Ad Noctum - Arrogance (2008)

I was looking through some old promo CDs from years past yesterday and as far as I can tell I don't recall ever reviewing this here little album called, 'Arrogance' from Dutch black metalers, Ad Noctum.

So, taking a look at the album cov---... Heh... well, no points for originality with their cover, but then how about their music? This Denmark based four piece delivers fairly standard blastbeat driven black metal, that's not so distant from acts like Cirith Gorgor, Ragnarok, Enthroned and pretty much literally hundreds of other bands.

Ad Noctum

Ad Noctum's history apparently goes all the way back to '96, and although a few demos were released thereafter, it wasn't until '04 that their debut album, 'Jus Primae Noctis / Excellence of Supremacy' was released, followed by 'Arrogance' in '08. I'm not quite sure what all the banter about being oh so grand is about, especially considering the familiarity of their style, but these guys do it competently enough. As expected the band attacks with a salvo of tremolo styled riffs, which uphold both a very evil and slightly melancholy vibe, alongside demolishingly brisk drum work and fairly typical raspy screamed vocals, with lyrics mostly centered around ol' pointy horned hoofed, Satan, as well as general distaste for religion and humanity in general.

The music is mostly very fast paced, but some slower dirge like moments can at least be found near the beginning of some songs as well as a few samples, which I have absolutely no idea of their origin. Generally though Ad Noctum blasts away fiercely and with enough energy behind their Satanic music that it at least can serve the listener well if they are indulging in it under moods of intense anger or physical labor, perhaps. You're not going to find anything catchy or any mind numbing solos within these guys work, but at least they deliver a familiar product with decent enough results.

Ad Noctum would break up after this release, thus proving to be not so supreme after all, but some of the members went onto a band named Bone as well as another one named Serpent Saints.

'Arrogance' is by no means a mandatory record, but if you happen to love the genre and just need more raging fast black metal I see no reason to pass this record up if you find it for a few bucks.