I just had to buy this CD. Having heard two tracks by Opeth on Black Metal compilations, their unique attack of melodic and majestic metal just had to be heard in the full. I was not disappointed.

Opeth are the masters of what might be termed classical dark-folk metal. The guitars play very little rhythm, but instead concentrate on creating minor-based harmonious sections of varied songs. Each track comprises of various sections each with it's own particular 'theme' - usually a chord structure. Vocals are used rather sparingly, but consist of Nordic-style folk singing (black and dark in nature of course), and 'high quality' growling. The percussion is used rather sparingly for metal (…possibly a justification for it not being black metal), but is original. Possible faults of this CD are that it never seems long enough, and one of the tracks (Requiem) was a little bit ropey.

Without getting bogged down any further with the mechanics of Opeth's masterpieces, don't listen to their music if you simply want speed and thrash. Opeth play slow, dark and particularly original melodic music. That said, they can probably play faster than you, and do take off when the Metal has to escape.

Great Opeth Site

Opeth Sound Files (MP3s)

If you can imagine a mix of Fields of the Nephilm with intense hardcore black metal, and you have this album. The melodies and acoustical sections sound like something of a Fields album, but much darker. The guitars, and general sound is of a black metal album. The result is an album which is really very gloomy, dark and depressing, in a passively aggressive sort of a way.

The CD starts on a high octave tune called Exodus with overly distorted guitars, an amazingly deep growl and well used synths. A double kick drum is employed with success, and the beats vary from funky hardcore to speedy 'in yer face' attack mode. This sets the tone for the entire CD in so far as the quality of all of the tunes are great.

There's plenty of variation mind you. Tunes vary from fast to slow, the slower tracks using some of the most impressive minor melodies I've ever heard in metal. One track, in particular Zoon (parts one to three) absolutely kicks arse taking the best elements of gothic and black/thrash metal possible. This is due to the Gothic vocals (instead of the usual growling), which are also used to great effect on other tracks.

What Nefilim have discovered in this is how to use volume, speed and vocal changes to full effect. Possibly the result of many years of producing excellent goth music as Fields of the Nephilm. Never mind the wait. Get this album now.

Website: http://www.beggars.com

If you sort of liked the style of the last couple of (keyboard) Burzum albums, but felt the idea could be expanded upon, then you need to check the 'styles of Mortiis'. This is the man who used to play the bass for Emperor and now sports the look of a goblin!

If you can chill with the Mr.Spock ears and almost completely electronic sound then you find yourself being down with this album and saying "Damn son!". The album kicks off with some heavy medieval style dark vibes and cheeky melodies which slowly blend into almost Manowar-style epic tunes which rock with a cosmic vibe. The lyrics match the theme of space/reality based psychic warfare type shit. Don't worry, this is an album to chill with though.

The music would be an excellent choice for some mad Playstation games, for instance if you were down with the score from stuff like Final Fantasy 7, this is along those same lines but with touches of acoustic guitar and doom-metal vocals popping up alongside the classical/metal style.

He may be a mashup goblin with plastic ears, but you need to rock this shit, son.

What a mix! This is one bassy fucker of an album - which suits me fine. Corpus Christi really has got the mix right with this production : a really booming bassy sound that kicks arse on a decent system, and a distinctive distortion which verges for brief moments on the industrial side.

Don't get confused though : this is pure black metal, which its associated screeching vocals and pounding drums. What Corpus Christi does is fast and furious. It is full on metal. The tempo could be described as pretty damn fast, though the occasional slowing down ensures that the fast sections are perceived as being as fast as physically possible. Possibly drawbacks of this might be the simplification of the tracks - don't expect Opeth intricacies or Emperor harmonies.

As an album the different songs work well together, and the highly distinctive and enjoyable production ensures that none of the tracks sound out of place. This does however mean that none of the tracks stand out more than others, though I would put my bets on track five - Throne of the Proud being the best track on the album since keyboards add to the atmosphere along with more intricate guitar work. (Other tracks have pretty amusing names such as Holy Masturbation and Jesus Cunt Lickers - that's Portuguese humour for you!)

The biography of the band claims that the band, made up of Nocturnus Horrendus (Bass, Guitars and Vocals) and Ignis Nox (Keyboards and Programming) intend to create "the most extreme Metal band in Portugal". Saeculum Domini is pretty extreme.

This is one of the rawest bands ever, bringing Mayhem style insensity and putting it through Satan's very own distortion. If you like Burzum's `Filosofem` and early Mayhem, this is the closest to where CC are rockin from. It fucks up your ears in the best ways, son!

To email the band: corpus_christii@hotmail.com & Division House Website

'the Dismal' come from Galicia in Spain, which might explain their strange choice of band name...no comment on that! Reviewing this album is a little bit tricky because we're not well versed in either this bands earlier releases or on this sub-genre of Metal. As you might imagine, this review is a bit of a departure for us : instead of a black metal album with screeching pig noises and 300bpm drumming we have a band sounding closer to Rage Against the Machine and Machinehead, producing something rather distinctive.

'Make Your Mind Up' is a 13 track CD with crunching guitar riffs, vocals distinctive enough to take a while to get used to and a quite impressive use of samples and noises. Tracks such as 'The devil in you" start mix powerful guitarwork with hip-hop style samples. The tracks are catchy, but not shallow enough to get bored of quickly. Likewise, the tracks themselves have enough variation in speed and melody to make this an enjoyable listen.

The vocalisation took a while to get used to; the Spanish accenting and Rage Against the Machine style shouting is an interesting hybrid. Maybe some people wouldn't like it, but personally I felt it added the the feeling of listening to some pretty unique. Not sure about the lyrics - the meaning of the songs kind of evaded me. There seemed to be a somewhat political slant to some of the songs, but it was difficult to discern where this band is coming from.

An overall impression of the CD is one that theDismal has produced something which is not only unique but pretty enjoyable to listen to as well. The production is excellent, and has been well mastered. It's not an extreme release of any kind, but it does have a powerful and angry message to spread.

To email the band: dismal@thedismal.com or divisionhouse@hotmail.com

Isengard - Vinterskugge

(CD VILEM 61 - 2002 re-release without ancient writing on the cover?)

I saw this in an Oxford HMV store on special offer and the cover caught my eye: a Nordic forest with cloaked evil figure with a spear. Reminding me of Burzum album covers I though it would be worth a try.

This album is by Fenriz who goes on to star in Darkthrone, and remind of the very best days of the early 1990s. It comprises three 'chapters', with music spanning the years 1989-1993 and styles ranging from old-school black metal to more recent keyboard compositions. The opening track (Vinterskugge) features heavy riffs and an odd singing style - kind of like an evil drunk monk - which sounds pretty good, though other people seem kinda wary of it. The second track (Gjennom Skogen Til Blaafjellene - what the fuck?) is more in line with Burzums more recent forays in the world of (prison) keyboards and synths - not too expectional really. Then third track (Ut I Vannets Dyp Hvor Morket Hviler) blasts into a memorable aggressive track with real black metal vocals and even some monk singing towards the end with furious drumming and fast guitar work.

The rest of the album continues in this fashion: basically this is a diverse album, all within the black metal genre. Production is pretty rough (particularly the 1989 demo) and probably mixed in a garage which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Some of the tracks are in English though the majority are probably in Norwegian and its strange to see completely undesciperable track names next to ones like 'In the Halls and Chambers of Stardust the Crystallic Heavens Open', a prize for that name at least (though 'Storm of Evil' as a concept and name for a song is pretty stupid)! The problem with the album is that it doesn't seem arranged. Why start the first tracks with the latest material, then the 1989 demo, and finally the 1991 material? Despite the cd as a whole not really gelling, there are about five songs worth listening to, all scattered around the. Verdict: diverse early black metal - worth checking out.

http://lyrics.rockmagic.net/lyrics/isengard/vinterskugge_1994.html - vocals online.

In the Woods - Omnio

Omnio straddles 'Heart of Ages' and 'Strange in Stereo' in terms of metal - the screams which characterised HoA, are replaced by almost completely melodic vocalisations, often a duet between the female singer and the male. And these are some of the best vocals I've ever heard, with fantasy lyrics and surprising departures into French which might be a first for a Swedish band!

The first track is an epic multi-part thirteen minute affair, complete with forays into post-rock psychedelia and the occasional metal riff thrown in. This sets the tone of the album to come, which fits together remarkably well; none of the tracks stand out as being unworthy of listening to, and the album ends on a down-tempo note - perhaps signifying the changes to come on the album 'Strange in Stereo'.

Stylistically, it reminds a little of fellow Swede's Opeth in terms of being rather post-rock, and having multi-part tracks. Omnio's songs tend to be slower, with longer build ups, and more creative dynamic changes, cutting out a niche by evoking a folk-fantasy world. The songs seem to fit together a little better that Opeth's however, and the vocalisations really place this album in a league of its own. Definitely recommended - one of the best albums I've listened to.

In the Woods - Strange in Stereo

Following in the direct taken after Omnio, this album takes In the Woods further from the realms of metal, and into the unexplored territory of the Goths! 'Strange in Stereo' is the most most experimental album In the Woods have released, and its definitely worth checking out, though it is also the least accessible of their albums, simply because the album has to be listened to as a whole rather than bit by bit.

Instead of the epic 13 minute long songs found on Omnio, are a number of 'normal length' (5 minutes, or thereabouts) tracks. They all gel together quite nicely and don't sound out of place at all. Four or five of the tracks are classics in the sense of having amazing melodies, and the less memorable tracks work in creating suspense and build-ups to these crescendos.

Instead of violins and distinctly 'folkish' instruments, SIS features an array of dark noises and synthesisers; much of the album sounds like its been recorded in a sewer system or metal cage - plenty o' reverb here. The bass is actually quite thunderous, booming out on a good set of speakers, helping towards the gloomy atmosphere that characterises this release. Remaining are the distinctive female and male vocalisations, that appear on all of ItW releases. Again, a release worth getting, at the very least because its pretty distinctive.