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Throne of Katarsis sets itself worlds apart from many of the bands new to the blakk metal scene by having drawn upon and thus extracting the finest essence of all the greats from the first to the second generation of blakk metal such as Mayhem, Immortal, Darkthrone, Emperor and so on. Although derivative, ‘An Eternal Dark Horizon’ smashes through the ice and recaptures the fire of ‘the source’, proving that same fallen spark of the subterranean current which ignited early 90's Norwegian blakk metal still burns to this day, inspiring in the same way it did at an earlier time. Let the same be said for the extraordinary vox- in that it contains the range and nuances of all of them (namely Attila and Nattefrost) yet it is none of them. In truth, these two are blakk to the bone and the five epic tracks of this release constitute a remarkable body of dark brutal metal. Ages ago they did their magick in this very cave by the sea. After it was forbidden, in fear of their lives they gathered only in the dark. Betrayed by one of their own..all were thrown to a watery grave Every year on this night, they return by the ‘Funeral Moonlight’ The intro is reminiscent of Darkthrone’s ‘Kathaarian Life Code’, with a reverberating chant cut short by the ooze of an all out buzz saw guitar assault. However, the similarities end there and the rest of the track is exhilarating and pure Throne of Katarsis. One by one they who are as pale as the moon itself emerge from the sea and take off on a flight of vengeance against those who persecuted them so long ago. ‘Under Guds Hud’ opens in a fast paced defiant rage winding up and down to terrifying screams. The sweeping intro of ‘Symbols Of Winter’ is a tribute to Bathory. Cold blasts swirl around the doomed of this dirge..with tempo picking up around the 6:50 mark driving the seeker on in his northern quest. At around 9:13, the semi operatic vocals seem to signify the last moments of life within the human form. The midpaced groove of ‘Nattaander’(Nightspirits) also gives way to some breathtaking tempo changes and superior guitar work. ‘An Eternal Dark Horizon’ is a masterpiece, the highlight of this release with it’s hauntingly beautiful acoustic ending. Highly recommended to fans of both first and second wave
blakk metal. Both Grimnisse and Vardalv have alluded in past interviews
that they live and breathe blakk metal which comes through loud and clear.
Also noteworthy, drums are amazing throughout and the production suits the
instrumentation and composition perfectly. |
