No thanks.? I really, really like raw black metal that's true to the classic aesthetic of the genre when it's done correctly, but this one-man outfit from Sweden, while possessing some talent, isn't cutting it for me.? First off, the opening track is a minute-and-a-half long instrumental that sounds random and improvised (kicking in abruptly with no fade or anything), to the point where there are a few obvious fuckups in the playing.? Secondly, the recording is terrible, and despite a few efficient areas is certainly the killing blow for the release as a whole.? Don't get me wrong, I know this stuff is supposed to sound rugged, but the guitar tone is so digital and unnatural sounding (almost certainly recorded direct) that it kills any aesthetic value that the raw sound might otherwise possess.? I think the mix is well balanced, and the drum programming is pretty well handled considering, but the guitars are really weak and ineffective, making this one very hard to tolerate.? The vocal performance also lacks the ferocity that black metal usually possesses, and that's another point of contention for me.? Writing-wise it's pretty standard black metal with tons of blasting speed, lots of tremolo picking, subtle indications of melody, and snarling midrange vocals.? The songs average five to eight minutes and are repetitious without stagnating, but despite some interesting riffs or promising dual guitar interaction it's just not that powerful.? I don't care for the tapping riffs or the leads, which often sound hurried and out of place, and there's also some electronic buzz when the guitars drop out.? For variety there are some clean breaks or more traditional thrash metal riffs at times, and part of that might explain why the vocals aren't as over the top as most black metal bands, but who knows?? Those influences are a good counterbalance for the ripping speeds on a musical level, but I definitely think the vocals need to be harsher and more forceful.? Honestly the layout's sort of cheesy on this one, too.? It's going for the typical metal vibe with bleak black and white black landscape photos or whatever, but the band logo is sort of goofy (as is the band name), the text looks a little slapped into place (especially the record title on the front cover), no lyrics are included (the titles are a mix of English and Swedish), and the photo of the band's mastermind on the back, while more tactful than most, is still just boring and lacks any artistic value.? I'll also go so far as to point out that when a band's sole member is named "NightSpawn", I'm gonna have a really hard time taking the music seriously unless it's really good, but this disc, as a whole, feels like a demo to me, and definitely possesses some immature qualities that I can't simply pawn off as going hand in hand with the genre. With a more effective recording, (something a little more natural sounding, it wouldn't matter if it was as abrasive as some of Darkthrone's earlier work or anything) and a visual presentation more befitting of a bleak aesthetic, this would be a significantly stronger record. He'd still need to iron out some of the performance kinks and intensify the vocal performance, but the bulk of the songwriting is in place as far as this style is concerned. It's a competent disc, but one that comes across as a little shoddy and not exactly at the point where it's ready to see a professional release.
[God is Myth]
Running time - 49:14, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: none of them particularly stand out to me]
God is Myth Records - http://www.god-is-myth.com
