Not bad. Vicious Swedish black metal that has the unique trait of being performed with great precision and an excellent sense of writing/tactful melody, while using a generally raw sound that separates them from some of their fellow acts. The drums are indeed rather rigid, but they're held back by the furious wall of textured guitars and sneering vocals. I tend to have a hard time hearing the bass, but I can deal with it. As for their approach, it's somewhat modern as far as the clinical performance and the way that they use some discordant chord phrasings and such, and to use some other Swedes as a frame of reference, I'd say this sounds like an even mix of Dawn, Naglfar, and earlier Dissection. There's a nice mix of tempos from the blazing fast to the more moderately paced thick chords, the melody is usually subtle and never reaches the blatant harmonic level of Dissection, and the songs hover right around four to five minutes without really getting stale. I wouldn't say that I enjoy this as much as the aforementioned three bands, but this is absolutely good for what it is. "Mental Aggression" starts out incredibly slow and rhythmic before exploding into raging blasts, continuing to go back and forth between slower chords and faster tremolo picking; the exceptional "Control" begins with a surprisingly unique clean intro with some distant feedback and effects before utilizing some shockingly eerie distorted runs with utterly insane vocals; and closer "Nephenzy Chaos Order" brings in some bleak dual guitar harmonies and lead lines over frantic drumming - creating a curiously spacious composition that truly stands out from the pack. Good stuff. The layout is excellent, using lots of dark and partially obscured imagery and tight, small photos to create a dismal atmosphere that fits the theme of the record. One set of what I assume are lyrics is included, but they're a bit cheesy and over the top. I can, however, appreciate the statement printed along with the booklet's artwork: "The earth has a skin and that skin has diseases: One of its diseases is called man." Overall I just really appreciate the visual aesthetic that the band has going on, as most such acts neglect that aspect these days. Chances are if you're a fan of black metal you've heard records very similar to this before, but I'm into it. While not original as a whole, they do have their own flare (such as the aforesaid incredible portions of tracks like "Control"), not the least of which is their exceedingly bitter attitude, so I'd say to check this out...
[Baphomet]
Running time - 47:02, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Total Abuse, Control, Nephenzy Chaos Order]
Baphomet Records - http://www.redstream.org
