Artist: Limbonic Art
Label: Candlelight Records
Release Date: 9/17/02
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Title: Ultimate Death Worship Artist: Limbonic Art Label: Candlelight Records Release Date: 9/17/02 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Go to Reader Reviews | ||
Abyss's Review:
I'm a little split on this one. There is a great deal of it that I'm really digging, but I also find it a bit frustrating. First off, this album revisits an era in black metal that I really enjoyed. By this I mean that it reminds me, both in production and execution, of Anthems-era Emperor, which is one of my favorite black metal albums of all time. While I've really liked the progression that Emperor did on their subsequent albums, I always wished they spent just a little more time tinkering with where they were during this period. The Ultimate Death Worship brings me back a little bit, and while a true analogy to Emperor's work would ultimately fall apart, it's undeniably had an effect on my perception of this album.
"First off, this album revisits an era in black metal that I really enjoyed." The album starts off strong, with the title track storming out of the gate with a kick ass riff that forsakes the groove of most modern black metal, and it appears there are still bands that value extremity over accessibility. Whether or not you're still up for the ride is up to your personal tastes, but I for one am happy that there are still bands that care about such stuff. The second song, "Suicide Commando" (which sounds to me more like a Sodom title than anything else) is my early favorite, showcasing a few delectable riffs as well as some sick screaming.
However, the album eventually starts losing me as the disc wears on a bit. That's not to say the songs get much worse, they just seem harder and harder to find. A lot of spoken word and atmospheric breaks significantly distract from the power of the music, and make it a lot harder to enjoy this disc as a whole. Basically, it's always a bad idea to try to build atmosphere for over a minute, and there are a few here that seem to drag on seemingly for five minutes. If I were able to edit this thing myself, the album would be much more enjoyable, and significantly shorter.
"However, the album eventually starts losing me as the disc wears on a bit." The remainder of the album, when the songs actually kick in, is solid, but doesn't quite live up to the opening few tracks. This album is produced well, but is far from slick, and I think that works to its advantage. You are able to pick up the individual parts, but it still makes you feel a little dirty at the same time. The rhythm section is a little suspect, and sounds like it might be a drum machine, so all you percussionists out there may want to look somewhere else. As you probably know, this band has connections to Zyklon (not to be confused with Zyklon-B, mind you), but if far more in the realm of black than that release. The musicianship, however, is still there, and this will make a solid addition to most people's collection. One word review: Solid.
Death's Review:
Ultimate Death Worship, for all of its shrill, muted production values and other signature black metal deficiencies, actually kicks some ass right out of the box, as the opening track features cool, old-school thrash (a la Slayer) style riffing and spirit. Similar riffs are scattered throughout the album, and a solid level of musicianship is present as well, particularly in the drumming. But the record as a whole is filled with too much bullshit. Strange voices, atmospheric keyboards and spooky sounds make up way too much of the album's overall air time to hold my attention for very long. I'd had enough of that crap by the time King Diamond's Conspiracy record rolled around, and at least that album had a quality production. Yeah, sure, I know, the atmosphere, voices and effects are all a part of the proceedings, and I'm sure if I was inclined to slap on headphones and think about the evil things they are saying, with enough drugs in me I'm sure I'd find myself sufficiently spooked. But guess what? I'm not so inclined. The music does not sock me in the gut, does not stick in my head and does not really make me care enough about the rest of the album to wade through it.
"The record as a whole is filled with too much bullshit."
On the flip side, I do appreciate the brutality and the "old-school" black metal nature of this release. Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir this is not. These guys are Norwegian and their Norse roots certainly shine through. Some of you will undoubtedly love this album for precisely that fact. Me? I think this is a good to excellent album that harkens back to a style I don't really care for all that much. I can recognize the integrity and the "troo" nature of the release, yet the album doesn't really hold my attention. Absent the voices and crap we might be onto something, but as is, Limbonic Art are probably lost in the shuffle, at least for me.
"On the flip side, I do appreciate the brutality and the "old-school" black metal nature of this release."
Hel's Review:
I've never really paid a lot of attention to Limbonic Art. Black metal has never really been my thing, though I like to think I have an appreciation for it. Ultimate Death Worship comes my way, and you know, I like it. Were I to find myself in a black metal kind of mood one day in the future, I would definitely reach for this record.
"Ultimate Death Worship comes my way, and you know, I like it."
"But there are times when it gets downright repetitive and monotonous." But there are times when it gets downright repetitive and monotonous. "Purgatorial Agony" makes a good example - this is a completely useless track in my book. Sure, I suppose the spoken word thing can be kind of cool, but I'm not looking for a story here, I'm looking to blow my speakers out with really crazy music.
I'm guessing, though I suppose I can't really know the mind of a black metal fan, but I'm guessing they'll like Limbonic Art. Unless Limbonic Art aren't TROO or KVLT enough - I really cannot be the judge of that. But if you're looking for a black metal album with some reasonably good production and lots of atmospheric elements, this could be your lucky day.
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