Judas Iscariot
To Embrace The Corpses Bleeding
[Red Stream]
This is the seventh full-length CD from Judas Iscariot, a raw Black
Metal band formerly of the U.S. (currently of Germany).
Judas Iscariot has always been amongst the foremost of the American Black Metal bands. A unique sound, a hateful vision, and an approach that values emotion and dedication above empty aesthetics and technicality - these are the hallmarks of Judas Iscariot's art.
This said, this album is hit-and-miss. Many of the songs here are the best Judas Iscariot have ever recorded: "I Awoke to a Night of Pain and Carnage", "In the Valley of Death, I Am Their King", "Spectral Dance of the Macabre", "The Dead Burst Forth From Their Tombs". However, others are less impressive. While the first song is genius, the next three tracks seem lackluster by comparison, and when considered against Judas Iscariot's previous works, they seem rather generic.
After these three songs, the quality of the album returns to the outstanding level of the first, and stays there for most of the remainder. Even so, the damage is done.
The good news is that this is the best Judas Iscariot album to date. The bad news is that, after seven full-length albums, this is still not the meisterwerk Akhenaten is clearly capable of. To my ear, there's too much filler here for perfection.
Don't get me wrong - this is still the Judas Iscariot album to get, if you can get only one, and it's still a great Black Metal album. In a way, this one is so good that it's disappointing, as the album it could have been overshadows the album that it is. All things considered, I wholeheartedly recommend it, but still await the ideal expression of Judas Iscariot's work.
Standout tracks: "I Awoke to a Night of Pain and Carnage", "In the Valley of Death, I Am Their King", "Spectral Dance of the Macabre"
© 2002 vorfeed
Judas Iscariot has always been amongst the foremost of the American Black Metal bands. A unique sound, a hateful vision, and an approach that values emotion and dedication above empty aesthetics and technicality - these are the hallmarks of Judas Iscariot's art.
This said, this album is hit-and-miss. Many of the songs here are the best Judas Iscariot have ever recorded: "I Awoke to a Night of Pain and Carnage", "In the Valley of Death, I Am Their King", "Spectral Dance of the Macabre", "The Dead Burst Forth From Their Tombs". However, others are less impressive. While the first song is genius, the next three tracks seem lackluster by comparison, and when considered against Judas Iscariot's previous works, they seem rather generic.
After these three songs, the quality of the album returns to the outstanding level of the first, and stays there for most of the remainder. Even so, the damage is done.
The good news is that this is the best Judas Iscariot album to date. The bad news is that, after seven full-length albums, this is still not the meisterwerk Akhenaten is clearly capable of. To my ear, there's too much filler here for perfection.
Don't get me wrong - this is still the Judas Iscariot album to get, if you can get only one, and it's still a great Black Metal album. In a way, this one is so good that it's disappointing, as the album it could have been overshadows the album that it is. All things considered, I wholeheartedly recommend it, but still await the ideal expression of Judas Iscariot's work.
Standout tracks: "I Awoke to a Night of Pain and Carnage", "In the Valley of Death, I Am Their King", "Spectral Dance of the Macabre"
© 2002 vorfeed