Raven
F.M.
[No Colours]
Total Running Time: 16:28 (???!!! What!!?? I paid full price for this!! Fuck off!!!)
Note: Limited to 1000 copies
Yes, that is the actual running time. An angry look appeared on my face when I saw that. The packaging is even worse. A single CD card with the band name and title, and the words "...like virginspit" on the back of it. The rear insert provides us with no song titles besides "Part I-IV" and the wonderful words "Misanthropic Black Metal". I have no idea where the band are from, what the title refers to, or any history. Again, fuck NC's for releasing a CD of 16 minutes at full price.
I received this as a secondary option from Full Moon Productions, who in their fine tradition did not have anything I ordered in stock (this is insane...do they have ANYTHING they say they do in their catalog??) and of course it came with a broken jewel case. It seems FMP can not send you a CD without a broken jewel case.
Enough of that though: What is the music like? Well...it actually makes most bands on No Colours seem like those silly new-wave Norwegian "epic black metal bands". Yes, this is probably the rawest release on No Colours yet. I am a No Colours groupie of sorts, and really quite like the label...and this CD is really no exception. Imagine a combination between Darkthrone if they were really drunk, a little Burzum, and a great deal of Vlad Tepes. The production is quite horrid, but it's so loud that it actually works out nicely.
When I say Darkthrone, I refer to some of the guitar parts, and when I say Burzum I am referring to the vocals and a small amount of the ambience. But the main sound here seems borrowed from later Vlad Tepes material. The production is similar to the Belketre split material, and has a similar feel, although much more metallic and less "soft". For those of you who have heard the Belketre split, you will know what I mean, the chords come out all fuzzy. Raven on the other hand have a much harsher feel. Again, the music sounds a good deal like some Vlad Tepes material; the celtic sounding riffs, drug induced mid paced insanity, and the faster drunken riffs/drumming that band is loved for.
Vocally, there are some comparisons to Burzum...but this sounds more like what would happen if Varg had a bit too much to drink one night, sat on a tack, and started screaming. Very banshee like, very insane. Yet very good.
Not for wimps obviously, but the 2 or 3 of us on the groups who love this stuff will be most happy hearing it. Obviously I don't know of a person who enjoys paying a good deal of money for 15 minutes of music....but the CD still rocks. Grim, raw as fuck, and very sick are the keywords here. Get it before it sells out :)
UPDATE - UPDATE - UPDATE - UPDATE - UPDATE - UPDATE
Here's a great side note that Rune (Forgotten Woods/Joyless/Raven) sent me to add some light to the mysterious band.
To clear things up.
The Raven album "F.M." was originally to be released with a total running time of +/- 45 min.,and include about 12 songs. However,due to horrifying sound,and poor playing (we did each song in one take,during rehearsals.No second try),we trimmed it down to 8 songs having a total running time of about 35 min. +/-. NCR did however cut the 8 songs down to 4,due to a dislike of the sound on the remaining 4 songs (that was recorded some time later than the songs on the album). The songs on the album also got released as a demo in late '94,I believe it was,through a norwegian distibution,who also "released" our first demo. The albumtitle,"F.M.",means "Faschist Machine",but got censored by NCR.We never used any titles for the songs for Raven,therefore the "Part I - IV"-thing. There is a possibility for a 7" release with Raven this year.If so,it will be released by NCR (or at least distributed by them) and the title will be "Raven:Selfdestruct".It will contain three songs.
Raven.
P.S. The songs on "F.M." was all "written" in less than two days,along with three other that was on the demo back in '94,and recorded in about one hour.
© 2000 brand
Note: Limited to 1000 copies
Yes, that is the actual running time. An angry look appeared on my face when I saw that. The packaging is even worse. A single CD card with the band name and title, and the words "...like virginspit" on the back of it. The rear insert provides us with no song titles besides "Part I-IV" and the wonderful words "Misanthropic Black Metal". I have no idea where the band are from, what the title refers to, or any history. Again, fuck NC's for releasing a CD of 16 minutes at full price.
I received this as a secondary option from Full Moon Productions, who in their fine tradition did not have anything I ordered in stock (this is insane...do they have ANYTHING they say they do in their catalog??) and of course it came with a broken jewel case. It seems FMP can not send you a CD without a broken jewel case.
Enough of that though: What is the music like? Well...it actually makes most bands on No Colours seem like those silly new-wave Norwegian "epic black metal bands". Yes, this is probably the rawest release on No Colours yet. I am a No Colours groupie of sorts, and really quite like the label...and this CD is really no exception. Imagine a combination between Darkthrone if they were really drunk, a little Burzum, and a great deal of Vlad Tepes. The production is quite horrid, but it's so loud that it actually works out nicely.
When I say Darkthrone, I refer to some of the guitar parts, and when I say Burzum I am referring to the vocals and a small amount of the ambience. But the main sound here seems borrowed from later Vlad Tepes material. The production is similar to the Belketre split material, and has a similar feel, although much more metallic and less "soft". For those of you who have heard the Belketre split, you will know what I mean, the chords come out all fuzzy. Raven on the other hand have a much harsher feel. Again, the music sounds a good deal like some Vlad Tepes material; the celtic sounding riffs, drug induced mid paced insanity, and the faster drunken riffs/drumming that band is loved for.
Vocally, there are some comparisons to Burzum...but this sounds more like what would happen if Varg had a bit too much to drink one night, sat on a tack, and started screaming. Very banshee like, very insane. Yet very good.
Not for wimps obviously, but the 2 or 3 of us on the groups who love this stuff will be most happy hearing it. Obviously I don't know of a person who enjoys paying a good deal of money for 15 minutes of music....but the CD still rocks. Grim, raw as fuck, and very sick are the keywords here. Get it before it sells out :)
UPDATE - UPDATE - UPDATE - UPDATE - UPDATE - UPDATE
Here's a great side note that Rune (Forgotten Woods/Joyless/Raven) sent me to add some light to the mysterious band.
To clear things up.
The Raven album "F.M." was originally to be released with a total running time of +/- 45 min.,and include about 12 songs. However,due to horrifying sound,and poor playing (we did each song in one take,during rehearsals.No second try),we trimmed it down to 8 songs having a total running time of about 35 min. +/-. NCR did however cut the 8 songs down to 4,due to a dislike of the sound on the remaining 4 songs (that was recorded some time later than the songs on the album). The songs on the album also got released as a demo in late '94,I believe it was,through a norwegian distibution,who also "released" our first demo. The albumtitle,"F.M.",means "Faschist Machine",but got censored by NCR.We never used any titles for the songs for Raven,therefore the "Part I - IV"-thing. There is a possibility for a 7" release with Raven this year.If so,it will be released by NCR (or at least distributed by them) and the title will be "Raven:Selfdestruct".It will contain three songs.
Raven.
P.S. The songs on "F.M." was all "written" in less than two days,along with three other that was on the demo back in '94,and recorded in about one hour.
© 2000 brand