Here are the seven albums we picked for the week of April 1st — 7th.

Sunday, April 1st

Skyclad – Wayward Sons of Mother Earth (1991)

At some point on the heavy metal timeline, folk metal seemed to morph into “any black metal band that mopes in the forest with an acoustic guitar.” Back in 1991, however, Skyclad pretty much got the ball rolling after the very colorful Martin Walkyier decided to leave the increasingly unpredictable Sabbat. Violins, whistles and a general sense of jigging give ‘Wayward Sons of Mother Earth’ a very lively and “pagan” feel, and Walkyier’s excellent vocals (and lyrics) serve to nail home its urgency. [Captain]

Monday, April 2nd

Gorgoroth – Antichrist (1996)

Gorgoroth has always been too inconsistent and too riven by personnel changes to rank near the top of the second-wave black metal heap, but almost implausibly, on their second album ‘Antichrist’, which clocks it at not even twenty-five measly minutes, they achieved a true minor classic. With Satyricon’s Frost on drums and vocals split between original singer Hat and his eventual replacement Pest, Infernus had a wide palette of talent to draw from and squeezed every last drop of goodness into this compact album. The song “Gorgoroth” is a clear highlight, with its haunting midsection and flighty guitar leads, but the thrashy “Possessed (By Satan)” is another glittering jewel that offers hints of the harsher direction to come on ‘Under the Sign of Hell’. Be sure to stick around for the despondent funeral march of “Sorg” that closes out the album; you can even imagine it eulogizes a version of Gorgoroth that thrived before all the tabloid drama and Gaahl memes. [Dan Obstkrieg]

Tuesday, April 3rd

Obituary – World Demise (1994)

Wanna get dumb? Listen, Obituary wasn’t just the swampiest, grooviest, easiest-to-love of the early Death metal generation, they also set the standard for GETTIN’ IGNANT. World Demise was a new high/low bar for wonderful stupidity in death metal when it came out in 1994. At least half of the album is basically the breakdowns from a Biohazard record with John Tardy screaming his throat out, and if you think that’s a knock, you’re dead wrong. This album deserves the Kennedy Center Honors for Swingin’ Balls Riffs. Combine that with a monstrously chewy production and Tardy’s most overtly gleeful performance (he doesn’t CAAAARRRRRREEE), and you get a filthy good time.  [Zach Duvall]

Wednesday, April 4th

Funeral Chant – Funeral Chant (2017)

Last Rites missed out on Funeral Chant’s debut from last year. Shame on us, because the record represented a perfect collision between a wonderfully raw form of punky black metal with an adequately chasmal style of swinish death metal, punctuated by quick bursts of surprisingly pretty melody. You know, the U.S. NWOPBCSDM that really seems to be taking off lately that a site like ours normally loves to promote. Upping the ante for many with their finger on the pulse of the Bay Area’s underground extreme metal scene: Funeral Chant happens to be comprised of 4/5 people who made up the under-appreciated and too-quickly-collapsed Dead Man. Maybe one dude showed up to a photo shoot wearing a top hat and cape and the rest of the guys snuck off during a sandwich break without telling him what was going on? Nevertheless, Funeral Chant is great, and you like great things. [Captain]

Thursday, April 5th

His Hero is Gone – Monuments to Thieves (1997)

With the release of their second album in 1997, His Hero is Gone had firmly cemented their status as America’s foremost innovator of crust-laden punk rock. Virulently attacking the status quo of human politics, (statues built for bastards) Monuments to Thieves tore the dressings off the long festering sores of institutional racism, oppression of workers and the inequality of class politics. This album would go on to become the defining album of not only the sound of His Hero is Gone, but the sound of an entire scene. Bursting at the seams with talent, members of this outfit would go on to form Deathreat, Severed Head of State, Warcry, Union of Uranus and Tragedy. [Manny-O-War]

Friday, April 6th

Dismember – Like An Ever Flowing Stream (1991)

There it is, that sweet sweet Sunlight tone, that beautiful buzzsaw bite, all fuzzy gnarly edge and midrange warmth, the sound that kickstarted the second-hand HM2 market. A year behind the groundbreaking Left Hand Path comes this Dismember debut, and I’d hold it to the be the greatest achievement in all of Swedish death metal, a perfect slab of carving riffs balanced on the knife-edge of the brutal and the catchy, hinting at melody without ever falling prey to any of the trappings of what would become melodic death metal. Thrashing goodness abounds in the rifftastic “Override Of The Overture,” in the ultra-hooky crunch of “And So Is Life,” in the guitar-laden “Dismembered”… Rife with riff and Matti Karki’s powerful grunt, this is an everflowing stream of wall-to-wall Swedeath glory, with no wasted riff and no mistakes, no prisoners taken and no shits given, and it’s still as vital today as it was nearly thirty years ago.  [Andrew Edmunds]

Saturday, April 7th

Swallowed – Lunarterial (2014)

Finland’s Swallowed released their dark voyage into schizophrenic death/doom madness in the fall of 2014. Covered in an eerie grime like the dirt on the floor of a haunted sanatorium, Lunarterial is truly a voyage, progressing through deeper and deeper horrors as it descends and devolves into twisted crevices of madness. Loose song structures add to the unsettling atmosphere, leaving hidden terrors around every corner. While the album’s highlight is most certainly the epic 25 minute “Libations” at the conclusion of the record, songs such as “Reverence Through Darkness” and “Black Aura” capture the essence of what Swallowed are all about. This is not just a bunch of filler leading up to one high point but a meticulously thought-out and well rounded trip through some of the most horrifying death metal the genre has to offer. [Ryan Tysinger]

———

See you next week.

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Now let’s get something straight: I ain’t here to throw shade on Poindexters, because I am a nerd. Luckily, one can admit such a thing today and remain self-confident, thanks to warriors in taped-glasses like Steve Jobs and whoever the hell’s responsible for getting “I heart nerd shirts” on very attractive people. If you doubt my conviction, I have a stack of sealed Marvel “Rise of the Midnight Sons” Special Collectors’ Item Issue comic books in my closet to support my claim.

The fact of the matter is, however, nerds have a way of kicking anything they’re interested in into tornados of intellectual and pseudo-intellectual lawlessness when given free rein. Razored, frozen riffs and fevered howls to the Man Downstairs now share the pool with bands flopping around arsehole-to-elbow with alphorns, dulcimers, wonky coldwave synths, and mechanized Borgs whose live shows look as if they were ripped from the platform of the Close Encounters mothership. That’s all wonderful, mind you – variety is the melange of life – but Instinctus Bestialis, Gorgoroth’s trumpeted return to the game after a six year stretch, is a record much better suited for those interested in getting back to the basics of evil heavy metal.

Apart from some scattered moments of atmospheric keys buried in the backdrop to enhance the record’s slowest, darkest junctures, the bulk of these 32 minutes is spent in a mid-to-brisk pace of meat ‘n’ taters riffing and galloping that’s surprisingly heavy. Opener “Radix Malorum” is the most blistering track amongst the eight, but it also quickly sets the stage for the more straight-forward jack-hammering that dominates cuts such as “Dionysian Rite,” “Come Night,” and the closing twosome of “Kala Brahman” and “Awakening.” Thanks to yet another rich & deep production job (works for the band’s modern angle, but not so much for the re-recording of their raw roots works), these tunes do an effective job of strengthening the more dense, chugging slant the band brought into the picture somewhere around the Incipit Satan days. Bassist Bøddel (Frank Watson, ex-Obituary) and drummer Tomas Asklund bring as much to the overall punch as Infernus does with his hefty riffing, and new vocalist Atterigner’s (Triumfall) huskier snarl, while rather one-dimensional, adds a nice contemporary flavor that’s more in line with the Mikkos of the world, as compared to the raspier Pest or Gaahl delivery.

Where Instinctus Bestialis shines, however, is when the melodic and gloomier sides get pulled into the spotlight. “Ad Omnipotens Aeterne Diabolus” is the album’s most diverse cut, and that somber stretch that jumps off Infernus’ frets around 1:30 adds a warm and inviting touch that, for the most part, is pretty atypical of the band. Similarly, “Burn in His Light” throws down a lengthy, notably melodic lead around its midpoint, and “Rage,” the album’s slowest track, drops a somber measure around 2:30 that’s both delicate and sincerely affective.

No big surprises in terms of lyrics, as Instinctus Bestialis delivers enough hails to Satan in 30 minutes that you’ll be on the Westboro Church’s “God Hates You” mailing list until the end of time after just one listen. If that seems old-hat for some reason, consider the fact that Fanny Crosby hailed God on literally every one of the 8000-plus hymns she wriggled out of her virtuous pen; for every Yang, there is a suitably corrupt Yin. Bottom line: Gorgoroth plays Satanic metal – if that ain’t your bag, you are lining up for the wrong roller coaster, St. Augustine.

Again, as a nerd who has quite seriously looked into Starfleet uniforms on several occasions, I remain thrilled that metal offers services to inhabitants from Middle-earth to Jupiter and everywhere in-between, but if you’re the type who appreciates getting back to basics, and you don’t have the time (or the cassette player) necessary to dig through the unfathomable depths of the underground for your good old-fashioned Devil metal, Gorgoroth still has your back.

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Reverend’s Bazaar was a feature that ran intermittently for years, barely surviving the MetalReview / Last Rites changeover before staggering to its deathbed weeks ago. But instead of giving the popular feature the axe, I’ve decided to revive it with the aid of a cohort: Fellow snarkhole Chris Redar.

From this day forward, the Bazaar is dead. But the spirit lives on: Welcome to Rev and Redar. And with that christening, The Week In Review awaits, spiked with familar hues of red and green.

BLAKE JUDD

As has been widely reported, Blake Judd (Nachtmystium, Twilight, Hate Meditation) was recently popped for theft. He’s still in the clink as of press time, with his bail set at $25k. (Priors, anyone?) Look: He’s obviously a junkie with some major personal issues to work out, so it’s tough to be too critical from afar. But when you’ve spent the better part of your career glamorizing  your addiction and (allegedly) taking advantage of the people around you, maybe it’s time to stop slamming shit into your arm and act like a fucking adult.

It’s no secret that Blake Judd is a trainwreck. From constant allegations of theft from fans, friends and family to reported drug abuse (and lets not go into his alleged NSBM past), it’s a surprise that he’s just now getting arrested. Forum posts about his shady misdealings with Nachtmystium supporters allege that there are cities he’s no longer welcome in, lest he be force-fed his own teeth. Maybe some hard time would help him clean up and get his shit straight. In the meantime, try not to get swindled by posting his bail, kids.

WHITE WIZZARD

Parts are still falling off Jon Leon’s licensed GTO at a comical rate. Vocalist Joseph Michael is the latest casualty, amid allegations of being too hammered to get onstage and not actually…being related to Ronnie James Dio? (Michael’s counter-claim simply alleges that Leon is a bit of an asshole.) At this point, White Wizzard only make headlines for their oddly-professional devotion to unprofessionalism. Insult to injury: They just got dropped by Earache. Bands don’t walk away from Earache, they escape.

Good news for the two White Wizzard fans out there: Your favorite band is going indie! That’s right, Jon Leon and the rapidly-diminishing bunch are forming…White Wizzard Records? Really? More creative label names have been accidentally spelled out in chunks of vomit after listening to White Wizzard albums. Boys, you’re at the tail-end of one of the most boring trends in recent metal memory. All of this misfortune befalling the mighty WW might be a sign to hang up the denim for good and get actual jobs.

BREAKING: Guitarists Will Wallner and Jake Dreyer have left the band (via Facebook) as of 12:55 pm. and 1:56 p.m. CST, respectively. Rock n’ roll, freaky dudes.

SEPULCHRE

Sepulchre released a promising EP back in 2011, a mean little spikefist of rabid blackness and crust-fucked nihilism. After two years of waiting for more madness, a death sentence arrived. According to a succinct Facebook posting, the band members are moving on other projects. (Even if there was internal bullshit brewing, at least they had the class to keep it clutched to their chests.) This isn’t entirely bad news: Among those other endeavors lurks the hopeful return of long-dormant blackthrashers Megiddo.

I’m glad Rev noticed Sepulchre was calling it quits. I’m also glad he noticed Sepulchre at all. As mourners of this passing rub the patch on their leather sleeve (just purchased in 2012; it was just a baby!), most of the metal world will simply furrow their brow and mutter a barely audible “who?” I’m not saying nobody really cares, but…there’s literally no way to finish that sentence.

SUICIDE SILENCE

Eleven months after their founding vocalist died after drunkenly wrapping his Harley around a lightpole, Suicide Silence have re-emerged with a new singer: All Shall Perish’s Eddie Hermida. It’s shrewd move for both: Suicide Silence’s fans are aging, and the addition of a deathcore statesman in Hermida is intriguing. And, let’s be honest: ASP peaked with The Price of Existence and the underrated Awaken the Dreamers. Cutting ties to ASP in favor of a higher-profile act is good biz for Hermida, but will it produce any tangible results?

Mitch Lucker left behind a daughter—and a mother to that daughter—with one horrible and selfish decision. And yet fans of his work and Suicide Silence as a whole have essentially martyred the man. Putting aside the fact that they’re an atrocious band with some of the worst stereotypes in the deathcore game as staples of their sound, there is no praise or amount of mourning that will give that girl her father back. Fuck these assholes for cashing in on this in any way.

GORGOROTH

Did anyone notice last month’s announcement that Gorgoroth entered the studio? The lack of hype may stem from their free agent status, but also from Pest’s conspicuous absence; the cult fave has been ruthlessly replaced by Triumfall’s Atterigner. Infernus’ followup to 2009’s warmly-received-yet-rarely-re-spun Quantos Possunt… is in danger of falling on deaf ears, much like the overlooked God Seed record from 2012. The Gorgobattle could’ve been a rapturous fracture, but instead, fireworks are alarmingly scarce.

Wouldn’t it be the ultimate slap in the face for Infernus to just start going by Infernus for his future musical endeavors? After all of the hullabaloo over the name Gorgoroth, a real opportunity has presented itself for the sole remaining member to become the ultimate troll.

Make note of this now and save yourself the trouble down the road: This album’s gonna suck, and that’s if we’re lucky.

IHSAHN – “NACL”

Eremita leaned a little too close to Opethian pomp, especially following the aggressively bonkers After. Das Seelenbrechen retains that thread, but unravels it in a more laid-back airspace. “NaCl” is a gentle swoon that folds into a glistening swaddle; a comforting trip that works as an early bridge within the album, but not necessarily as a single. It’s a delightful turn of leave-’em-wanting-more. The prolonged swell of “NaCl” may be unrewarding on it’s face, but delayed gratification is longevity’s most crucial ingredient.

Ihsahn, but not Ihsahn. How else do you describe a man who has based his entire career on turning what you think you know about him upside down with every opportunity? Looking past the god-awful lyrics (and I mean literally; stop with these damn lyric videos, everyone), this is a rock and roll freakshow. Looking away is an option, but not the one most often picked. The seed is planted for a grower here. Here’s to hoping the rest of the album carries the same curious interest.

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After the dust of a band squabble settles there’s usually an awkward phase wherein all involved sit around playing thumb wars until enough courage is gathered to venture forth into the unknown. Gorgoroth’s Infernus did not sit around. Nor is he venturing into the unknown with the band’s eighth long-player.

Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt (henceforth QPaST) offers more than a familiar voice in Pest. The crystal-clear production and the almost mechanized, busy drums of Tomas Asklund (ex-Dark Funeral) aside, it is not only easy but appropriate to draw a comparison to the last album to feature Pest, Destroyer. From the epic rock meets buzzsaw guitar tone to the charmingly abrasive and chilly vocals, one would never know that 11 years separate the two.

This might explain my enthusiasm for this LP: I never cared more about this band than when March 10, 2009 graced us with the news that King Ov Hell and Gaahl lost their battle for the Gorgoroth name. I would have bought the man of the hour a beer in celebration that night but tickets to Oslo ain’t cheap, and by the time I got there the bar would be closed. This is the album I envisioned that fateful day.

Infernus must be a romantic at heart because deep within the belly of this album is an ugly, fat and deformed worm still feeding off the scrumptious delicacies the days of yore once offered. I wanted an unapologetically scorching and brief album opener, and I got it in “Aneuthanasia.” I wanted a moody, swaying and haunting piece, and I got that one in “Rebirth.” At one point Pest even gurgles, “Rebirth of Goooorgooorooooth,” as if we needed the title spelled out. No need, sir! I wanted a pummeling black ’n roll number, and the gods again appeased me with “New Breed.” Every damn thing I wanted out of this quasi-reunion can be found somewhere within this album’s 35 minutes. Even the length didn’t faze me. No filler!

As carefully calculated as this album must have been, it feels strangely organic. One song ebbs into the other with ease, no matter how different the pace or mood. It’s almost like the Gorgoroth train took a long, weird split a decade ago but found its way to the tracks again. Sure, fun was had in the interim (Satan is a hell of a conductor), but this newly dimly lit cabin is familiar and comfortable to those who dug the ride before it had all the loops, bells and whistles.

Not everyone will don the nearly shit-faced looking grin I sport just writing about it, but I think that’s the point of QPaSt. The tremolo riff-lovers will undoubtedly be heartbroken, Gaahl fanatics will look elsewhere, most likely to whatever becomes of his partnership with King Ov Hell, and those that enjoyed their swansong with the band will miss the more frenetic pace of Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam. Infernus does not care. Nor should he. Considering that these songs were written well before the court ruled in his favor, it is pretty clear that he was intent on dusting off the old time portal, haters and Gaahl sympathizers be damned. Hail to the “New Breed!”

Chris McDonald’s take:

The Gorgoroth controversy has been covered by plenty of sources at this point, so there’s little reason to go back into the details here. Long story short, lone founding member Infernus has emerged on top from that rather embarrassing debacle, and Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt feels not only like a rejuvenating breath for this long-running project, but a defiant and proud statement from its founding creative force and guitarist.

Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt is a bold attempt at a return to the Gorgoroth of old, possibly in an effort to distance the current incarnation of the band from the Gaahl-era. Regardless of the motivation behind Infernus’s approach, as someone who holds this band’s first three albums in high esteem, the results of this outing are obviously highly satisfying. The return of vocalist Pest is obviously noteworthy in this regard, and I’m happy to say that his performance sounds far removed from his weak contributions to the latest Blood Stained Dusk album. His volatile gurgles and growls are ideally structured in the songs, and really strengthen the atmosphere considering the fairly straightforward approach to production and instrumentation shown here.

Musically, Quantos bears similarities to the simplistic black metal template established on the outfit’s early works but shows an increased focus on sound quality and tight musicianship. The short, voracious opener “Aneuthanasia” gets things off to a slightly awkward start with its oddly-timed gait, but “Prayer” opens the album in proper with some well-composed transitions and a heart-tugging arrangement of melodic riffs that sound straight out of Norway circa 1992. From here the band alternates dutifully between grim power and classic Gorgoroth-ian melody. The thrashy intro to “Cleansing Fire” sounds kind of tired, but “Rebirth,” the album’s centerpiece, is particularly strong with a catchy mid-paced melody and some truly chilling vocalizations from Pest. The album rarely breaks into blasting speed (although the beginning to “Satan-Prometheus” is pretty breakneck), which makes it sound distinctive from the band’s recent, higher-velocity exploits. Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt is content to put all of its stake in the riffs themselves as opposed to bombarding the listener with sheer force, so those of you who appreciate this band’s older work should be delighted with this album’s more lenient pacing, while fans more inclined to the Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam era might find these tunes a tad dry in comparison.

Whichever stage of Gorgoroth you happen to favor, there’s no doubt that Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt is a strong return from an outfit many feared would lose their step as a result of all the recent legal disputes. While not as forward thinking or intense as some of Gorgoroth’s recent albums, Quantos delivers both as a fine piece of modern traditional black metal and as an enjoyable homage to the band’s storied history. A pretty nice feat, all things considered.

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A substantial departure from their first two albums, Under The Sign of Hell sees the beginning of the Gorgoroth we know today. While Pentagram is still very close to my black metal heart partly because of pure nostalgia, this is easily the band’s strongest release to date in just about every aspect. The songwriting is more mature, developed, and complex than anything the band had released prior, but the real success of Under The Sign is that it retains all the darkened intensity that made the first two records so great while also taking big steps forward in the band’s musicianship and compositional work.

Infernus’s growth as a songsmith on this album is immense. His riffs here should be exhibits in a black metal museum; melodic, fierce, longer and more complex than Antichrist or Pentagram but still consistently memorable. The riffs have a very thrash-like feel at times and the guitar tone is positively venom-spitting. While Infernus steals the show, the guitars aren’t the only thing that have grown. The drumming has moved from simplistic, repetitive beats to well-developed rhythms that take Gorgoroth’s music to a whole different level. Blasting is faster, double bass is prominent and well-played, and the slower beats lose none of their intensity, with Grim doing a lot of groovy beats on the hi-hat and ride that never fail to get my head banging. Pest’s vocals far eclipse the stock performance heard on Antichrist. He puts a lot of energy and malice into his screams, and the dramatic cleans such as in the beginning of “Profetens åpenbaring” are done with a surprising amount of skill and conviction. He even does some emotive half clean/half screaming at the end of “Blood Stains the Circle.“ Hat’s performance on Pentagram is pretty damn hard to top in terms of sounding totally evil, but Pest still may very well be the best vocalist Gorgoroth has had to date (Gaahl, you backstabbing bastard).

While interlude track “Postludium” is somewhat of an oddity (though pretty damn creepy as well), every track on Under The Sign of Hell is fucking classic. If you’re a Gorgoroth fan you already know how good these songs are. The thrash-tastic hammer-on riffs that open the album in “Revelation of Doom”; the brilliantly executed melodies in “Krig” and “Funeral Procession”; the sinister slow-down halfway through “Ødeleggelse og undergang.” Anyway you look at it, this is greatness folks. I don’t see how anyone who calls themselves a black metal fan could resist a track like “Profetens åpenbaring” or “The Rite Of Infernal Invocation”; the thunderous drums, skillfull tempo changes and brilliant riffs just keep on coming, ensuring many a malicious grin and ice-filled artery (the ambient closing of the latter is simply bone-chilling). And at a modest but reasonable length of 32:53, the album neither over exceeds its welcome nor leaves the listener unsatisfied, unlike Antichrist.

Gorgoroth’s first two albums, while excellent in their own right, still hinted at something greater to come. Under The Sign of Hell is that something. While it never seems to get the attention of contemporary works like De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas or Pure Holocaust, this album deserves a place in any black metal fan’s collection just as much as those two. If you haven’t heard it yet, you really must as soon as possible.

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Depending on who you ask, Gorgoroth’s second album is either the best or the worst of the band’s seminal first three releases. I stand somewhere in the middle; Antichrist sees the band upping the melodic quality of their riffs but losing some of the animalistic intensity that made Pentagram such a classic in the process. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great album, and just like the first it should be heard by all black metal fans. But a couple of important factors keep this one from topping Gorgoroth’s debut.

After the short and rather pointless intro track, “Bergtollets Hevn” comes in with its chilling melodies and it’s clear that Gorgoroth are treading a somewhat different path here. Contrary to the primal fury of Pentagram’s opener “Begravelsesnatt,” the feeling here is somewhat more depressive and low-key than the debut, but still retains the aggression necessary for good black metal. The eponymous “Gorgoroth” continues this trend, and is definitely the centerpiece of the album. Its shimmering, melancholy riffs and downbeat mood make it arguably one of the strongest tracks Gorgoroth have written to date. Instrumental “Heaven’s Fall” is another excellent song (despite the odd vocal outburst towards the end), with sad, heavy riffs and smooth, well-written transitions. “Sorg” is long and slower like you’d expect from the closing track, but remains engaging with more of those classic old-school Norwegian melodies. The strength of these four songs alone makes this album a worthy purchase.

So it’s a pity that, despite containing some truly great material, Antichrist feels kind of undercooked in some areas. First, the pitiful length of this album is hard to get past for this reviewer. At less than twenty-five minutes in length, this really is more of an EP than a full-length album, and its brevity is likely to disappoint first-time listeners (hell, it still disappoints me). Also, the vocals of Hat/Pest are a big step down from the demonic screeches that stood out so much on the debut. Sure, there are some interesting experiments with clean singing, but the harsh vocals have degenerated to little more than a generic raspy growl that sounds like 90% of all other black metal vocalists. Finally, the track “Possessed (by Satan)” is something of a lame duck compared to the rest of the record. It’s pretty obvious by its primitive rhythms and largely a-melodic nature that this was a leftover cut from Pentagram, and while it’s not a bad track, it feels kind of out of place following the brilliance of “Gorgoroth.” That and Hat’s repeated groans of “We are possessed by the moooooooon, we are possessed by eviiiiiiiiiil!” gets pretty grating after awhile.

Don’t let the score scare you away; Antichrist is by all means a worthy buy for black metal fans. It’s just that it happens to be put in the unfortunate position of being stuck between two absolute masterpieces in Gorgoroth‘s discography. It’s frustrating, because if this album were a little more fleshed out it could very possibly be their best work, rather than a great album with some disappointing flaws.

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Ah, Pentagram. Now here’s a great fucking black metal record. Arriving somewhat late to the party and struggling somewhat to find their own identity initially, Gorgoroth always seemed doomed to be the odd-man out of the “big four” of Norwegian second wave BM, namely Darkthrone, Emperor, Mayhem, and Burzum (the Exodus of black metal if you will), and I find that surprising considering the quality of their first three albums. While certainly not as groundbreaking as Emperor’s grand symphonic suites or Burzum’s minimalist atmospheric genius, only the early releases of Darkthrone and Immortal top Gorgoroth’s excellent debut trilogy when it comes to raw, sinister second wave black metal. While Under The Sign of Hell is the by far the band’s best album in terms of songwriting and musicianship, Pentagram is the Gorgoroth album to own for fans of the style‘s most carnal side – no pretensions, no keyboards, just icy cold metal to howl at the moon to while you drink the blood of a Christian whore. Or whatever it is that kids are doing these days.

The band would further develop its riffing and melodic themes on their next two records, but it’s clear when listening that Gorgoroth still had their shit together even in this stage; offsetting primitive, raw riffs with sorrowful melodies in a maelstrom of fury that defines what old Norwegian black metal was all about. Everything about this record is primal and savage; from the humorously bare-bones cover art to the hardly-precise blast beats and thrashy Bathory riffs, the sonic picture Gorgoroth paints on Pentagram is impressively frightening, and still stands up today. OK, so nothing in particular about this release was really that innovative, but the intensity is there in spades, and that was obviously the goal here. Hat’s vocals on this album…oh man. This guy is easily one of my all-time favorite black metal vocalists. His piercing screeches sound about as legitimately fucked-up as you can get, and truly add to the atmosphere created by the instruments in a way that many vocalists in the genre fail to do.

Infernus seems to catch a lot of criticism these days (in no small part to the absurd legal controversy being fought between him and Gaahl/King Ov Hell), but his writing and playing on Pentagram is of high quality, if a little on the shallow side at times. “Begravelsesnatt” begins the album with a punkish D-beat and aggressive, simplistic riffs–no bullshit keyboard intros here. “Ritual” is one of my favorite early black metal songs, beginning with slow, doomy riffing before transitioning perfectly into an icy melodic blast segment, with Hat’s inhuman shrieks never failing to raise the hairs on the back of my neck (this is definitely his strongest track on the album). Short instrumental “Huldrelok” avoids the filler tag with some very strong melodies, and “Måneskyggens Slave” stretches out the track length a bit to make for an epic, powerful song to conclude the album. While things do faulter into “meh” territory a couple of times during the half-hour running time, the good parts are so deliciously evil that you won’t even care.

So yeah, this is mandatory stuff for black metal fans. Pentagram may seem a little tame for the more jaded and cynical listener, but the wonderfully austere riffs, fantastic vocals, and hateful atmosphere more than deserve your attention. Gorgoroth would go for a more melodic direction on sophomore effort Antichrist and a more complex and diverse one on Under The Sign Of Hell, but Pentagram is still arguably the cream of the band’s crop for old-school purists. If you’re one of those, you already own this. If not, consider this reissue the proverbial kick-in-the-ass to your nearest record store.

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What’s On Tap: Shelve your pitchforks and torches Gorgoroth haters – Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam is an excellent example of some seriously abusive Norwegian extreme metal.

This record is mean as hell and it’s gonna make you want to hate – hate your boss, hate your neighbors, hate the tailgating prick behind you, hate the fat, old woman paying with coupons in front of you, hate the birkenstock-clad douche standing next to you, hate the Fast and Furious, bass pumping dolt pulling up beside you, and of course, hate yourself for waiting so long to vent so much HATRED! Seriously folks, I don’t recall a time when a record has made me feel so delightfully angry. Maybe the timing is right, or maybe Gorgoroth has finally figured out the perfect formula for malignity, but Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam is a bloody hateful record. I damn near hissed and snarled at a woman I felt was invading my space at the deli counter at my local grocery store whilst listening to this pig, and I felt glorious because of it.

So, what’s to blame for possibly the most misanthropic Gorgoroth record to date? Could it be because of Infernus and Gaahl’s legal frustrations? Or perhaps (newly departed) King ov Hell’s recent ‘ideological head butting’ with his band mates? Both are certainly possibilities, but one element that’s definitely adding to the visceral feel of this record is the addition of session drummer extraordinaire, Frost, to the mix. For those who were disappointed with this man’s seemingly ‘one-hand-tied-behind-his-back’ performance on the latest Satyricon record, you’re gonna love his work on Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam. Frost has effectively breathed a new rancorous breath into the Christianity-bashing corpse of Gorgoroth, and this record gives the man plenty of room to flex all his drumming tentacles.

At its root, this album is a logical progression for Gorgoroth, and it’s obvious these guys have left the seemingly trendy path of ‘black-n-roll’ for their peers to travel, choosing instead to continue forward with the menacing, blackened, extreme metal styling they displayed on their impressive 2003 release, Twilight of The Idols. The majority of the songs found on A.M.S.G. follow a pattern of spotlighting Frost’s manic drumming and Infernus’ hellish shredding, but also feature some really solid, hammer-swinging breakdowns to get you itching to smote all those unfortunate enough to be in your immediate vicinity. “Wound Upon Wound” and “Carving A Giant” set the quickened pace of the record perfectly, with the opener laying down a ripe, head-banging riff a mere 1-minute in, and the latter pushing more of a sweeping riff pattern throughout the songs’ entirety. The crushing “God Seed (Twilight of The Idols)”, and closer, “Prosperity and Beauty”, both have a more epic feel (in sound, not length), bringing to mind At The Heart of Winter era Immortal, and flash Gaahl’s absolutely seething vocals beautifully (you’ll definitely be double fisting imaginary grapefruits and turning your grizzled face to the heavens when you hear Gaahl scream “stain me with blooood! GOD SEEEEED!”). The fourth track,“Sign of An Open Eye”, stands as the albums’ only respite from the speedy, manic attack as it lumbers forth with slow, repetitive riffing, spooky keyboard backdrops, and Gaahl’s frozen spoken word, but the reprieve is very short lived. Track five, “White Seed”, and its’ follower, “Exit”, molest with a nearly schizophrenic touch as they display a strange dichotomy of absolutely flailing battery mingled with an almost gingerly strummed guitar at times. Both songs eventually settle into a more traditional structure, but the deranged spatterings explicitly ensure the midpoint of the album does not sag.

I have to dig fairly deep to find fault with Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam, but I do have a couple issues. First of all, after a three-year wait, a 30-minute album definitely feels short (although I can certainly appreciate the fact the band did not load the record with wanky, unnecessary filler). Secondly, while the overall production/mix of the record is quite solid, especially when compared to Gorgoroth’s early works, there are some holes. I’d like to actually hear King’s bass work instead of having it mixed deep behind the whirling wall of guitars and drums, for example. Also, I think Gaahl has a deliciously wicked voice…I’d love to hear it in a more natural state and higher in the mix.

And there you have it folks; 30-minutes of seriously hateful, blackened metal, delivered by the Norwegians people love to hate. It seems like every metal forum I’ve come across in the last few years has had some sort of reference to Gorgoroth pissing someone off. They may not thank their crowds, they may not smile and chuckle during interviews, and they may find themselves involved in some unsavory situations now and again, but holy shit do these guys know how to create an odious record, at least according to this reviewer. Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam is a perfect example of an extreme band growing and maturing without doing away with the core element that helped build their notoriety – hatred. Highly recommended for fans of the band, and for those needing to vent some pent up anger.

Jim Brandon’s take:

This has developed into an interesting year as far as black metal goes, and it’s about fucking time. There have been a handful of specific releases I’ve personally been awaiting anxiously from Satyricon, Keep Of Kalessin, Dissection, Ihsahn, Darkthrone, as well as the upcoming Blut Aus Nord, Crimson Moon, and Mayhem. Of the first five albums listed, only two of them, Ihsahn’s & Darkthrone’s, have kept strong legs, and the other three either disappointed from the start and have failed to gain ground, or simply lost their luster very quickly. For me, two out of five doesn’t cut it, and so the search continued, somewhat unsatisfied, until a couple short weeks ago when satisfaction came by way of an old, estranged acquaintance, Gorgoroth.

Seeing how their last two albums were rather underwhelming to this ear, I was extremely hesitant to plunk down the loot at MetalHaven for Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam until one of the guys there raved about it to me. It was the best money I’ve spent with a second guess attached to it this year, bar none. This CD has continued to sauté my brain each and every time it gets tossed into the stereo and amplified to an obnoxious level. Glorious indeed. With punishing malice, Ad Majorem…unleashes one track after another of ferociously performed, sacrilegious black metal without a moment of filler. This is a calculated, no-holds-barred exercise in invigorated Gorgoroth blasphemy, which leaves many of their compatriots in the dust on numerous levels.

The songwriting here is utterly engrossing, each of the 8 tracks are roughly four minutes in length, establishing a clear, concise point of view, which is nothing short of a sophisticated mauling. Blunt, direct arrangements swarm with blazing tremolo riffs blended among razor-sharp staccato clusters, and much fist-banging epic mid-paced marching to thrash along to. Where Armada falls short due to inconsistent songwriting, and Now, Diabolical, and Reinkaos falter due to the uneventful nature of the mid-paced material, Gorgoroth keep the arrangements interesting even when the pace slows, and don’t hold back any creative energy overall throughout this disc with a vicious array of riff selections. None of the songs are interchangeable, there is definitely a specific pattern established with structured flow overall, and the material is engaging, industriously performed, and technically sound.

Heat radiates from this album, and commands attention while listening. The hypnotic drone of “Sign Of An Open Eye” lulls listeners into a false sense of comfort before the deliberate, scathing “White Seed” launches into a torrent of blasts and wild riffing leading into a pensive, deceptive midsection, and then returning to more chaos to abruptly close the number. “Exit” is one of the fastest, yet most varied tracks, and doesn’t become redundant due to a fluctuation of reclusive harmonies, while “Untamed Forces” features deathly, nearly guttural vocals rumbling beneath a humming wall of pulsing rhythmic waves. Closing track “Prosperity And Beauty” ends the disc on an epic, triumphant note, which doesn’t leave the listener hanging thanks to its definitive, momentous climax. Addictive in its design, and nearly viral in its tenacity, this album virtually demands an immediate additional complete listen as soon as it finishes. Dozens of spins later, and the light of burnout is still nowhere to be seen.

This may not be the ultimate Gorgoroth album, and it’s no advancement of the style, but it’s probably the best release from the band since Destroyer. The production is dirty but decipherable, the mix strong (no clicky drums, no thin guitars, much better sounding than The Adversary), and the musicianship is tenaciously firm, making for a pretty close to perfect package. It would have been nice to have some lyrics to read, however. Nevertheless, Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam is one of the finest albums of the year, and easily one of the frontrunners for best black metal release at this point. I really have nothing too terribly bad to say about it. Buy, or blow the nefarious infernal goat.

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