Veles
Black Hateful Metal
[No Colours]
This is really a huge mess. On one hand there's material on this disc that
I absolutely can't stand, and then there's part of it that I like. Since
the disc is divided into two different sections (the "Black Hateful Metal"
album tracks and "The Triumph of Pagan Beliefs" bonus demo tracks), I'll
tackle the review in two parts as well.
In my opinion, the first Veles album was a close copy of Graveland, except with more unstable drumming. It was a decent debut, but I thought that they surely would return with a better second album, because there was a fair deal of potential to be found on the first disc. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. "Black Hateful Metal" is almost a complete catastrophe. I'm not one to ordinarily complain about production, but this album boasts one of the weakest guitar sounds I've ever had the displeasure of hearing. In addition to this, the guitarist seems like he's having a relatively difficult time playing some of the parts. On the positive side, the drumming has improved since the last disc, but drumming alone isn't going to save this record. The songs are also poorly constructed, and seem to ramble on without any sense of purpose. I really can't see why Veles would release this, because there's very little material in this section that is interesting. One more thing - what is the point of the annoyingly happy-sounding non-distorted guitar interlude in the second track? It does a better job of evoking images of happy bunny rabbits on a children's television program than a forgotten era of proud pagan warriors. Anyway, I'm digressing here... let's throw this half of the disc in the trash and get on with the review.
Fortunately, Veles chose to include their 1994 demo "The Triumph of Pagan B eliefs" as bonus tracks (7 in total) for this disc. It may sound strange, but the demo tracks are much better than the new material on the album. The production is raw but effective, the drumming is solid, and the riffs are good as well. It's strange that the band's demo would be the best output of their career, but I really feel that this is the case with Veles. 1994-era Veles cranked out some atmospheric, midpaced, and obscure-sounding traditional Polish black metal that is very convincing, and it's too bad that they didn't adhere to this style. I actually like this portion of the CD quite a bit, and if not for the inclusion of these tracks, the whole CD would almost be an entire loss. Hopefully they'll return to this sound in the future.
So is this CD worth getting? Well, it's definitely a good value for the price, especially since it has 16 tracks with a playing time of about 70 minutes or so. However, if you're like me and don't really care for the first 9 tracks (the "Black Hateful Metal" portion of this disc), you'll end up feeling like you've wasted your money. Despite the negative points of "Black Hateful Metal," the inclusion of the demo tracks ensures that this disc will find its way into my player every so often.
© 1998 baalberith
In my opinion, the first Veles album was a close copy of Graveland, except with more unstable drumming. It was a decent debut, but I thought that they surely would return with a better second album, because there was a fair deal of potential to be found on the first disc. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. "Black Hateful Metal" is almost a complete catastrophe. I'm not one to ordinarily complain about production, but this album boasts one of the weakest guitar sounds I've ever had the displeasure of hearing. In addition to this, the guitarist seems like he's having a relatively difficult time playing some of the parts. On the positive side, the drumming has improved since the last disc, but drumming alone isn't going to save this record. The songs are also poorly constructed, and seem to ramble on without any sense of purpose. I really can't see why Veles would release this, because there's very little material in this section that is interesting. One more thing - what is the point of the annoyingly happy-sounding non-distorted guitar interlude in the second track? It does a better job of evoking images of happy bunny rabbits on a children's television program than a forgotten era of proud pagan warriors. Anyway, I'm digressing here... let's throw this half of the disc in the trash and get on with the review.
Fortunately, Veles chose to include their 1994 demo "The Triumph of Pagan B eliefs" as bonus tracks (7 in total) for this disc. It may sound strange, but the demo tracks are much better than the new material on the album. The production is raw but effective, the drumming is solid, and the riffs are good as well. It's strange that the band's demo would be the best output of their career, but I really feel that this is the case with Veles. 1994-era Veles cranked out some atmospheric, midpaced, and obscure-sounding traditional Polish black metal that is very convincing, and it's too bad that they didn't adhere to this style. I actually like this portion of the CD quite a bit, and if not for the inclusion of these tracks, the whole CD would almost be an entire loss. Hopefully they'll return to this sound in the future.
So is this CD worth getting? Well, it's definitely a good value for the price, especially since it has 16 tracks with a playing time of about 70 minutes or so. However, if you're like me and don't really care for the first 9 tracks (the "Black Hateful Metal" portion of this disc), you'll end up feeling like you've wasted your money. Despite the negative points of "Black Hateful Metal," the inclusion of the demo tracks ensures that this disc will find its way into my player every so often.
© 1998 baalberith