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One of the most interesting splits I came across lately is The Antichristian Symphonies, a five-way sampler with both new and old material from five quite differing European acts. The double album gets released as jewel-case in an edition of 500 copies.

The first disc starts with material created and performed by UK-based Baalberith. They once started under the moniker of Black Death until they split up shortly after. The band reformed in 2006, first as Black Death again, but due to different other acts with this very same moniker, as well as caused by the change in style (the origins were more Death Metal-oriented than they are now), they decided to change their band’s name into the current one (which isn’t the most original one either, is it). The band around frontman Jamie ‘Razakel’ (whom you might know from Skiddaw, Demoniacal, Ezurate, Razakel Krieg and many more) appears with ten tracks, partly re-recorded and with inclusion of two cover tracks. After an untitled intro (a short but creepy sampled piece), Baalberith bring extremely intense, powerful and overwhelming Black Metal with rather traditional basements yet a fabulous execution of uncompromising and right-in-your-face compositions. Remarkable are the haunting melodic leads, the mechanical rhythm, and the addition of piano, bells and keyboards. Those keyboards do not ‘lead’, but they are of non-ignorable importance to define this band’s sphere and identity. Baalberith’s participation not only deals with a splendid quality of song writing and performance. They are able to vary without losing their initial characteristics. This variety goes for the structures and approach (with groove versus power, and tradition versus modernism, and so on), yet also the tempo balances in between mid-tempo and speed-up. And still this act succeeds to maintain its typifying core.

Both cover songs are enormously interesting as well. First comes Suicide Cargoload by Woods Of Ypres, which sounds way heavier than the original. The other cover is one that has been done hundreds of times before by bands from all over the world: Mayhem’s classic Freezing Moon. Of course the original version is the best, but from all reinterpretations I know, this might be the most convincing one, I think.

Oh yes, good news: SixSixSix Music will release the Baalberith-full length Apparition Of Skulls in a very near future. Of course I will be that kind, once again, to create a fabulous review on this recording ;-) It’s my sardonic pleasure… You’re mostly welcome!

The second act on this split is Normandy-based one-man project Loup Noir (means ‘black wolf’), formed recently by Alrinack, who is also involved with, for example, Suicidal Madness, Jarnvidr, Sombre Croisade, P.H.T.O. etc. When it comes to Jarnvidr, you can expect the review on Passeur Des Temps in a very near future on your beloved site. There was a first Loup Noir-album in 2011 (L’Âme De La Steppe, released via Mortis Humanae Productions) and a second one called Requiem, from which Loup Noir’s contribution on this split is taken. It’s a kind of melodic yet highly scarifying and vile form of somewhat primitive (mind the positive meaning of this description; it’s a compliment once again!) Black Metal with roughness as red line. Besides, many parts sound pretty bizarre; listen to the eerie epic Errance and you’ll understand. A crazy hint, just for unfun: what if Gehenna’s earliest effort(s) had been performed by Deathspell Omega?... There you have it!

The second disc opens with material taken from Azoic’s debut Gateways, which was self-released in June 2012. What the duo (Benedikt Bjarnason and Ragnar Sverresson; both of them play together in Death Metal combo Beneath, and they are active in several other bands and projects too) brings is a very filthy, grim, sharp-edged and vile form of fast and aggressive Tech-Black. This brain-splattering stuff comes with two superb contradictions: the play of organic material versus a mechanical, somewhat industrialised sound at the one hand, and a classical approach (here it is again, the grimness of the nineties) performed with a deadly post-modernistic execution at the other. Are you still with me? What the Icelandic warriors do might be of the most harsh kind, and still it’s so intelligently finalised. And what I do appreciate a lot is the injection of some epic-atmospheric additions. I want them to come with a new record very soon!

Next come RÁN, a trans-European project located in Holland nowadays. RÁN were initially formed in Iceland by Nekron and also includes / included members from The Netherlands and Greece, by the way. Anyway, their contribution is taken from the band’s sole studio full length, 2013’s self-released Demonstorm-album, with one additional track as bonus, provided in their rehearsing essence. The simplistic and uncompromising epics are fast and rhythmic, little technical and enormously brutal, but unfortunately it sounds way too alike. There is too little variation in between the songs, the tempo is always the same, there are no remarkable outbursts, and the sound is beneath acceptance. Nevertheless the ideas behind the concept have potential, but these have not been executed.

The Antichristian Symphonies end with two instrumental tracks by mysterious Icelandic act Váboði, which are demonstrational songs created in 2012 for this split specifically. Both Woe Bearer and Astronomic Gargantuan Mass stand for epic and melodic, firm and oppressive craftsmanship. It sounds mesmerizing, asphyxiating, but oh so pure and beautiful. The multi-layered compositions (with inclusion of elements from Drone and acoustics) are pretty lengthy, which makes them an effort-worthy experience an sich. And despite the lack of vocals, both compositions sound at least as grim and malignant as the other contributors on this double-album.

95/100

Concreteweb

 

 

This is a review of a double split album between United kingdom's Baalberith, France's Loup Noir, Netherland's RAN and Iceland's Azoic and Vabadi called "The Antichristian Symphonies which was released in 2013 by Satanath Records and we will start off the review with Baalberith a band that has been featured before in t his zine and plays a satanic mixture of blakc and death metal.

Their side of the split starts out with ritualistic spoken word parts and evil sounding synths and after the intro bells start to kick in before going into a heavy musical direction that also utilizes a great amount of melodic guitar leads and when the music speeds up a great amount of blast beats are utilized and the vocals are mostly grim black metal screams ans they also mix the synths in n with the heavier parts.

Throughout their side of the recording there is a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and the vocals also get depressive at times and the riffs and leads also use a great amount of melody and the music also brings in a great amount of death metal influences along with some growls being utilized at times and one of their songs is long and epic in length and one track also brings in a brief use of clean playing and they close their side of the split with Woods of Ypres and Mayhem covers, the production sounds very heavy while the lyrics cover Satanism and Anti Christian themes.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Baalberith and if you are a fan of satanic black and death metal, you should check out t heir side of the split. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Quest For Satan" and "God Delusion".

Next up is Loup Noir a solo project that plays a pagan form of black metal.

His side of the split starts out with a very raw and epic pagan/black metal sound along with some depressive screams a few seconds later and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and the vocals also get very grim at times and when the music speeds up a small amount of blast beats can be heard.

When solos and leads are utilized they are done in a very melodic fashion and a great portion of his tracks are very long and epic in length while some of the riffs also use melody and you can also hear clean singing chants, clear guitars and spoken word parts at times and the music also gets very atmospheric at times and their is also a brief use of acoustic guitars, the production sounds very raw and old school while the lyrics cover Paganism themes.

In my opinion Loup Noir are a very great sounding pagan/black metal solo project and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out his side of the split. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Errance" and "Requiem".

Next up is Azoic a band that plays a modern style of occult black/death metal.

Their side of the split starts out with a very fast and technical black metal sound that also uses deep growls and blast beats and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and you can also hear death metal influences in all of the tracks and atmospheric elements in the music at times.

Some of the riffs also use melodies and some songs also bring in clean singing and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful to them and the music also gets very brutal at times and there is a great amount of talent and skill in the way the musicians play their instruments, the production sounds very powerful while the lyrics cover Occultism themes.

In my opinion Azoic are a very great sounding atmospheric occult black/death metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out their side of the split. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Apeiron" and "Srirituphysics".

Next up is RAN a band that plays a mixture of black and thrash metal.

Their side of the split starts out with a heavy thrash sound along with some melodies and blast beats and a few seconds later grim black metal screams are added into the music and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them.

You can hear both first and second wave black metal elements in the bands musical style along with a great amount of raw aggression and the solos and leads bring in even more of an old school metal style and some songs also bring in the raw energy of punk, the production sounds very raw and heavy while the lyrics cover chaos, war, and hell.

In my opinion RAN are a very great sounding mixture of black metal and thrash, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Thrash Black" and "Death Divine".

Closing the split is Vabodi a band that plays a raw mixture of black and doom metal.

Their side of the split starts out with acoustic guitar playing and after a few seconds melodic guitar leads and a raw black metal sound is added onto their side of the recording with the faster sections bringing in blast beats and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and both of there tracks are very long and epic in length.

There is a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and the slower sections also mix in a lot of doom metal influences and you can also hear a touch of post metal in the music at times and both of their tracks are all instrumental with no vocals or song writing ever being used while the production sounds very dark yet powerful at the same time.

In my opinion Vabodi are a very great sounding mixture of post black metal and doom and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACK "Woe bearer".

In conclusion I feel this is a very great sounding compilation and covers a variety of many different black metal styles from black/death/, post black metal, pagan black metal, and post black metal, and if you a re into all those genres, you should check out this double album set.

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