This is a 7" from Cirith Gorgor, a Dutch band playing fast, melodic black metal.

This band is quite technical and blazingly fast, reminiscent of older Marduk, or maybe Apokalypse era Abigor. Guitar is tuned high, and has a nice cutting quality to it. The drumming is excellent, though perhaps a little blurred by the sheer speed of the music. Vocals are rather typical black metal screams, but they've got enough range to make up for what might have been a shortcoming.

The melody of each song easily shines through, without sacrificing the blasting pace. The slower breaks are equally good, and give the listener space to recover before the next assault. In fact, I'd like to see some slower stuff from this band - the second song shows a lot of potential in this area.

I'd say that Cirith Gorgor is a good bet for those who like their black metal fast and straightforward, in the old Northern tradition.

© 2003 vorfeed