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True black metal is supposed to be a dark, mysterious force which invokes a sense of evil – a sense of power – of the dark forest on a moonless night, and of a funeral pyre burning upwards toward the dark and impassioned sky. True black metal is supposed to send shivers down the spine, just as the howl of a wolf on a lonesome night would. "Under The Sign Of Hell" is true black metal in every way. Though Gorgoroth is sometimes an overlooked band (they are commonly overshadowed by the infamous reputations of giants such as Darkthrone and Mayhem), they are truly one of the last of a breed.
"Under The Sign Of Hell" is Gorgoroth's third album, and it shows an interesting progression from the earlier releases "Pentagram" and "Antichrist". Perhaps it is because of the altered line-up, but the band shows a stronger tendency towards melancholic, doom-laden suicide riffs that penetrate the listener to the core and express black metal of a variety rarely seen anymore. The atmosphere of the album is raw enough to convey a "true" feeling, but this is not unusual; its real strong point lies in the depressive yet evil-sounding guitarwork of Infernus. Also, Pest's vocals are much stronger than Hat's mosquito-screams on "Pentagram" and "Antichrist" (though Hat was not a bad vocalist by any means). This is the first album to feature Pest in full, and with his thick scream he exhibits one of the strongest, deadliest black metal voices heard thus far.
"Under The Sign Of Hell" is significantly stronger than its immediate successor, "Destroyer", which contains remnants of the melancholic sound, but is weakened by an unstable line-up. This album simply has an altogether different atmosphere and mood than all of Gorgoroth's later (and earlier for that matter) works. "Under The Sign Of Hell" is much more visceral and dark than all of its succeeding albums, and it is more varied than the ones that came before it. It proudly upholds the standard for true black metal while maintaining a trademark sound unique to Gorgoroth (and particularly Infernus, whose songwriting is supreme). Guitar parts are perfect for the mood of the disc: they are anthemic and beautifully dark, yet they maintain a rough edge which at times nods slightly to Darkthrone and older Mayhem. There are perhaps not so many blasting, furious sections (although the latter half of the album finds more of these) as there are thoughtful, depressing, and thoroughly evil sounding dirge-like progressions. The drumming on the album is also quite sufficient, though it is nothing too extraordinary. It fits in very well with the music and serves its purpose, though it is perhaps not as strong as the work which Kvitrafn does for Gorgoroth on "Twilight Of The Idols". Interestingly, on the song "Revelation Of Doom" (the first track), the drums are more prominent than on the rest of the album. This could be intentional, as it adds to the militant feel of that particular song.
The production on the album is slightly rough. It is certainly not as bad as any Darkthrone releases, but it is worse than "Destroyer". The production doesn't upset the music or the atmosphere at all, however (in fact, it adds to it, as with much black metal) – the only drawback to raw production is the listenability curve for first-timers. This isn't necessarily the best black metal material to start off with, but it is definitely worth checking out for the experienced black metal fan. It requires some effort to adapt to Gorgoroth's funereal brand of black metal, but such effort easily yields dark and powerful rewards.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Revelation Of Doom |
| 2. Krig |
| 3. Funeral Procession |
| 4. Profetens Åpenbaring |
| 5. Postludium |
| 6. Ødeleggelse Og Undergang |
| 7. Blood Stains The Circle |
| 8. The Rite Of Infernal Invocation |
| 9. The Devil Is Calling |
: 32.49
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