Grief of Emerald - The Devil's Deep [2011]

A more clear production quality, but the snare and toms really sit low in the mix, thus hurting the impact of blasts. Clearly, more effort went into the keys for this album than previous material. The beginning-middle section of "Famine" snapped me right out of my article-reading trance and immediately into the music. Unfortunately, it's been two songs since I was captivated like this... so it really doesn't have that catchy and shouty attitude. Nearly all of the Death Metal influence that I loved from Christian Termination is long gone, replaced by some more generic Black Metal. There's really nothing much that's unique about this album. A few risks here and there, but nothing substantial. I was really hoping for more... power and boldness.

Rating: 7.25

http://www.griefofemerald.se/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Grief of Emerald - Christian Termination [2002]

Nice and scathing start to the album. While "Alas, Spiriti Sancti" is certainly Black Metal, it has a wonderful tint of Death Metal to a few of the guitar parts. This album seems to be one of those secret gems... the beginnings of almost all of the songs are very weak, but wait it out for about forty seconds and all hell is brutally delivered to your fucking face. The guitar riffs, once the real shit storm begins, are WONDERFULLY brutal and merciless. However, they are too often repeated ad nauseum in their respective songs. Sure, this is a victim of quite a few standard problems when talking about Black Metal bands... no variation in style, a bit drawn-out, production could be better, etc. However, I do like much of the writing style and it's definitely got bigger potential for even more energy if the production and songwriting are polished up.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.griefofemerald.se/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Grief of Emerald - Malformed Seed [2000]

Very appealing old-school Black Metal keys combined with some more modern guitar riffing and the high-reverb production qualities of yesteryear. It certainly creates the dark and grind-stone atmosphere of Black Metal that I love so much. Beyond that, it's all fairly straight-forward and what I would expect from this type of band. No risks taken. Though, the material is pretty catchy at times.

Rating: 7.25

http://www.griefofemerald.se/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Cradle of Filth - Damnation and a Day [2003]

Production is certainly heavier, but for some reason "The Promise of Fever" feels like it isn't centered properly... I'll let it slide since it may be my version of the file. "Hurt and Virtue" starts off with pandering to the faggy melodic metal crowd, killing the evil attempts of the music. Definitely a very weak song. "An Enemy Led the Tempest" picks things up just a bit, but the main riff is fairly stock and lifeless. "Better to Reign in Hell" finally changes things up a bit with some kind of creativity calling on the clean guitars and spacey effects. Orchestra effects are fairly well-placed and sparse enough that they don't feel overused. One thing that has been bugging me is that the production quality of the guitars keeps changing, and not just between songs, but within the song as well. It's not a BAD album at all. However, it doesn't have the same bite, ferocity, and grandeur of previous albums. It's watered-down; a handful of very good riffs evenly distributed on an album with wall-paper paste to fill in the majority of the time. It's a damn shame, because it is obvious that A LOT more effort was put into the arranging and selection of effects and keys. Obnoxiously, the album seems to slowly settle back down into what made CoF good as the music goes on. So, skip the crap and go straight to the middle-end. Standout tracks are "Present from the Poison-Hearted", "The Promise of Fever", "Doberman", and "Babylon A.D.".

Rating: 7.25

http://theorderofthedragon.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Watain - Lawless Darkness [2010]

The songwriting is a little more polished. Besides that, not much has changed at all. Good Black Metal effort all around. It is significantly longer than SttD was, though, and that makes it a bit tough to get through in one sitting without getting a bit tired and bored. So, there isn't that much variation, but that's par for the course in this genre. It's still pretty damn exciting, but it's absolutely too long.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.templeofwatain.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Watain - Sworn to the Dark [2007]

Certainly a promising start to what looks to be a very long album. The bass drum finally feels like it has some meat to it. The guitars are still a bit thin, but they fill the space a little with the bass guitar. The vocals are nicely balanced and better sound overall for some reason... and more powerful. "Legions of the Black Light" feels like it has a bit less of that typical Swedish melodic shit to it and more focus on slower, darker, and more purposeful riffs. Just as I was beginning to think that things were getting a little repetitive and boring, "Underneath the Cenotaph" kicks in with an exiting urgency and main riff. Very good all the way through. Some parts feel just a bit drawn out, but they lend atmosphere to the song without being boring. This really feels like blackness has soaked all the way through the album right down through the marrow. The album is only a tad too long and a bit more of the faster high-energy stuff would have been nice as well to break up the dredge of the slower sections.

Rating: 7.75

http://www.templeofwatain.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Anaal Nathrakh - Passion [2011]

Here we go... I'm always eagerly anticipating a new AN. There is some fucking weird shit in "Volenti Non Fit Iniuria"... conflicting time bass drums, more synchronized stops than usual and some more interesting riffs. I'm into track 2 and so far I can say that the overall feel is much more like Black Metal than it has been for the last few albums. The song does feel a bit drawn out, though. And then, "Post Traumatic Stress Euphoria" throws EVERYTHING to the fucking wind... they smashed every thing they could into a 1:40 minute song.... and it's beautiful. By "Le Diabolique Est Lami Du Simple", I feel like I have completely warmed up to this album. I LOVE the fact that it's more Black Metal now (like the old days), but they've kept the bombastic heaviness of the later albums. On top of that, this is actually a very creative album... there's a lot of effects that, on paper, sound like they shouldn't work (wah pedal on the guitar, for instance) but they've made them fit perfectly. There's even a few glitch sections thrown in for good measure. Whoa, they got the guy from Bethlehem to do vox on "Tod Huetet Uebel" and it's fucking epic with this production quality. That small bit of melodic influence is still there, though, and the slower industrial parts aren't as strong and catchy as they were on the last album. Also, the creativity and experimentation with effects at the beginning doesn't really carry through the album. Those complaints aside, I love this disk.

Rating: 9.25

http://www.myspace.com/anaalnathrakh

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Watain - Casus Luciferi [2003]

Fairly crappy production. There's no bass at all. The production is clear enough, but it fatigues the ear because of the large amount of treble. The songwriting is pretty damn good, though. It's rare to find a Black Metal band that has such a stock style but still makes it feel energetic and exciting. The excitement keeps up throughout most of the album, pausing only for the occasional doom riff.

Rating: 7

http://www.templeofwatain.com/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Mitochondrion - Parasignosis [2011]

OH YES. Now this is so much more fucking like it!!. "Plague Evockation (Pestilentiam Intus Vocamus, Voluntatem Absolvimus Part I)" took a while to really kick in, but when it hit, it hit HARD. "Lex Ego Exitium (Pestilentiam Intus Vocamus, Voluntatem Absolvimus Part II)" shows off a bit more of the doom influence at first. It's certainly in a similar vein as Ulcerate, but with a lot more evil behind it. "Tetravirulence" does drag on a bit, though... getting into the area of doom that I DON'T like. In the end, there's a bit too much doom for my tastes, but it's still much more exciting and with better songwriting than Archaeaeon.

Rating: 7.75

http://www.myspace.com/mitochondrion

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Rudra - Kurukshetra [2003]

Amateur production quality... the right guitar is very noticeably louder than the left. First track doesn't really do much for me. It's too drawn out and not engaging. Track 2 is more my speed. Overall, there's not much to get me excited in this album. It feels pretty stock. The performance of the members is pretty amateur. The production isn't that great. It leaves a lot to be desired. There are a few cool riffs littered about the album, though.

Rating: 4.5

http://www.rudraonline.org/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Watain - Rabid Death's Curse [2000]

I know a guy that would say that this is very "organic"... normally I think he's full of shit and say that it's actually shitty playing. Even though that's the case with this album, it manages to capture the charm of the underground and unprepared recording very well. The production isn't bad, it's got sufficient punch and it's fairly full in its sound. "The Limb Crucifix" bounces between typical underground Swedish Black Metal and catchy chorus. Even though "On Horns Impaled" reminds me a lot of Dark Funeral, for some reason it doesn't feel as contrived. Overall, I have a love-hate relationship with Swedish Black Metal. Most of it is pure derivative shite, while a few bands are fucking incredible (see Marduk and Naglfar).

Rating: 7

http://www.templeofwatain.com/

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Myrkskog - Deathmachine [2000]

Very nice. I'm loving it so far. It's like slamming into a wall of death and black. Cool use of industrial effects and some (rare, but) creative use of guitar effects. Death Metal sensibility in a Black Metal context and they pull it off way better than Behemoth ever did. Last song was completely unexpected but damn fucking cool. Production is great. It's not the clearest in the world, but it's fucking heavy as hell and is not lacking in brutality at all. Brutally pleasant surprise.

Rating: 8.5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrkskog

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Eminenz - Exorial [1994]

Definitely a promising intro… but it goes into a pretty weak first song. Production quality is weak overall. The guitars are low in the mix, so it doesn't feel like a heavy albums. It's a damn flat and boring album with bouts of cool keyboard parts.

Rating: 5

http://www.eminenz-germany.de/

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Akercocke - Antichrist [2007]

Interesting production quality… I'll have to get used to it. Not a fan of the fact that the drums are much lower in the mix, but now it's a bit heavier. Definitely a stronger start to the album than WTGUDTGU had. All the elements I love are still there with slightly more refined songwriting. This is a great album from start to finish. The production could have definitely been better, though. I'm not a fan of the guitar's distortion; it sounds very weak when palm muting. Also, the drums should have really been turned up a bit.

Rating: 9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akercocke

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Akercocke - Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone [2005]

Very weak start for Akercocke, but it eventually gets going. The first track seems to have much more pop-metal influences added in, but towards the end it complete redeems itself. The pop-metal influences are minimized and not necessarily a bad thing. Seems like they've changed their style a bit from Choronzon. It still feels like an Akercocke album, but it also feels fresh because of some more Death Metal styled riffs and structures. "Shelter from the Sand" is extremely unique for Akercocke and even ventures into the Post-Metal genre. Overall, better production and a fresh take on their own style while not compromising what makes them great leaves me with a fucking stiffy for this album (despite the fact that it started off very weak).

Rating: 9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akercocke

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Akercocke - Choronzon [2003]

Creativity and complexity is definitely still there. Increased production quality with the guitars. Album is louder than TGoM. Nicely varied throughout. The great songwriting and attention to detail are expanded on from TGoM.

Rating: 8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akercocke

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Akercocke - The Goat of Mendes [2001]

Kind of weird production quality. It's definitely missing quite a bit of bass and heaviness. Way more Death Metal than I thought it would be. Damn cool riffs, though. Definitely has an evil vibe to it. There's certainly a lot of creativity. Each song jumps back and forth between many different styles and it all flows surprisingly well. The creative and well-put-together riffs of this album make me almost entirely forgive the weak production. Because of the huge aura of evil, the great/creative songwriting, and the smooth blending of many different styles/genres, I'll give this high marks (perhaps this will be reversed after I've listened a couple more times). If only the production were better.

Rating: 8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akercocke

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Akercocke - Rape of the Bastard Nazarene [1999]

Definitely a weaker production quality than TGoM. Damn cool effects in the middle of the first track… if this carries through, it will definitely earn a favorable score. Nicely done. It's got some sparks of creativity throughout, but the production quality holds it back significantly.

Rating: 7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akercocke

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Absu - Absu [2009]

Great production. Follows with the more schizo song style, but with a much more experimental feel than previous albums. At the same time, it never looses its thrashiness or brutality. This is their best… hands down.

Rating: 8.5

http://www.myspace.com/absu

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Absu - Tara [2001]

Since this is the end of the "trilogy" that they have with a few of their albums, I can imagine that this will take on a style more in the vein of TTSoC and TSoT. We'll see. The second song really kicked in, I'm now beginning to doubt my earlier analysis. Okay, it's definitely their best album yet. Just misses an "8" rating by a hair.

Rating: 7.5

http://www.myspace.com/absu

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.