Label: Osmose Productions, 2009
1. Untitled 00:33
2. The Great Sabbath 05:48
3. Servant of L.C.F 04:37
4. Dominus Diabolus 00:40
5. Crowns For Kings 03:46
6. Veni Omnipotens Aeterne Diabolus 01:39
7. Anthem of Death 05:03
8. Blood of Qayin 01:24
9. For Him 05:37
10. Nicolstreet 1888 09:38
11. Through The Dark Waterfalls 07:57
This mystery band is officially from the Netherlands, even though I am almost sure, that it features at least two members of Nehemah from France. My hypothesis comes from the distinctive vocals of the band's screamer, as they almost certainly belong to Corven (if you have heard him, you will have little trouble recognizing the style).
If I am to put this band's music into certain boundaries, it would probably be Black Metal. Yet it's not so easy, as the influences and vibes here are many and they are all important parts of Daäth Shadow's music. It at the same time is reminiscent of Dissection, Nehemah and Asphyx, even if it sounds unmergeable to those unfamiliar with Daäth Shadow. Indeed, here solos and melodies of Dissection merge with cold and somber atmospheres of Nehemah, accompanied by chugging and groovy guitar riffs in the vein of Asphyx. And, you know what, it sounds perfect! The harmony achieved here is very remarkable and the result is anything but trivial.
The official line-up is:
Inem Trah - Guitar, bass, samples
Six - Drums, samples, vocals
Nahash - Vocals
Neb-Heru - Vocals
ZLT - Narratives, samples
I-Nferii - Guitar
Y-Soth - Guitar
As you can see, there are two main vocalists. Of which one is a screamer (most probably Corven of Nehemah) and another one provides deep old school Death Metal growls. Almost always the same lyrics are sung by both singers at the same time and it very much works. Sometimes it sounds as if the growls are more background, merging with the bass and rhythm guitar lines, with the screams being the main channel of the lyrical message. Another thing to notice are the solos. They are amazingly well done! Some associations are perhaps Selim Lemouchi and The Devil's Blood and Jon Nodtveidt and Dissection. While very melodic in nature, the leads sound dark as hell itself, contrasting with the old-schoolish rhythm guitar work.
The lyrics here are of occult adversarial nature, drawing inspiration from both the traditional Crowley teachings and the more recent TOTBL/MLO works. Several ritual ambient interludes nicely complement the overall picture. And, surprisingly enough, the studio and sound are provided by Dan Swano (Edge Of Sanity, Bloodbath, Pan-Thy-Monium, Nightingale and a whole host of others) and his Unisound studios (Dissection, Marduk, Ophthalamia and dozens more). Despite what you might fear, this is perhaps his best job since early 90's. While everything is recorded top notch, there is that old school Death Metal sound to it (Asphyx "Death the Brutal Way" comes to mind as the closest association).
What amazes me though, is that, while being brilliant in both idea and performance, the album didn't draw that much attention from the scene and the critics. Perhaps it's because of the band's shunning from the standards of the scene, perhaps it's because of the relative lack of promotion by the, otherwise highly respected, label Osmose. In either case, the band definitely deserves much more, than it received.
Highly recommended to people, interested in Occult Black Metal and occult art in general, as well as for those, who just enjoy high quality (melodic?) Black Death Metal. While it might be sometimes hard to track this one down, it is well worth it. An unconventional masterpiece of Occult Metal art!
www.myspace.com/666deathshadow666
