The Olympia, Washington based group of nature loving madmen (and guests) have unfurled some Earth-worshipping and Earth-worshipping Black Metal--the planet and the band, respectively. Y'see, the drone aspect is played to perfection in some otherwise hard to describe music--nay, craftsmanship--that is not hard to listen to by any means. The aural attack is subtle with a perhaps tinny guitar sound and muddy drums, no bass to speak of (none credited, either), and vocals that vary from prototypical Black Metal rasps to guttural bellows to any point in between. That Jamie Myers from Hammers of Misfortune laid down some guest vocals (on the even numbered tracks) is interesting enough, and her work brings a certain haunting aspect, as advised by the accompanying press release. Also adding vocals, though on the odd numbered tracks, is Dino Sommese of noise terrorists Asunder. Can't say that I could discern his contribution, but you can only do so much with this level of sonic malevolence.

Maybe a perfect marriage of the type of indescribable genius of Neurosis with the frozen madness of prime Immortal and Emperor and the primitive soundscapes of Burzum gets one close to the mark. Highlights include the unaccompanied, dissonant drone about halfway through "Part 2" and more of the same elsewhere on the album, really. The atmosphere just oozes forth from the speakers... like a sonic poltergeist, whatever that means. That 4 songs make up an hour is impressive. That it is all the while varied, original, and never boring is no small feat, either. Solid, solid, solid. This may only be for the adventurous listeners out there, but Diadem of 12 Stars is a truly rewarding release. It's easy to see why Southern Lord picked these guys up for round two.... [See the next review.]

written by Tony Belcher

Playing time: 60:41