Label: Norma Evangelivm Diaboli (aka NoEvDia), 2009
1. Sword of Faith 04:34
2. White Stone 04:13
3. Jesus Saves! 08:12
4. A New Light 04:51
5. Blessed Curse 11:53
6. Living Temples 06:28
7. Anathema Maranatha 06:10
8. Anti-Flesh Nimbus 07:14
"Maranatha" saw its release in 2009 and received mixed reviews from both fans and press. Some people panned the CD, implying that the album by no means reaches the quality of the godly "Salvation", some people said, that "Salvation" is never ever to be topped to start with. While I do consider "Salvation" to be one of the best jewels to ever be produced in Sweden, "Maranatha" left a deep impact on me as well.
Starting with the glorious "Sword Of Faith" and finishing with the epic masterpiece "Anti-Flesh Nimbus", this album delivers nothing short of Magic. That magificient feeling of total religious madness, which the classics of the genre carry (Watain "Casus Luciferi", Antaeus "De Principii Evangelikum", Ondskapt "Dodens Evangelium", Ofermod "Mysterion Tes Anomias" et cetera), blossoms here to its full potential. I must say, I am a big fan of Arioch's vocal abilities. This man crossed the boudaries of your usual black metal vocalists and transcended into a category of visionaries, that are not bound by any genre or style. The unmistakable passion, that you hear in his voice; the fearsome growls and screams; you hear him LIVE through it, not sing the lyrics. The lyrics come alive at this man's lips. And those lyrics are not even your usual black metal lyrics to start with.
But, while the vocal and lyrical aspects are very important, it's not the only reason to love this album. The music is perhaps best described as a furious hurricane, that sometimes slows down, sometimes becomes a raging beast, sometimes appears to be over, only to once again manifest its malevolent being minutes later. And when it's over you are sure as hell to discover the whole damn town torn to pieces.
The change of drummer, feared by many, only reinforced the band, as the new drummer is just as good, if not better, than the original Necromorbus.
I heard a fair share of criticism concerning "White Stone", with people comparing the song to "nu metal" and Slipknot, but it couldn't be further from the truth. And the truth is, "White Stone" is perhaps the best song on this album, if there is indeed one. No blastbeat? No "cold northern" riffs? Well, if that's what you need from Black Metal, you're better off listening to immortal and the likes, as this is not for you in the first place.
"Anti-Flesh Nimbus" brings a perfect end to the album, with its slow and crushing pace, grandiose choruses, brilliant lyrics and malicious vocal performance. And, as a trademark of the Arioch's touch, the song ends with a borrowed classical orchestral piece, which works as a great outro for "Maranatha".
I could describe this album song by song, as each and every single one of them is a masterpiece on its own accord, but there really is no point to it. What you get with "Maranatha" is a pure hell in the audial form. The highest refinement!
www.myspace.com/thefuneralmist
No comments:
Post a Comment