Osculum Infame / Funeral
Split
[Drakkar]
While there are a few notable exceptions, the foremost problem with French black metal these days is that it tends to be divided into only two categories - those that are miserably trying to emulate the black legions bands (Antaeus), or those that are remarkably melodic and bad (Temple of Baal, Seth, and how many others). Unfortunately this tape can't really be called an anomaly as it leans heavily towards that latter side, but at least it's more refreshing than most and it doesn't come across as a completely faceless product. Even so, I can hardly give you a serious reason to track down one of Drakkar's professionally released 1200, and therefore if you can get a dubbed copy through a trade it may be worth it. Why don't more projects try taking a Gorgon type direction, or even Blut aus Nord?
Osculum Infame - Sometimes I think I'm one of the only people who doesn't like this band, and I've really tried heavily to get into Dor-Nu-Fauglith, but upon each listen I get increasingly aggravated; it's like a completely amazing melody will begin a song (particularly in "Under the Sign of the Beast"), and it will become paranormally thick and grim and hypnotic, and all of a sudden these pathetically flat vocals and badly placed tempo changes take over and destroy all of the momentum. Every time that happens I feel like putting my damn fist through a mirror, and I just want to take the fucking album and throw it back at Osculum Infame and scream at them to finish what they started. But alas, what's done is done, and something which could have been great is buried beneath a pile of garbage.
Auspiciously this side of the split doesn't have as bad of an affect on me as all of that, and the harsher production is heavily preferable to the weak setting that Mordgrimm would later give the band. After a fairly adept acoustic intro, some conventional storming and wind sounds twist their way into the background, and the first song is none other than "Whisper of the Witch," being the only track I still fully enjoyed on Dor-Nu-Fauglith despite its presentation bearing much stronger here. The other song is "Unholy Might Blood," and this one is simply unmemorable - too many breaks, no variation, and long in the epically-failing sense. As is typical from Osculum Infame, you will probably be left feeling that there could have been a lot more to this.
Funeral - I absolutely hate Kristillnacht with a passion, though this better than the Warspirit mcd at least in that it's simpler and more straightforward. Everything is conveyed in much of the same method that Osculum Infame just used, except the pace is about twice as fast, the guitars are further buried, and the keyboards are nothing but obtrusive. Worse than those aspects however would be the comical "Donald Duck" type quacking vocals, and even if Funeral succeeded in creating an atmosphere full of conviction it would have remained difficult to take this seriously in any sense. Completely shallow, and the three tracks here are the lesser side of the split.
A few may find this worthwhile, but I didn't.
© 2002 hando
Osculum Infame - Sometimes I think I'm one of the only people who doesn't like this band, and I've really tried heavily to get into Dor-Nu-Fauglith, but upon each listen I get increasingly aggravated; it's like a completely amazing melody will begin a song (particularly in "Under the Sign of the Beast"), and it will become paranormally thick and grim and hypnotic, and all of a sudden these pathetically flat vocals and badly placed tempo changes take over and destroy all of the momentum. Every time that happens I feel like putting my damn fist through a mirror, and I just want to take the fucking album and throw it back at Osculum Infame and scream at them to finish what they started. But alas, what's done is done, and something which could have been great is buried beneath a pile of garbage.
Auspiciously this side of the split doesn't have as bad of an affect on me as all of that, and the harsher production is heavily preferable to the weak setting that Mordgrimm would later give the band. After a fairly adept acoustic intro, some conventional storming and wind sounds twist their way into the background, and the first song is none other than "Whisper of the Witch," being the only track I still fully enjoyed on Dor-Nu-Fauglith despite its presentation bearing much stronger here. The other song is "Unholy Might Blood," and this one is simply unmemorable - too many breaks, no variation, and long in the epically-failing sense. As is typical from Osculum Infame, you will probably be left feeling that there could have been a lot more to this.
Funeral - I absolutely hate Kristillnacht with a passion, though this better than the Warspirit mcd at least in that it's simpler and more straightforward. Everything is conveyed in much of the same method that Osculum Infame just used, except the pace is about twice as fast, the guitars are further buried, and the keyboards are nothing but obtrusive. Worse than those aspects however would be the comical "Donald Duck" type quacking vocals, and even if Funeral succeeded in creating an atmosphere full of conviction it would have remained difficult to take this seriously in any sense. Completely shallow, and the three tracks here are the lesser side of the split.
A few may find this worthwhile, but I didn't.
© 2002 hando