Along with their demo, For Dem Mitt Blod was easily one of the better periods during the reign of Setherial. Although they were still clearly gropping around for their own individual sense of originality, and also striving to better themselves as musicians, the music heard here is nothing less than magnficent. Back in 95' they still had Zathanel commanding the hordes from the black throne of sodomy, and personally it makes all the difference as far as music quality, and execution. There is a certain "plodding" quality to his pounding that I particularly admire, and even more so miss after he departed the ranks. Also, this was the first release showcasing Wraath, a fine vocalist of the highest caliber. Wraath's screams have always been a favorable advantage to Setherial; something which most Swedish bands so plainly lack these days.

Although there is only two songs on the vinyl, one must remeber the ancient proverb of "quality over quantity," which Setherial presumeably forgot in their later years. However, back in their "underdeveloped" times as a band, they still had that killer melodic sound going, which brought to mind early Dissection. Another highlight is the etherial smatterings of distant keyboard welps that can be heard faintly to the trained ear. Yet Setherial was not as overboard in their incorporations of melody and commercialism like Dissection was, and so it sounds all the better. After this album, the Dissection influence was replaced by a much more common Swedish Dark Funeral sound, which has stuck untill the present day. So, either buy this, or forever remain ignorant of one of the most memorable pieces of music histroy.

© 2002 orodruin