Reviews

Godkiller

Discography:
"End of the World"
"The Rebirth of the Middle Ages"-CD
(Wounded Love Records)

"The Rebirth of the Middle Ages"

This is a older release, I believe it was released in '96-'97 by Wounded Love Records. Godkiller is a one man band, and this album is fucking killer Black Metal!!! The album contains 5 tracks, the first track "(Introduction of the Middle Ages) Hymn for the Black Knights" is a usual intro with drums and bells and it only lasts about 33 seconds and then from there goes into a very short pause and continues to track #2 "(Preparing for the Final Battle) From the Castle in the Fog." It starts out slow for a few seconds then it totally turns to what I would say is the fastest one man project I have ever heard, with great sound and excellent musicianship! The other 3 tracks are the same way-song titles for them are 3. "(On the way to the Battlefeild) Path of the Unholy Frozen Empire", 4. "(The Final Battle) Blood on my Swordblade", and 5. "(The Triumph) The neverending Reign of the Black Knights" which contains some vocals in a more normal voice. This album is heavy, it does have some parts where the speed slows down and some acustic guitar parts take over and some parts with minor keyboard but for the majority of the album is just furious Warlike Black Metal, you certainly get your money worth! The total running time of the cd is about 21 min and the cd comes with a lyric booklet and nice front cover.

Centuries of Deception

Discography:
"Heic NoenuM Pax" (Blood, Fire, Death Records)

"Heic NoenuM Pax"

Fucking Grim & Hateful Black Metal!!!! Centuries of Deception is the project of Atrox. Now that his old project Enchanted Sorrow is dead, Centuries of Deception is his full time project. The project only consists of Atrox and includes a drum machine that is at times set to high, (not the artists fault but the lables at the time of recording this album from tape to cd) but nonetheless it certainly does not take away from the extremeness of the recording. Originally as a demo recording it was pressed onto a MCD format by the now disfunct lable "Blood, Fire, Death". You get 4 tracks all of which are killer!! Track one "Deep In The Void of Blackness...." starts out slow with some electric accoustic guitar and a distorted guitar with light drumming for about 40 seconds and then the song starts to kick in some with the vocals and faster paced drumming. It's not until about one minute and thirty seconds that the track starts to really become intense and grim. The other 3 tracks are just as fast, actually faster and more extreme, especially the last track entitled "....May I Be Laid To Rest...." The other two tracks 2. "....There is No Peace Here...." which consists of an overly distorted drum machine half way into the track that sounds like a machine gun (again the label's fault), but as I said before it does not take away from the intensity of the track at all, in my opinion it adds to it. And the 3rd track is entitled "....Only War & Hate Survived...." This MCD has a running time of around 20 minutes. The record label this was released from however is no more. I recieved my copy right from Atrox but he has no more available. You'd have to check out various distro's for the album such as Dark Symphonies, but the cd is cheap (I paid only $7 for a copy from Atrox, should not be much more then $10 - $12 for various disto's), comes with a nice glossy logo sticker, and are hand numbered copies of 1000, which makes them collectable. This is not music for any weak trendy of the Black Metal scene in any way, totally Grim and Hateful Black Metal!!!! (which is in my opinion the best kind!). Centuries of Deception will release a new album most likely through the label Infernal Horde Productions in the near future, incase anyone obtains a copy of this and is interested in hearing the next release.

Contact:
Centuries of Deception
c/o Atrox
5347 Hinton Ave.
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
USA

selvmord@aol.com

Obtained Enslavement

Discography:
"Out of the Crypts"-Demo '92
"Centuries of Sorrow"-'94
"Witchcraft"
(Wounded Love Records)

"Witchcraft"

Arrrrhhhh, damn, what a totally excellent cd!!!! This album is what makes me like Norwegian Black Metal so damn much! It is a mixture of Atmospheric/ Melodic and Brutal Black Metal all in one. Opening up with one the best intro's I've ever listened to entitled "Prelude Funebre." The intro consisting of keyboards, piano, drums, violin, and sounds. Extremely atmospheric and majestic intro that picks up speed and keyboard skill as it continues further into the track and ends in the one of coolest ways I've ever heard which is with bomblike sounds, violin, symbol crashes, and keybords and then ends totally with a crack of a whip that proceeds right into the first track immediatly entitled "Veils of Wintersorrow" which is a pretty fast paced track with keyboards and piano adorning more towards the end of the track. Onto the third track entitled "From Times In Kingdoms...." which opens with some atmospheric keyboards for about 30 seconds and then the singing starts, still at slow pace speed and continued keyboards but with some light drumming. Then about 1 minute 30 seconds into the track it picks up at the cue of a scream. This track contains keyboards all the way through as many tracks on this cd do, but it is quite medieval in feeling and not really overdone, staying on the constant consistance of each songs speed and pace. Anyways, there are 9 tracks on this CD-1 being an Intro and one being an outro (which is just some piano). In my opinion the best tracks on this CD are the 1st track which is the intro, the second track "Veils of Wintersorrow", the 5th track "Warlock", and the 7th to the 8th track which are entitled "Carnal Lust" and "The Seven Wiches" (which is a really great song that reminds me of one of the songs on the WAR - "Total War" cd, really memorable song that has a pretty grim sound to it). This band has actually been around for a long time, Formed in '89, but did not release their first official album until '94 entitled-"Centuries of Sorrow." There are also 6 members in the band and a female that really does not sing at all on the entire album and there is no mention of her in the credits, just shows here picture in the cd sleeve. Which by the way this band put out a great cd booklet, with some really cool pics of them posing in space and shit like that, the album cover is adorned with a guy nailed to a stake and on fire (which I think is pretty cool). All in all this is probably one the best releases of this past year. Supposedly it was released in '97 but I'm not sure about that in the States. It's certainly worth the price of $14 (through Necropolis Records) and I'm sure if you like Norwegian Black Metal you'll enjoy this cd!

Band Contact:
Obtained Enslavement
P.O. Box 1042 Saevarhagen
5401 Stord
Norway

DornenReich

Discography:
"Nicht um zu sterben" (CCP Records)

"Nicht um zu sterben"

Ah! This is a really good album from this band. I have never listened to them before but when I saw the album I said to myself why not give it a try since they are off the same label that Third Moon is on. Unfortunatly, I do not know anything about this band except that they are from Austria, (which I found out in the interveiw I had done with Peter of Abigor). Anyway, this release is great, it starts out fast and ends in an outro of accoustic guitar that lasts about 2 and half minutes. The release contains 8 tracks. There is a mixture of melodicness/atmospheric Black Metal but all the music is very well played. The downfall to this CD is that the lyrics are not in English so if you are like me and don't understand anything but English you won't understand what the band is saying. Nonetheless it is a really good album from a band I wouldn't hesitate to pick up any other releases from in the least! The band only consists of 3 members as well.

Contact:
CCP Records
Dinghoferstr. 54
A-4020 Linz
AUSTRIA

Cernunnos Woods

Discography:
"Awaken the Empire of Dark Wood "-CD (Cruel Moon International)

"Awaken the Empire of Dark Wood"

This is the project of Bard Blgol and the record label is a sub-label of Cold Meat Industry. This album is Dark Ambience and not Black Metal. It could be compared to Mortiis material but it is different it some ways. One of which is that there is quite a bit of chanting and whispering in the music and it has horns and drums in parts. This cd contains 7 tracks and 1 hidden track after the 7th, after the time runs down backwards for about 3 min. 30 sec., the total running time is about 24 min. It comes in a really nice digi-pak as well and a really nice booklet. Cernunnos Woods has a few albums out but I have never heard anything else from Bard so I can't compare this album to any of his others. This is a great CD for anyone into the Dark Ambience stuff, but I can't really see anyone liking it if you're not into this type of music. The sound quality is really good on this recording though and there are lyrics for one song in the booklet.

Contact:
Cernunnos Woods
110278 Village Road
Chaska, MN 55318
USA

Mortem

Discography:
"Evil Dead" - Demo #1 '89
"Superstition" - Demo #2 '91
"Vomit of the Earth" - Demo #3 '92
"Unearth the Buried Evil" - Demo #4 '93
"Demon Tales" - '97
"The Devil Speaks In Tongues" - '98 (Merciless Records)

"The Devil Speaks In Tongues"

Pure Fucking Death Metal!!!!! Damn, Mortem is a band that certainly knows what Death Metal is all about!!! This band amazed me with their first full length "Demon Tales" but this new album is fucking amazing and tops their last release, which should be the way with all bands. "The Devil Speaks In Tongues" contains 12 tracks of nothing but intense, brutal, and hurtful Death Metal!! This album is so good it should be owned by everyone who listens to Death Metal, surely to become one of the best Death Metal albums to ever be released, it starts off brutal and heavy and ends the same damn way!!! This is also a band that has been together since '86 and since I'm in contact with Fernan I can say this band is totally dedicated to the art of Death Metal in every way! Some of the track titles for this album are "Summoned To Hell", "The Devil Speaks In Tongues", "Posthumous Magic", "Zombie Plague", and "Moon of Cannibalism." This album is what gives me hope for a re-birth of the Death Metal underground!!!! If you do not have "The Devil Speaks In Tongues" yet, waste no time in obtaining your copy!!!!

Band Contact:
Mortem
P.O. Box 210035
Lima 21
Peru (South America)

Label Contact:
Merciless Records
P.O. Box 72
97448 Arnstein
Germany

Lord Wind

Discography:
" Forgotten Songs "-CD (Full Moon Productions)

"Forgotten Songs"

Well, here is yet another project of Rob Darken of Graveland. This album is like a Dark Ambience type of thing but it is so Medieval sounding and grim like. Not to be compared to anything like Mortiis at all, this is a album that brings out a darker vision as you listen to the recording. The tracks contain a kind of obscure sound with drums, electric acoustic guitar, soundscapes of blowing wind and shit like that, whispers and chants with some singing, keyboards, etc.... just a large variety of things really. In any case this release is really epic in feeling, takes you through a subconscious journey of thoughts and visions. This album also contains 11 tracks. It's hard to give such material a reveiw but this release is certainly worth picking up. The best way for me to describe this release is as a real epic album. Rob Darken has talent, for every project he is involved in are all grim and obscure and you can be sure you will always get a great album!!

Contact:
Lord Wind
c/o Darken
P.O. Box 1775
50-385 Wroclaw 46
Poland

Occultus/Esgaroth split

"Dark Passion/Kingdoms of Darkest Side"
(Sempiternal Productions)

This split cd contains 3 tracks from a Colombian band called Occultus and 4 tracks from Esgaroth of Greece. The first band is Occultus and the first track is an intro that is mostly of running water and lasts for about 2 minutes. The second track from this band entitled "Gloria al Ocultismo" starts off with a melodic sound with accoustic guitar and some light drumming, it doesn't really pick up until about 2 minutes into the track with some screaming and the sound picks up about 2 min. and 30 seconds into the track. The last track from this band is the best one they do entitled "The Forest....Dream Lover" which is pretty much the same speed as the first track until almost 3 min. into the track when it picks up a lot and starts to sound more "Black Metal." All and all I'd say that the tracks for Occultus on this split release are not so great, kind of boring really. Track 4 starts the band Esgaroth who starts off with the song "Unholy Chant (Intro)..... yeah that's right, that's all the track is of is chants. From then on the rest of the CD is pretty good though, Esgaroth being a heavier band then Occultus (at least on this spilt, I've never heard any other material from these bands). You get 7 songs in total and the booklet gives the bands info of addresses, and some history, a two sided cover, and lyrics for the Occultus tracks. This split did not really amuse me at all but I would say it is worth picking up for the Esgaroth.

Contact:
Sempiternal Productions
c/o Fernando Castel
1804 S. Ashland Av. Box #106
Chicago, IL 60608
USA

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