I've read quite a few reviews which compared this to Darkthrone, which is somewhat strange as this sounds almost nothing like Darkthrone IMHO. Ok, there are some (very slight) surface similarities on some of the tracks, but this is much more melodic, not nearly as grim, and last time I checked, Darkthrone didn't utilize keyboards *or* female vocals. Just goes to show how different people can listen to the same CD and heard completely different things. Anyway, Netherworld are an Australian band, but you wouldn't be able to tell from listening to the CD, as this sounds pretty much like every other semi-melodic northern black metal band, with gothic overtones to boot (not a style those "down under" are exactly known for). The faster passages do have a bit of the Darkthrone "sound" to them (hence the comparisons I suppose), and while the vocals are nowhere near Mr. Culto's grim excellence, they do share a similar feel at times...but that's where the Darkthrone similarities end. The rest of the time, this is standard fare but somewhat more annoying than usual due to the vapid sounding female vocals (sure, she's mighty bangable looking, but I can think of at least one other thing she should be wrapping her mouth around instead of a microphone), and the god awful synths don't help much either. Production is alright - not too clean, and everything has a very light layer of grittiness to it, but it's nothing special, much like the music (and the band in general). Perhaps after a few more listens I'll start to see what the attraction to this band is, but as it stands, there are a lot of other releases that you should be picking up instead of this one. Better luck next time Netherworld...

© 1999 chorazaim