Back in 2005, 1349 made a little modern classic within the Norwegian black metal scene with their album, ‘Hellfire,’ which was an album that truly lived up to its name too. They followed it up with, ‘Revelations of the Black Flame’ last year, and although I never heard it, I’m told this was 1349’s experimental album and largely it was dismissed by fans and critics alike. So, in 2010 they present us with, ‘Demonoir,’ which doesn’t sound too different from the bands hellish raging brutal black metal of previous albums, though there are notably differences.
Demonoir contains no less than thirteen songs, but that’s just because before each real song there’s a short ambient or acoustic piece, which honestly doesn’t do much other than to prolong the album further. The standard intro/outro pieces at the beginning and the end of the album are justifiable, but in-between each song really just makes me impatiently wait for the furious blackened mayhem that I had hoped to hear when I popped this CD in.
The other differences to be found are some minor vocal effects on Ravn’s voice, which at times make his voice take on a robotic like tone and there’s some piano tinkler named Tony Caputo on this album, which again doesn’t really add much to the recording. However these differences/complaints aside, Demonoir is actually quite the good album.
‘When I was Flesh’ stands out as the albums strongest point since it’s the auditory equivalent of a blistering firestorm of blackened hell transformed to music, while, ‘Psalm 7:77’ is very similar although it features a guitar solo; a first for 1349 as far as I remember. ‘Pandemonium War Bells’ also blasts away nicely with some great headbanging moments and ‘The Devil and the Desert’ definitely stands out as well. The title track is a bit slower, but still has this grand sort of arrangement to it, which makes it very interesting the whole way through.
Lastly if Revelations was indeed an experimental and botched effort, then Demonoir is definitely a return to form for this Norwegian black metal band. Filled with scorching blast-beats, heavy riffs and malevolent screams, I’m quite sure even with the little differences within this album you’ll still find much to enjoy if you’re a fan of the bands previous outputs.
I really want this album and your review is confirmation of that. I love 'Hellfire' and completely agree with it being a modern classic in black metal. Here's hoping I'll like this one just as much in good time. By the way, I suggest hearing "Revelations of the Black Flame" simply to get some perspective on their experimentation. It's not a perfect album but it's definitely interesting in its own right. Try to clear your mind of how you know the band already though. Your expectations will undoubtedly fall short very quickly otherwise.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. Yeah, definitely get yourself a copy of this album. I'm fairly sure you'll enjoy it if you've enjoyed the other stuff. Also thanks for the insight on Revelations. I haven't really read into all the details of their experimentation yet, but I do know their is a Pink Floyd cover, which is just weird. I'll have to pick up a copy of it someday soon.
ReplyDeleteI love the new 1349, and with time, I've come to really enjoy "Revelations of the Black Flame" as well. There is just something uncompromisingly evil about it, but it isn't to digest at first, especially if you're expecting the 1349 that everyone had become accustomed to over the years.
ReplyDeleteI know that I didn't expect that sound, but to be honest, I think I would have been more fair to the record upon its release had I listened to it and not known it was 1349 at all.
Oh well.