The War Metal Thread
Woke up this morning in a foul mood facing another shitty working day. After this week's extensive debate about progressive metal taking up a fair bit of my thought processes, I figured a day of out and out sonic brutality was in order. And what better way than a day of War Metal for working off excess hostility?
Anyway, continuing Daniel's ongoing Metal Top Tens listing exercise, here are my current Top Ten War Metal Releases:
1. Bestial Warlust - Blood & Valour (1995)
2. Blasphemy - Blood Upon the Altar (1989)
3. Archgoat - The Luciferian Crown (2018)
4. Conqueror - War Cult Supremacy (1999)
5. Blasphemy - Fallen Angel of Doom.... (1990)
6. Beherit - The Oath of Black Blood (1991)
7. Bestial Warlust - Vengeance War 'Till Death (1994)
8. Archgoat - Whore of Bethlehem (2006)
9. Crurifragium - Beasts of the Temple of Satan (2017)
10. دمار [Damaar] - Triumph Through Spears of Sacrilege (2007)
Anyone else a devotee of this Metal of War?
I've loved me some war metal ever since I first heard Blasphemy back in the day. Outside of Canada, I'd suggest that Australia is the other major location in the war metal story with bands like Bestial Warlust & Abominator so I got a lot of exposure to it at a young age. I'm not sure I've listened to enough recently to put together a top ten but I'll perhaps work on it over the next little while. "Triumph Through Spears Of Sacrilege" is my immediate thought for a favourite these days though.
Interestingly, I had the pleasure of witnessing Bestial Warlust in a live environment on a couple of occasions back in the mid 1990's. They were a wall of indecipherable noise but god damn they were cool. Inversely, I also got drunk & had dinner with original guitarist Keith Warslut after a Destroyer 666 show once too. A complete cunt if I've ever met one.
It's amusing that someone with a name like Warslut is also called Keith.
Also "walls of indecipherable noise = cool" is an actual scientific equation!
Blasphemy - "Blood Upon The Altar" demo (1989)
After reading Sonny's list above, I got the inspiration to go back & revisit this old demo which I'd originally encountered through tape trading in the very early 1990's. I remember quite liking it but don't think it ever made quite the impact on me that it did on many others & this still seems to be the case. I was really into the South American extreme metal scene at the time & Blasphemy seemed to draw from the same sources of inspiration (i.e. Sodom, Bathory, Hellhammer, Slayer, etc.) which poses the question as to whether this combination of thrash, black & death metal really created an entirely new subgenre or not. I tend to think not as it doesn't sound all that different to a band like Sarcofago. "Blood Upon The Altar" definitely falls under the war metal banner by definition but I'm just not sure that "blackened death metal" doesn't cover this sound adequately enough without the requirement to create new descriptors.
Nocturnal Grave Desecrator & Black Winds' vocals aren't particularly strong & could have had a lot more aggression behind them but there's a truck load of youthful energy spread across the twenty minutes. I tend to enjoy the sheer blast-fests more than the tracks that go for chuggy thrash bridges as I don't think Blasphemy were particularly good at the thrashier stuff. They were at their best when they were simply blasting away uncontrollably & there's enough of that stuff here to keep me interested throughout the 21 minute duration. The eerie intro tracks are pretty effective too & add an additional element to an unblemished tracklisting.
"Blood Upon The Altar" may not be essential listening for all extreme metal fans but it does offer a raucous ride & a pretty fun experience throughout.
For fans of Archgoat, Proclamation & Black Witchery.
3.5/5
Blasphemy - "Fallen Angel Of Doom...." (1990)
After revisiting Canadian war metal godfathers Blasphemy's infamous 1989 demo tape "Blood Upon The Altar" a few weeks ago & quite enjoying it, I thought I'd branch a little further out by investigating their seminal debut album "Fallen Angel Of Doom...." as well to see if it'd grown on me of the years. I recall struggling to see what all the hype was about back in the day & after giving it a few spins over the last couple of days I have to admit that I still do. "Fallen Angel Of Doom...." is loosely written, sloppily performed & is presented within the context of one of the worst production jobs the world has ever seen but you can certainly hear the potential that it offered. Blasphemy managed to combine all four of the major extreme metal sounds of the time (i.e. death metal, black metal, thrash metal & grindcore) into one swarming mass of largely indecipherable noise with this release but I certainly find myself wanting to like it more than I actually do if I'm being completely honest. The drums & vocals are mixed absolutely miles higher than the bass & rhythm guitars which are almost completely lost on most tracks &, as a guitarist myself, I find this to be a little bit offensive. There's a noticeable variation in sound between the various tracks too with some possessing more high end & reminding me of a bunch of aluminium trash cans being rolled down a steep hill simultaneously while others seeing the guitars peeking through a little more which provides an obvious improvement to my listening experience. The insane guitar solos are a real highlight though as they're almost invariably placed over the most intense sections & create psychotic blankets of excitement over the most over-the-top of musical sequences. There are a few tracks that see Blasphemy managing to overcome the rubbish production job (see "Hoarding of Evil Vengeance", "Desecration" & album highlight "Demoniac") but these are simply not enough to create much value in repeat listens for me & overall I still find "Fallen Angel Of Doom...." to be more interesting than it is enjoyable to tell you the truth. I greatly prefer the "Blood Upon The Altar" demo which included a few of the same songs only with a vastly superior production job.
For fans of Archgoat, Proclamation & Black Witchery.
3/5
Archgoat - "Whore Of Bethlehem" (2006)
I first encountered the debut album from this Finnish trio back in 2009 & was instantly drawn to its simple yet effective medium for pure blasphemic torment. The band members may not have the most amazing technical skills but they work very well within the confines of their limitations to create a well defined sound that reminds me a lot like Blasphemy meets Celtic Frost. The beast of a guitar sound is particularly effective while the fairly basic riff structures possess more of a groove than you'll find with most war metal acts. Lord Angelslayer's vocals sound truly monstrous & inhuman too which can never be a bad thing but I could have done with some psychotic guitar solos to break things up a bit. The intro track "Invocation" is worth mentioning as it sets the scene for the onslaught that's to come quite beautifully with an atmosphere of pure menace.
For fans of Blasphemy, Black Witchery & Proclamation.
4/5
Teitanblood - "Death" (2014)
You can expect to experience pure chaos & extremity from this Spanish outfit's 2014 sophomore album which beautifully combines the pure war metal sound that Blasphemy originally intended with the chunky down-tuned death metal riffage of bands like Entombed, Autopsy & particularly 80's Carcass. I absolutely love the screaming war metal vocals & there's even a brilliantly executed four minute death doom piece right in the middle of the album. The drums can sound pretty messy at times but frankly who gives a flying fuck with this style of metal. It's simply not intended to be over-analyzed & this is definitely one of the stronger war metal releases you'll find.
4/5
Teitanblood - "Death" (2014)
You can expect to experience pure chaos & extremity from this Spanish outfit's 2014 sophomore album which beautifully combines the pure war metal sound that Blasphemy originally intended with the chunky down-tuned death metal riffage of bands like Entombed, Autopsy & particularly 80's Carcass. I absolutely love the screaming war metal vocals & there's even a brilliantly executed four minute death doom piece right in the middle of the album. The drums can sound pretty messy at times but frankly who gives a flying fuck with this style of metal. It's simply not intended to be over-analyzed & this is definitely one of the stronger war metal releases you'll find.
4/5
Yeah, came across this one during a war metal binge late last year (I think I submitted a track from it for one of the North playlists). One of the best war metal albums I've heard in recent times. The extended track lengths are unusual for war metal, but the band really make them work. Not exactly a hotbed for black metal Spain is it, but this is an impressive record, which I still need to buy a copy of.
It's one of my favourite war metal albums too actually Sonny. I held it in pretty high regard when it first came out & my feelings haven't changed all that much to tell you the truth. You're certainly right about Spain not exactly being black metal central though. This record is probably the most significant Spanish black metal release I can think of at the moment.
On a more general theme, I find it hard to consider war metal as a purely black metal genre as it is so heavily influenced by death metal and Teitanblood's Death certainly seems to contain a significant amount of death metal. In the same way I guess that a band like Autopsy straddles death and doom metal yet is mainly considered to be a death metal band. It kind of illustrates how difficult it can be to ring-fence certain genres within a specific clan as it feels like a small number of clearly defined subgenres straddle multiple clans. It's only an observation and is unimportant in the scheme of things, but feels a bit like an itch in a hard to reach place that is sometimes difficult to ignore.
It's one of my favourite war metal albums too actually Sonny. I held it in pretty high regard when it first came out & my feelings haven't changed all that much to tell you the truth. You're certainly right about Spain not exactly being black metal central though. This record is probably the most significant Spanish black metal release I can think of at the moment.
Obviously I nipped over to RYM and had to produce a Spanish black metal chart and indeed Teitanblood are responsible for three of the top four. I did notice though that Altarage are also up there and I know you thought a lot of Succumb, Daniel, although it seems like more of a death metal album than black metal to me. Another war metal album is at #5, Proclamation's Execration of Cruel Bestiality which I will definitely now have to check out. Other than that, there doesn't seem a whole lot to get excited about.
I did notice though that Altarage are also up there and I know you thought a lot of Succumb, Daniel, although it seems like more of a death metal album than black metal to me.
That's a fair assessment, at least it is for their last record. It's been a while since I checked out Altarage's earlier material so I'll be paying attention to that element when I finally get around to it.
In regard to "Death", I actually don't think it needs both War Metal & Death Metal tags. War metal is essentially a combination of Black Metal & Death Metal anyway so I see no reason to add the Death Metal tag to this release when it will so clearly appeal to the War Metal audience. I've been tempted to post a Hall entry for it actually.
In regard to "Death", I actually don't think it needs both War Metal & Death Metal tags. War metal is essentially a combination of Black Metal & Death Metal anyway so I see no reason to add the Death Metal tag to this release when it will so clearly appeal to the War Metal audience. I've been tempted to post a Hall entry for it actually.
I agree. Even though it does lean towards the death metal side of war metal, it is still primarily a war metal release and I'm not sure it would appeal to a death metal fan who doesn't like war metal and as such, I don't believe it needs any further tag than war metal.
Infernal Coil - "Within A World Forgotten" (2018)
Dear fucking Lord! Every now & then you run into a release that simply redefines what it means to be extreme & rips your fucking head off in the fucking process (fuck fuck fuck fuck...). No doubt this debut album from Idaho trio Infernal Coil will have a very limited market but there's little doubt that I fall smack bang right in the middle of its target audience. "Within A World Forgotten" is as dark as a black hole's arsehole, as atmospheric as solo trip to a foggy graveyard on a bad acid trip & as bludgeoning as anything I've come across in my metal journey to date. No one seems to quite know what to label it as at the moment but to my ears it sits right in the middle of war metal & blackened death metal (probably a little further towards the latter if I'm being specific). Where people are finding grindcore is beyond me to be honest. Presumably they're being fooled by the ridiculous speed of the furious & relentless blast-beats. The vocals are truly demonic while the riffs take turns at borrowing from the murkiest depths of death metal (think Incantation) & the most intense end of black metal. Then throw in a production job that intentionally blurs everything into an insipid & ever-swirling mass of blasphemic pulverization & you've got a record that ticks all of my fucking boxes (fuck!). Sign me up gents! I'm going to war!
4.5/5
Blasphemy - "Gods Of War" (1993)
As much as people like to claim otherwise, I think Canadian war metal godfathers Blasphemy's sophomore album "Gods Of War" is a significantly better record than their much heralded 1990 debut "Fallen Angel of Doom...." which failed to interest me much. They achieved a slightly cleaner production on this one which definitely highlights the band's technical deficiencies a bit more but their sound is more in line with the modern war metal sound than it was previously with a stronger grindcore component & it would seem that I find a bit more appeal in it. The early Carcass influence is very obvious at times. I've never quite understood the hype with Blasphemy if I'm being honest but I still find that I get some enjoyment out of "Gods Of War". They never did top their "Blood Upon The Altar" demo though in my opinion.
3.5/5
Teitanblood - "The Baneful Choir" (2019)
What a fucking ripper of a third album from one of the best couple of bands in the war metal space in Spain's Teitanblood. In fact, I rate "The Baneful Choir" more highly than the band's highly regarded sophomore effort "Death" to be honest. They tend to lean further towards the death metal side of the black/death equation a lot of the time with a super-dark production job & some outstanding dark ambient pieces combining for a devastating atmosphere. Imagine the savage war metal of Blasphemy & Archgoat crossed with the blackened death metal of Antediluvian & you'll come close to describing this cacophony, only these guys do it better than all of them in my opinion. There's even a brilliant doom/death track included early in the blemish-free tracklisting. Loving it!
4.5/5
Here's my revised Top Ten War Metal Releases of All Time list:
01. Infernal Coil - "Within a World Forgotten" (2018)
02. Teitanblood - "The Baneful Choir" (2019)
03. Teitanblood - "Death" (2014)
04. Damaar - "Triumph Through Spears of Sacrilege" (2007)
05. Archgoat - "Whore of Bethlehem" (2006)
06. Bestial Warlust - "Blood & Valour" (1995)
07. Conqueror - "War Cult Supremacy" (1999)
08. Blasphemy - "Blood Upon The Altar" demo (1989)
09. Blasphemy - "Gods of War" (1993)
10. Blasphemy - "Fallen Angel of Doom...." (1990)
Revenge - "Behold.Total.Rejection" (2015)
I came across Canadian war metal solo act Revenge a little late in the game due to my decade-long defection from metal but caught up fairly quickly after my head was unceremoniously removed & stuffed down my neck by James Read’s 2001 “Attack.Blood.Revenge” debut E.P. upon returning to the scene in 2009. That moment of clarity saw me rushing through Revenge’s back catalogue & I’ve kept across their releases ever since. 2015’s “Behold.Total.Rejection” is probably Revenge’s most well-known record though & is arguably their most highly regarded full-length too but I’d never given it the time required to be able to reach a well-informed rating or review until now, perhaps due to the nature of the war metal subgenre itself given that it’s not the sort of thing that requires any sort of deep introspective thinking. I've tended to use the subgenre predominantly for short, sharp shots of adrenaline over the years which is a role that this record is very well equipped to achieve.
On paper, “Behold.Total.Rejection” should really tick all of my extreme metal boxes. It’s unapologetically underground in its approach, it’s relentless in its savagery & it’s as dark as the deepest abyss. Drummer & sole member Read (also of Canadian extreme metal acts Axis of Advance, Blood Revolt, Conqueror & Kerasphorus) takes no prisoners whatsoever as he showcases his power & endurance behind the kit & spits out his lyrics in a manner that’s nothing short of evil. His blast beats are really quite tight for a war metal release. That sort of technical proficiency has never historically been all that high on the agenda for war metal acts with most skinsmen preferring to instil an aura of pure chaos rather than focusing too hard on their timing. Here we see him once again joined by Axis of Advance/Blood Revolt/Sacramentary Abolishment/Weapon guitarist Vermin who has handled all of the guitar & bass duties in a session capacity on many of the Revenge releases & does a pretty good job at it once again too. The guitars are heavily down-tuned in the standard war metal fashion & produce a dark hum that remains intelligible throughout the album which is a nice change from some of Read’s other projects like Conqueror.
The Canadian war metal scene has always possessed a strong grindcore influence & that’s never been as obvious as it is here with the early goregrind sound of Carcass being the main source of inspiration. The use of vocoded vocals is particularly reminiscent of the Liverpool trio but can be a bit annoying if I’m being honest. I’ve never been a fan of artificially enhanced vocals in my metal & this album goes a long way to highlighting why to tell you the truth. It’s the clear weak point of the record for mine. You’ll also notice a Celtic Frost influence in the slower riffs which harness the simplicity & heaviness of Tom G. Warrior’s approach to his instrument to great effect & act as a great foil for the remainder of the record which is unanimously high-paced.
“Behold.Total.Rejection” certainly doesn’t pull any punches in belting the listener around the head but there’s not a lot of substance to it to be honest. I usually go nuts for this sort of thing but this example seems to be missing a layer of musicality in its execution. There’s no doubt that it’s a pretty brutal experience but the vocals often don’t quite gel with the instrumentation & the riffs aren’t consistently special enough to see me regarding this release as essential listening when compared with other Canadian war metal records such as Conqueror’s “War.Cult.Supremacy”. I guess you could say that I like the idea of this record more than I do the reality. Still… it certainly serves its purpose & I can’t see too many Conqueror, Blasphemy or Damaar nuts not having a lot of fun with it.
3.5/5
Here's my updated Top Ten War Metal Releases of All Time list:
01. Infernal Coil - "Within a World Forgotten" (2018)
02. Teitanblood - "The Baneful Choir" (2019)
03. Teitanblood - "Death" (2014)
04. Damaar - "Triumph Through Spears of Sacrilege" (2007)
05. Archgoat - "Whore of Bethlehem" (2006)
06. Bestial Warlust - "Blood & Valour" (1995)
07. Conqueror - "War Cult Supremacy" (1999)
08. Blasphemy - "Blood Upon The Altar" demo (1989)
09. Revenge - "Behold.Total.Rejection" (2015)
10. Blasphemy - "Gods of War" (1993)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/216
Profane Order - One Nightmare Unto Another
It may be a little cleaner than some like their War Metal, but I've been throroughly enjoying Profane Order's new 2023 offering One Nightmare Unto Another, and this is coming from someone who genuinely does not car for War Metal all that much. It's probably because One Nightmare Unto Another is a bit less chaotic than other War Metal albums I've come across with riffs that I can follow along with and more succinct songwriting centered around those riffs. There's a distinct lack of any atmospheric touches that the Infernal Coil or Teitanblood albums from Daniel's list have, making it a bit more one-dimensional, but I think it works for an album that's only 25 minutes long. All in all this one has been hitting the spot when I'm in the need for something that just sounds mean. Real mean.
https://metal.academy/releases/42625
Teitanblood - "Seven Chalices" (2009)
My first impressions around Spanish death/war metal outfit Teitanblood were instigated quite early on in their recording career upon my return to metal in 2009. The band had already released a demo & a couple of split releases in the mid-2000’s but their debut album “Seven Chalices” would be their first record of any significance & the timing of its release matched up pretty much perfectly with the recommencement my extreme metal journey. Given that a lot of the metal I was hearing at the time was attempting to dilute the very core of what I felt that metal music should be, I have to admit that the idea of “Seven Chalices” & its consistently savage & deeply underground approach really appealed to me & looking back I’d suggest that I really WANTED to love this record, perhaps a touch more than it actually deserved too. With that in mind, I’ve always suspected that perhaps I might have been overrating it a little, particularly in the wake of my passion for Teitanblood’s later albums. Given that I’ve only recently revisited & reviewed those two outstanding examples of the war metal sound, it’s only natural that I give the Spaniards’ debut the same level of attention.
It's clear right from offset that “Seven Chalices” is a very different record to 2014’s “Death” & 2019’s “The Baneful Choir”. The five year gaps between these full-lengths have given the band a lot of time to grow & develop their sound so it’s hardly surprising. “Seven Chalices” is far less modern & presents more of an old-school sound that’s noticeably rawer & lacking in the density of Teitanblood's more sophisticated work. Unlike the band's later releases which are more heavily weighted towards war metal, the dual tagging of both death metal & war metal seems more appropriate on “Seven Chalices” due to the consistent use of doomy, lower-tempo, Celtic Frost-inspired death metal riffs, particularly on tracks like opener “Whore Mass” & the epic album centrepiece “The Abomination of Desolation”. During those moments I’m reminded a lot of Finland’s Archgoat with the very structure of the down-tuned hum of a guitar tone sounding like it’s almost on the brink of completely breaking down. When Teitanblood up the tempo into genuine war metal territory however, they’re as violent & chaotic as a drunken brawl at a Sadistik Exekution show with the scatty, layered vocal ranting of FSK sounding nothing short of psychotic & the intentionally sloppy guitar solos veering a lot closer to pure noise than towards anything close to a defined theme or structure.
Somehow though, “Seven Chalices” doesn’t seem to gel anywhere near as much as Teitanblood’s more accomplished later works. It’s simply not as cohesive which possibly has something to do with the production which is more about atmosphere & aesthetics than it is about depth & substance with the drums being too far back in the mix to really drive the songs from a rhythmic point of view. In fact, despite there not being any weak tracks as such, I actually find the four dark ambient interludes that have been provided by fellow Spaniard Like Drone Razors Through Flesh Sphere to be more accomplished than any of the metal material. Don’t get me wrong, “Seven Chalices” is certainly an entertaining listen & if you’re a fan of bands like Proclamation, Pseudogod & Archgoat then you’ll no doubt enjoy it but I’m not sure there’s as much meat on its bones as there is on Teitanblood’s later albums. It’s a more than decent first-up full-length but was still a work in progress in my opinion.
3.5/5
Here's my updated Top Ten War Metal Releases of All Time list:
01. Infernal Coil - "Within a World Forgotten" (2018)
02. Teitanblood - "The Baneful Choir" (2019)
03. Teitanblood - "Death" (2014)
04. Damaar - "Triumph Through Spears of Sacrilege" (2007)
05. Archgoat - "Whore of Bethlehem" (2006)
06. Bestial Warlust - "Blood & Valour" (1995)
07. Conqueror - "War Cult Supremacy" (1999)
08. Blasphemy - "Blood Upon The Altar" demo (1989)
09. Revenge - "Behold.Total.Rejection" (2015)
10. Teitanblood - "Seven Chalices" (2009)
So is war metal pretty much black metal 2.0? I mean, imagine it is a commercial:
More blasphemy, more gore, more heaviness. You can trust war metal.
Revenge - "Triumph.Genocide.Antichrist" (2003)
After quite enjoying my revisit to Canadian war metallers Revenge’s 2015 fifth full-length “Behold.Total.Rejection” several weeks ago I’ve been feeling like repeating the dose through another short, sharp bludgeon to the face with a blunt instrument & found myself reaching for Revenge’s 2003 debut album “Triumph.Genocide.Antichrist” which offers a very similar experience. You really do know what you’re going to get with a Revenge record as even the front covers look almost identical but there’s something to be said for consistency in terms of war metal & Revenge continue to deliver.
“Triumph.Genocide.Antichrist” delivers another fairly samey but undeniably brutal collection of eight songs that spread the word about hatred, war & nihilism in a way that may see the average listener saying a categorical “No thanks” to their message but still finding it very hard to look away from the carnage on display. Revenge is really the work of one man in drummer James Read (Axis of Advance/Blood Revolt/Conqueror/Kerasphorus) who has made a habit of surrounding himself with some presumably angry individuals in order to achieve a sound that’s pretty much the epitome of what the war metal subgenre is trying to achieve. It’s raw, savage & unrepentant with Read rarely resorting to anything other than a barrage of shrieks & blast-beats. The performances are (perhaps intentionally) fairly sloppy but the energy levels rarely dip below ball-tearing velocities & precision is not really the point of this niche subgenre anyway.
Since Revenge’s first two E.P.'s we’ve seen Read recruiting an additional full-time band member in American bassist Pete Helmkamp (Kerasphorus/Abhomine/Angelcorpse/Order From Chaos) & the two have brought in guitarist Vermin (Axis of Advance/Blood Revolt/Sacramentary Abolishment/Weapon) to assist with the sessions. It’s very clear that Read runs the show though as Revenge seem to maintain a similar sound regardless of which personnel he has supporting him. The strong grindcore influence that so many of the Canadian war metal bands present is in full force here. In fact, it feels even stronger than with many others on this occasion & so does the involvement of early Carcass in Revenge’s sound, particularly in the guitar flourishes & occasionally vocoded vocals. Comparisons can certainly be drawn with war metal contemporaries such as New Zealand’s Diocletian, fellow Canadian war metal godfathers Blasphemy & Read’s own Conqueror collaboration too.
Overall, I find “Triumph.Genocide.Antichrist” to be a very consistent war metal release that ticks all of the boxes but is noticeably lacking in highlights with every track being of roughly equal quality. This also contributes to the tracklisting feeling a little too samey for its own good. The album is definitely lacking in the ambition department too as the band seem to be happy to simply reinvent a similar theme over & over again. In saying that though, “Triumph.Genocide.Antichrist” will no doubt serve the purpose that most fans of the subgenre are looking for when they reach for a Revenge record so it’s hard to be too critical. “Behold.Total.Rejection” is still my favourite Revenge full-length but this one isn’t all that far behind in all honesty & it certainly hasn’t let me down in any way.
3.5/5
Archgoat - "The Light-Devouring Darkness" (2009)
My first dalliances with Finnish war metal heavy-weights Archgoat came about way back in my early-to-mid 1990’s tape trading days when a European trader sent me their 1991 demo tape “Jesus Spawn” & their lovingly-titled 1993 “Angelcunt (Tales of Desecration)” EP. The former did very little for me to be honest but the latter commanded a decent amount of my time over the next year or so. For one reason or another though, Archgoat & I wouldn’t cross paths again until my return to metal in 2009 when I discovered their 2006 debut album “Whore of Bethlehem” which once again saw me raising an eyebrow or two. Their brand new “The Light-Devouring Darkness” sophomore album would very quickly be getting the once-over off the back of that experience but I don’t recall it making as much of an impact as Archgoat’s two earlier proper releases &, as a result, I haven’t returned to it since. I’ve been thinking that it might be time to reassess that position though, particularly after refreshing my passion for “Whore of Bethlehem” not too long ago.
“The Light-Devouring Darkness” sees Archgoat returning with the same three-piece lineup as had impressed me so much on their debut album but it definitely sounds a bit different to its older sibling. “Whore of Bethlehem” possessed a swarming, filthy wall of humming guitar noise & a raspy vocal delivery. “The Light-Devouring Darkness” sees Archgoat opting for a more traditional & much dryer guitar tone that’s reminiscent of the underground extreme metal scene of the 1980’s. Lord Angelslayer’s vocals are also quite different in timbre, this time going for a much deeper death metal croak. I think it’s fair to say that I preferred the guitar tone from the debut pretty comfortably over this one but the vocals are equally evil & actually come across as a refreshing change. The clear Celtic Frost influence from the debut has been toned back a touch here with Archgoat now championing a sound that harnesses several seminal extreme metal bands. The slower sections regularly draw upon early Mayhem & Darkthrone for inspiration while Autopsy & mid-80’s Bathory also get an airing or two.
Despite sounding a little different to “Whore of Bethlehem”, Archgoat have maintained their initial point of difference as they’re clearly a little less chaotic & noticeably more controlled than their war metal brethren. They leave more space in their riff & song structures & utilize slower tempos much more regularly which has become somewhat of a signature for them. Despite this, they still keep things sounding nice & loose which gives the record that lovely underground authenticity that’s so important for any successful war metal release. When they drop the shackles though, they can still cane along at a hectic rate but you won’t find too many over-the-top chromatic guitar solos here which is a shame in my opinion as I’ve always really enjoyed that element of the war metal assault.
If I’m being honest with myself, I think I appreciate “The Light-Devouring Darkness” more for what it represents than what it actually is. Despite finding myself enjoying every one of the ten tracks included, there are quite a few here that are really a little bit insignificant when looked at in any sort of detail. Archgoat keep things VERY simple for the most part & there’s not a lot of ambition on show. The atmosphere they create during those slower sections (often accentuated by the subtle use of keyboards) is pretty awesome though & there can be no denying their ability to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the more savage roots of the underground extreme metal scene. The fact is that they did it a touch better on “Angelcunt (Tales of Desecration)” & “Whore of Bethlehem” though which makes “The Light-Devouring Darkness” seem inessential in comparison, even if it’ll no doubt please diehard fans of bands like Blasphemy, Beherit & Black Witchery.
3.5/5
Here's my updated Top Ten War Metal Releases of All Time list:
01. Infernal Coil - "Within a World Forgotten" (2018)
02. Teitanblood - "The Baneful Choir" (2019)
03. Teitanblood - "Death" (2014)
04. Damaar - "Triumph Through Spears of Sacrilege" (2007)
05. Archgoat - "Whore of Bethlehem" (2006)
06. Bestial Warlust - "Blood & Valour" (1995)
07. Conqueror - "War Cult Supremacy" (1999)
08. Blasphemy - "Blood Upon The Altar" demo (1989)
09. Archgoat - "The Light-Devouring Darkness" (2009)
10. Revenge - "Behold.Total.Rejection" (2015)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/216
Has Infernal Coil given any word as to a second studio release?
Nice review Daniel. It has occured to me that this is the only Archgoat release I haven't rated, so I will have to check it out soon. Personally I think Archgoat are a very consistent and classy act in the world of War Metal.
I will have to post a new top ten too, because the last one was two years ago, before I had heard Teitanblood's Death. I'd better check out that Infernal Coil album first, though.