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This is the demo
recording by Thunder Bay's Bloodaxe, the old school black metal duo who gave
us 2001's "Bloodthrone". The production is, expectedly, a little poorer
than the full-length, with the vocals coming out fairly low in the mix. The
guitar tone is very thick, in a black metal sort of way, and boosts the power
of the cool riffing on tracks like "Hall Of Bilskirdir". I didn't care too
much for the loose snare sound, but Rati's drumming was as solid then as it
is now. Maybe I'm just catching on to the whole "feel" of black metal, but
there is something hypnotic about the way the songs move from riff to riff.
It's as if I was trying to find my way out of a very dark room with no door
after dropping 3 or 4 hits of acid. Unsettling and entrancing.
"Svartalfaheim" is an acoustic piece powered by the Norse culture of which
Bloodaxe is based upon, and "Freya's Caress" seems like the black metal
guitar version of Cliff Burton's classic bass solo "Anesthesia". Moments
like this will do away with the critics who occasionally blast the black metal
scene for its frequently repetitive nature. The layout and art on this demo
rivals that of most full-length albums, with some nice glossy art and runic
lettering. "In Battle", while not as impressive as the full-length, is still
a great CD worth checking out.
| Tracklist |
1. Hall Of Bilskirdir 2. Blood |
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Chariot 3. Brammagr 4. Svartalfaheim 5. Nidstang |
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6. Freya's Caress |
: 14.13
| Buy other Bloodaxe albums |
