A fairly unremarkable 4 song mCD release from a band I know absolutely nothing about (and who have one of the most unreadable logos I've ever seen in my life). Not a bad release, but there isn't much presented here to separate them from the hundreds of other bands that play a similar (mostly high to mid speed) brand of black metal. There are the occasional interesting passages (the slower paced sections of both "De Vermis Mysteriis" and "Coldstone Sacrificial..." were actually very "catchy" and quite enjoyable), but (unfortunately) for the most part this is fairly generic stuff. Production is well handled (clean but not sterile), and the band certainly know how to play their instruments (the vocals are quite good, with a nice grainy raspiness to them).

While this particular mCD didn't really move me, I would be reluctant to write this band off, as when they did slow down the pace, they had a very good vibe going on which raised them above the level of your average band. My advice to them would be to concentrate their efforts on their slower paced sections, as this is where they really shine. With a little more work, I could see them releasing some high quality material. As for whether or not you should buy this CD - well, you could a lot worse, but you could also do a lot better...

© 1999 chorazaim