Countess (as it states in the CD booklet) perform "Orthodox Black Metal", a term which suits the music perfectly. Take equal parts of early Bathory and Hellhammer, and you've got Countess. This CD has a much fuller production than what was found on "The Gospel Of The Horned One", and this adds a certain ammount of maturity to the work - but not to worry, the material is still in the same vein and main man Orlok has not strayed far from his infernal path. The drums (machine?) sound a lot more potent and varied this time around, and the guitar is also much thicker in tone (as opposed to the laughable guitar sound which was found on TGOTHO - but then again, it's sheer impotency was also part of it's charm)...vocals are still of the squawked variety, and the general song tempo is rooted firmly in mid-paced territory. Synth seems to play a more predominant part than before, but thankfully it is used only occasionally and doesn't distract from the actual music. Countess might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I find them to be a refreshing change from the generic cookie cutter sound alike black metal most bands seem to be producing. Fans of primitive mid-paced black metal should get this ASAP and bask in it's gloriously evil atmosphere. BTW, anyone know who originally performed "Born Too Late" (credited to "Dave Chandler & Scott Reagers") which is covered on this CD ?

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