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Ok, before I even write anything here, I'd like it to be formally stated, that by no means am I a black metal fanatic. My only real complaint with the genre is the repetition that many black metal acts seem to fall into. I am open-minded however, and do like the occasional black metal act. I was therefore more than willing to take on the latest album from Setherial. I also have seen a million people get in arguments over comparisons made in black metal album reviews, and flame me all you want, but I'm going to say the exact same things. A LOT of black metal acts fall into similar categories in my mind. While I'm not going to deny that there are differences between Marduk, Mayhem, Dark Funeral, Setherial and the like, they do have a lot of similarities, whether you want to admit it or not. The constant blastbeats, tremolo picked guitar riffs, and screeching vocal screams are trademarks of the genre, and Setherial certainly has no shortcomings here. The assault starts at the beginning of the first track and never lets up. Mysteriis does what he is known best for, laying on the hyper-blastbeat breed of black metal drumming, and never slow down. Wrath's vocals are strong and clear, and the guitar work is clean as well. The mix is done pretty well also, giving the album a nice full sound without ever overpowering a specific aspect.
If novelty and innovation is what you look for in an album, you're looking in the ass-wrong place. There is nothing new to be found in this album as Setherial has continued to pump out their tried and true, relentless raw black metal. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that the songs in general are so formulaic that not one stood out in particular to me. However, the album is a damn good black metal album, regardless of a lack of innovation. I enjoyed listening to it even though I feel like I've heard many albums very similar to it. The reason that this is a good album, is mainly because their riffage is a step up from that of their black metal counterparts (Marduk, Mayhem and the like). I'm sure that many a Marduk fan is shaking their head at me for saying anything negative about the band, but I'm simply voicing my opinion, and my opinion alone when I say that I find Marduk to be too trite for my liking. I enjoyed this album much more than I ever have a Marduk album, particularly because of the aforementioned riffage. It's a little more interesting, and perhaps a little more agressive and melodic than what is found in most of the recent Swedish black metal albums. If you're a fan of raw black metal, you should definitely check this out, and it should be given a chance even if you're not. However, once you've heard one song, you've heard the album, and don't expect to find anything new and exciting.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Crimson Manifestation |
| 2. The Underworld |
| 3. Subterranean |
| 4. ...Of Suicide |
| 5. Entity Of Night |
| 6. The Night Of All Nights |
| 7. Endtime Divine |
| 8. Transformation |
| 9. Storms |
: 43.31
| Buy other Setherial albums |
