Mater Tenebra
Necrocturna Demoniaca
[Northern Darkness]
I have the same problem with this Italian band as with In Battle, Tsatthoggua
and many similar 666 mph, hyper-speed black metal groups. That is, the speed
tends to obliterate all other substance in their music. Or rather, these
bands have very little to offer besides the speed factor. Mater Tenebra are
as fast as a fucking cruise missile, and their high-end sound is as noisy as
several dozen buzzsaws whirring around all at the same time. That, however,
is also the source of their entrapment. By being so fast and noisy the band
build a brick wall around themselves. Once the initial astonishment at these
guys' intensity and endurance passes away, you are left with nothing.
Everything turns into a blurry cloud of noise, a fleeting burst of cacophony.
There is absolutely nothing memorable about this at all. The band do slow
down once in a while and feebly attempt to do something interesting with
their rhythms, but that changes nothing. Once the CD is over, you will feel
battered, but you won't remember a damn thing. Maybe that's the whole
purpose, I don't know. Once again, speed freaks might like it. I, on the
other hand, keep this CD in my collection as a mere novelty item. For the
time being, that is. And we all know how long that's going to last.
(Answer: not long.)
© 2002 boris