Black Funeral
Vampyr - Throne of the Beast
[FullMoon]
Ahhhh yes, Black Funeral, featuring one of the most hated
Americans in black metal today, Baron Von Abaddon (aka Mike
Ford). What's funny about Black Funeral and the "legacy"
(*snicker*) that surrounds them is that a great deal of the
hatred directed towards them stems not from the (quite average)
music itself, but from statements that Mr. Ford himself has
made in various interviews and whatnot (of course, that's out
of the scope of this review and so I'll just leave it at that)...
Ok, so what's this CD like ? Well, it's not that bad actually. Mind you, it's nothing spectacular either - it's just average (nothing more, nothing less) black metal played in a somewhat raw & primitive/low skill vein, coupled with an overall muddy sound that doesn't really add or detract from the enjoyment of the CD. Of course, this release is also quite old now, and Black Funeral have since released a sequel to this (of which I have yet to hear)...perhaps if it wasn't for the gluttony of sound alike bands that seem to be at around every waiting corner, I'd be much harsher on this (as quite a lot of people were when it was first released), but as it stands, this is a somewhat welcome break from the norm (mind you, I'd still recommend a Vlad Tepes release over this *ANY* day if you're looking for something "raw"). The CD does have the occasional good moment (the first track, "Ex Sanguini Draculae" and the title track itself), but unfortunately, the further into the CD one gets, the less one tends to notice it - it's raw, but it lacks any real aggression or spirit, and merely just plods along it's merry way into oblivion. I'll be glad of one thing though: better that Mike Ford & company crank out more Black Funeral material than subject us to any further Darkness Enshroud CDs...some of the ambient tracks on this CD (such as "Valley of the Shadow" and "Spirit of the Werewolf" to name two) venture a little bit too close to the aforementioned musical abortion, but are thankfully of a far superior quality (indeed, it would be next to impossible for them *NOT* to be superior to Darkness Enshroud, a band that have unleashed upon the world the *WORST* fucking CD I have ever hear in my life - "Ancient Kingdoms").
So if you're searching for just over 28 minutes of low-fi American black metal, this might be up your alley (as long as you aren't too demanding)...all others proceed with caution...oh, and if you're thinking of picking this up but just need that extra push to get you going, I'll add this: buy it - it has some of the most hilarious band photos you're sure to see for a long long time - it's hard not to piss oneself laughing on the first glance...
© 1998 chorazaim
Ok, so what's this CD like ? Well, it's not that bad actually. Mind you, it's nothing spectacular either - it's just average (nothing more, nothing less) black metal played in a somewhat raw & primitive/low skill vein, coupled with an overall muddy sound that doesn't really add or detract from the enjoyment of the CD. Of course, this release is also quite old now, and Black Funeral have since released a sequel to this (of which I have yet to hear)...perhaps if it wasn't for the gluttony of sound alike bands that seem to be at around every waiting corner, I'd be much harsher on this (as quite a lot of people were when it was first released), but as it stands, this is a somewhat welcome break from the norm (mind you, I'd still recommend a Vlad Tepes release over this *ANY* day if you're looking for something "raw"). The CD does have the occasional good moment (the first track, "Ex Sanguini Draculae" and the title track itself), but unfortunately, the further into the CD one gets, the less one tends to notice it - it's raw, but it lacks any real aggression or spirit, and merely just plods along it's merry way into oblivion. I'll be glad of one thing though: better that Mike Ford & company crank out more Black Funeral material than subject us to any further Darkness Enshroud CDs...some of the ambient tracks on this CD (such as "Valley of the Shadow" and "Spirit of the Werewolf" to name two) venture a little bit too close to the aforementioned musical abortion, but are thankfully of a far superior quality (indeed, it would be next to impossible for them *NOT* to be superior to Darkness Enshroud, a band that have unleashed upon the world the *WORST* fucking CD I have ever hear in my life - "Ancient Kingdoms").
So if you're searching for just over 28 minutes of low-fi American black metal, this might be up your alley (as long as you aren't too demanding)...all others proceed with caution...oh, and if you're thinking of picking this up but just need that extra push to get you going, I'll add this: buy it - it has some of the most hilarious band photos you're sure to see for a long long time - it's hard not to piss oneself laughing on the first glance...
© 1998 chorazaim