The very nature of the vocals makes it almost impossible for me to view this record with any real seriousness. For whatever reason, I find them absolutely hilarious. Yes, I have read the stories of the vocalist's supposed incarceration in a mental institution, as well as the appropriately spiteful lyrics, but they do nothing to detract from the fact that the vocalist sounds like a shrieking muppet. An unrelenting, enraged muppet. I've tried approaching it from different angles and different mindsets, but each time I find myself giggling uncontrollably whenever the vocals are presented. The second track only furthers this as the vocalist decides to go it mostly acapella for a bit not far into the song, managing to remind me of both the aforementioned muppet and the bird-like creatures from "The Dark Crystal", neither of which are very frightening. This is something of a shame, as the musical backing is reasonably well done blackened metal, and clearly effort has been made to create something that sounds unabashedly tortured, but the vocals manage to kill the mood and, subsequently, the album for me.

written by Kristoffer Monfort

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