Well, here it is: Regie Sathanas, the long-awaited follow-up to Enthroned's masterpiece Toward the Skullthrone of Satan. Though this mini-CD has been released overseas for more than a year, we Americans, as usual, are finally getting it. While this is certainly Enthroned, compared to the last album, this is somewhat of a let-down, unfortunately. After hearing Toward. . ., the expectations for this mini-CD were a bit high. I was expecting an utterly destructive piece of work, but Regie Sathanas has more slow parts than Toward. . .. The sound is basically the same, though, with the drums sounding just a touch less well-recorded.

This record starts off with the normal keyboard intro, with the key usage in the songs proper being nil, thankfully. The intensity is still present as obvious in "By Dark Glorious Thoughts", but after that, things slow down a little, showing the band's mid-paced side. Personally, I'd rather hear more of the fast songs, but Enthroned still creates great songs, be they slow or fast. As a reference point, listen to "Walpurgis Night", one of the band's greatest compositions. The drumming is tight and the rest of the band is on target as well. The solos are one of Enthroned's strongest points. They don't wank, they play solos, melancholic, depressing solos. Since this is a mini-CD in tribute to Cernunnos, the band included material written for Morbid Death, Enthroned's previous incarnation. Although this is a worthwhile release for the band, I sincerely hope they go back to all-out blasting war on their next full-length, which is due out overseas soon (and probably out in a year or two in the USA). If you've never heard Enthroned, please check them out and don't believe the lie of "there's no worthy black metal after 1995".

© 1999 goden