If you happen to have a hidden desire to be a bloody bestial rapist then Norway's Urgehal has just the record for you. Well, its mostly within the album cover, guitarist Enzifer having just cut the throat of some young lass (and sodomized naturally), but the lyrics themselves can be just as deviant as they spin tales of necrophilia, demonic possession and general Satanism (amongst other topics). It could have been some attempt to look offense or extreme (probably immature by most), but whatever the case may be, Urgehal's, 'Through Thick Fog Till Death' isn't bad at all.
As a part of the second wave of Norwegian black metal bands, Urgehal came to be in '92, they released demos in '94 & '95, before unleashing their first three albums, which I honestly always thought were a bit boring and have since sold quite some years ago. On their fourth album, this foursome seemed to finally release something of worth and although its by no means a classic, it is at least a decent slab of black metal music.
These guys tear through eleven (fifteen if you have the re-release) songs of ripping black metal that's generally played at a highly speedy tempo, with a typically tremolo and dissonant style at hand, though its not without its old school influence as some obvious nods to Celtic Frost, Hellhammer and Mayhem, and even some vintage death metal riffs can all be heard. As a result the music can move from massacring speeds to completely headbanging moods, which makes the music outright catchy in my own opinion. Some of the leads just force the energy out while the decently performed solos make things all the more gripping. Best of all the song writing is well done, the band knows when to blow the listener over with speed, make 'em headbang and rock out as well the slower sections, which sometimes have galloping percussion or interesting drum fills again make the songs memorable.
The vocals are more or less the usual raspy screams and what not, though it works with the music presented, while the drums rely greatly on the blasting, but not without rolls and cool fills, and the bass is there, rumbling away amongst the chaos if you care to open your ears up enough to hear it. Maybe a negative aspect at times is that the songs could be trimmed down a bit. Eleven songs in fifty six minutes is worth your buck, but the re-release, which I have adds four bonus live tracks, which makes the whole thing sixty eight minutes and even before that it feels like a bit much.
'Through Thick Fog Till Death' will win some over and others will be completely bored. Its not an album to pull out often, but when I do I enjoy it for what has to offer.
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