Various Artists
With Us or Against Us
[Napalm]
This is an interesting compilation with all-unreleased material from the early
days of Napalm Records and the early days of their great bands. I haven’t seen
this compilation on sale much but I think it’s still available at Napalm Recs.
First there is UNPURE with song ”Lust of Darkness” – basic old-school black metal that doesn’t sound as much CELTIC FROST as USURPER does but reminds me of it anyway. Brutal!
Second there is ABIGOR with complex (they say over-worked) ”Shadowlord”, track from there demo era and this is the only ABIGOR song where I have actually heard some melodic male background vocals. It’s intense, quasi-technical-more-Swedish-than-Norwegian-black-metal like later ABIGOR was, this sounds later than it’s time.
Third is NÅSTROND with demo-track ”From the Black Funeral Coffin”, which is sick and corpselike just like NÅSTROND used to be. Basic primitive black metal just like only the ”childish satan worshippers” can play it.
Fourth is KOROVA with experimental ”Trip to the Bleeding Planets (Into the Light)” and this track captures some astral horror that their albums did not. It uses black metal screams and some black metal styled riffs, but it’s obvious that from the beginning already they were into more trippy, experimental, proggish direction. Their songs are shifting and surprising but often they get lost into their own maze of all mind, all thought, no aktion.
Fifth is SUMMONING with an untitled demo/rehearsal track that sounds as composition like something out of "Minas Morgul”, yet with worse production. With a couple of listenings it sounds weak because the guitar melody which is central to this epic Tolkien black metal, stays unheard amidst the fuzzing distortion. But eventually the disappointment passes – this era of SUMMONING ruled!
Sixth is SETHERIAL with ”My Veins are Open”, it sounds quite a lot like what they played in the times of ”Nord” album, that is a brutal melodic Swedish version of EMPEROR’s ”In the Nightside Eclipse” album. Corpsepaints, swords etc, not bad at all. But this track is weaker than ”Nord” album was.
Last track is BELMEZ who’s first treat you will probably notice is the picture of him in the sleeve, totally un-black-like, with cigar in his mouth and decadent expression that makes me think he is a gambler or drunk or both. He plays ”German dark metal exclusively”, it’s doomy and sickly necrophiliac if the listener does not get bored by it’s slow-moving pace. Even if this track does not inspire, the full-length album ”Siechtum” is recommended.
© 2000 black hate
First there is UNPURE with song ”Lust of Darkness” – basic old-school black metal that doesn’t sound as much CELTIC FROST as USURPER does but reminds me of it anyway. Brutal!
Second there is ABIGOR with complex (they say over-worked) ”Shadowlord”, track from there demo era and this is the only ABIGOR song where I have actually heard some melodic male background vocals. It’s intense, quasi-technical-more-Swedish-than-Norwegian-black-metal like later ABIGOR was, this sounds later than it’s time.
Third is NÅSTROND with demo-track ”From the Black Funeral Coffin”, which is sick and corpselike just like NÅSTROND used to be. Basic primitive black metal just like only the ”childish satan worshippers” can play it.
Fourth is KOROVA with experimental ”Trip to the Bleeding Planets (Into the Light)” and this track captures some astral horror that their albums did not. It uses black metal screams and some black metal styled riffs, but it’s obvious that from the beginning already they were into more trippy, experimental, proggish direction. Their songs are shifting and surprising but often they get lost into their own maze of all mind, all thought, no aktion.
Fifth is SUMMONING with an untitled demo/rehearsal track that sounds as composition like something out of "Minas Morgul”, yet with worse production. With a couple of listenings it sounds weak because the guitar melody which is central to this epic Tolkien black metal, stays unheard amidst the fuzzing distortion. But eventually the disappointment passes – this era of SUMMONING ruled!
Sixth is SETHERIAL with ”My Veins are Open”, it sounds quite a lot like what they played in the times of ”Nord” album, that is a brutal melodic Swedish version of EMPEROR’s ”In the Nightside Eclipse” album. Corpsepaints, swords etc, not bad at all. But this track is weaker than ”Nord” album was.
Last track is BELMEZ who’s first treat you will probably notice is the picture of him in the sleeve, totally un-black-like, with cigar in his mouth and decadent expression that makes me think he is a gambler or drunk or both. He plays ”German dark metal exclusively”, it’s doomy and sickly necrophiliac if the listener does not get bored by it’s slow-moving pace. Even if this track does not inspire, the full-length album ”Siechtum” is recommended.
© 2000 black hate