quite the opposite, almost seeming as happy as an '80s Power Metal record. For the most part, these dime-a-dozen, sub-par riffs are just there with no purpose. The same can be said of the generic vocals, which don't do anything to stand out. Oddly enough, while the vocals are harsh, there is no aggression to be heard, whatsoever.

As for the production, this is probably as 'grim' as the band ever sounded, compared to their later albums. It does not reek of the same modern, slick sound that they would go on to embrace, but it is still awful. The keyboards and acoustic bits are way too high in the mix, completely drowning out the guitars. In this case, that is probably appropriate, since the only attempts at atmosphere come from the synth and not the guitars. Still, when synth and percussion are higher than the guitars on a 'Metal' album, there is a severe problem. This is not a consistent issue, which is really strange, since the mix tends to vary from track to track. All in all, this sounds unprofessional in a way that does not even earn it underground points for sounding raw or necro. It just comes off as rushed and haphazard.

For All Tid is about as evil as the first In Flames record. For anyone that hates Dimmu Borgir but is curious about the myth of their first album being good, don't waste your time. This record is completely impotent and would be totally worthless if not for the fact that it serves as proof that this band never played real Black Metal. They began as just as much of a joke as they are now, the only difference being that they had not yet cultivated the rock star image that they now possess nor could they afford the top-of-the-line studios in which to obtain the slick, plastic sound that everyone seems to love so much. Avoid this at all costs. However, if you are ever confronted with this abomination, kill it with fire.