Just after Mütiilation's return to the world of the living, another of the former French Black Legions is resurrected - or, more properly, reincarnated. The Black Lord Beleth'Rim, formerly of Torgeist, brings us back to the FBL's glory days with the first album of his new project, Vermeth. In a perfect world I'd just say "Black Legions-styled black metal" and everyone would know what to expect. This is not a perfect world. So, read on... Despite the surge in popularity of digital home studios, it's still possible to create crude, barbaric lo-fi metal, and in some ways the harshness that can be achieved with Digital is a plus. Machine-drums and a crisp-but-fuzzy guitar sound covered with HORRID, throat-shredding screams are the order of the day. It's the guitar riffing and general atmosphere that really harken back to the FBL sound of old, though - it's got that type of melodic sense that was unique to the French scene, the drugged-out UAFM/TH-era Darkthrone with that extra dose of suicidal despair in it. But then it's cranked up to insane intensity. It's not always blazing fast, but when it is it shreds and when it's not it's just churning and twisting in bizarre melodies. Perfect music for suicide...or murder....

© 2003 lord vic