Drawing Down the Moon is among the elite when it comes to black metal. The album's greatest positive for me is the combination of the occult meditative ambient sections that contrast with the bestial Sarcofago-eqsue onslaughts of raw power that "break the trance" so to speak. Something about the pretension-free musical progression of Beherit's music evident in the ambient breaks works perfectly alongside the black/death-y bits. That being said, it's one of the few albums I can say I listen to in the dark for a better experience and not feel like a total homo.

Regarding Engram, I have no idea what to expect as I haven't heard anything Holocausto has done since EDS (which I think it very good), but this is still one of the only albums being released this year that I can genuinely say I'm excited to hear.

New review at Dark Legions Archive.

"Engram thrusts forward through the past in a return to form for black metal, but takes it to the next dimension past Burzum's Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, which effectively ended black metal by taking it to ambient in the first place. Developing on the concepts shared between ambient music and metal, Engram is really raw but intensely structured, with a deepening mood.

Instead of opting to make a black metal/ambient fusion, Beherit combine the ideas of raw primitive ambient black metal with atmospheric music that works with the texture of sound more than discrete notes. Faster than Drawing Down the Moon, it resembles the material from the Archgoat split given more structure and prismatic depth without losing its primitive gestalt. This is a smart way of not trying to reinvent black metal, but recontexting its riffs in such a way as to pick up where Burzum's Hvis Lyset Tar Oss left off, which is an attempt to create a mood where one is barely aware that there's music but gets lost in the muscular clarity of a raw emotion reflecting a primal, naturalistic reality.

The use of repeated non-distorted motifs reminds me of Burzum's Hlidskjalf as well. There's a clear Sarcofago influence, and something that sounds like a fusion between Bathory albums The Return and Octagon, sometimes augmented with a noisy, melodic cornering reminiscent of later Darkthrone. Like most Beherit works, these songs uncannily grow on you like mysticism in the darkness.

Black metal has been so stale and boring for the last fifteen years, it's awesome to have something to look forward to with excitement again. This does not just rehash the past, but inherits it, and subtly develops its ideas consistenly and yet with creativity, moving to a new space for this music to flourish. Engram may win you over surprisingly quickly; it's organized, has heart, and in the transitions of its dark moods tells us something for the ages about how to survive humanness with elan. Perhaps it is a template for the next generation of black metal."

Although DLA always bears a pro-Beherit bias, I am quite excited for this album nonetheless. Comparisons to the Archgoat split only increases my anticipation.

Woulda pre-ordered it if it wasn't so damn expensive. I'm waiting for some feedback before getting it.

On that note, where's a good place to get it from, everyone? I'm so embittered and cynical, it's nice to be mildly interested in an upcoming release, with full confidence that it probably won't suck that much!

Previews are available here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Engram/dp/B0025N7KN0?tag=darklegions-20.

Amazing. There is a definite viking era Bathory feel, and NHV's vocals are really deadly.

Oh, Jesus fuck, I'm loving these previews....I think I'll be buying this album, and yes, those vocals really are something.....

Listening to the samples now. I really like the Pagan Moon sample. The entire album sounds like it will be such a goddamn monster. Can't wait for this. Holocausto's vocals are fucking venomous. I also like the clean vocals in Pimeyden Henki.

Finally a comeback that doesn't suck? Obviously I can't make conclusions until it comes out, but the samples indicate that the surface aesthetic isn't gay, and Beherit isn't a band that will fuck up the structure/arrangement. I hope the thrashy, fast parts (which seem to be doing little out of context) don't dominate, and are balanced well with the ritualistic parts.

I was actually kind of worried when I heard those parts. The riffs in the 'trhasy" sections sound very thin and are lacking a certain Blasphemy influenced bludgeoning quality that the older Beherit possessed. I'm hoping that the new album doesnt neglect to use those twisted, ritualistic sounding riffs (like the middle section of Solomons Gate) of older Beherit.

And the vox sound a bit plain compared to NHV's old, more varied approach (especially those hideous hissing vox, which I hope NHV didn't leave beind). granted, these samples still fucking rock, but I'm felling a bit skeptical now.

I don't know what to think. either way , I'll be counting down the minutes till i drop a needle on this .....

Weird, all those samples reminded me of Sigh's "Scorn Defeat"...

Not that that's a bad thing, but still... Weird...

Before hearing the samples I imagined it would've had a much different production but this is definitely a surprise.

I wonder what the fifteen minute track will be like in its entirety.

so a positive DLA review would acutally make skeptical about an album? I can understand being skeptical about a negative reveiw, but a positive reveiw?

I read something saying that it was to sound like the material on the split with Archgoat, which was rather disappointing.

You don't understand about fanboy raving?

As for this release, my interest level has gone up since listening to the previews yesterday.

Ah, it appears that Engram has been leaked. Now it is time to find out if I'm going to shell out the 17.99 € to buy the album.

I've just downloaded it. THE RETURN OF BLACK METAL! Awesome, hopefully this will shut Wolves in the throne room fans the fuck up!

I'm really enjoying it so far and I plan on buying it.

April 2009 will be a great month for black metal. 90s underground band Ungod is due for an EP release after over 10 years.

There's no other way to put it.

the return of black metal?

was i the only one who really enjoyed Drudkh?

anyway this might be a great athmospheric/ambient black metal album but there is more to black metal than just that.

Downloading right now, I'm extremely excited.

Can't find it anywhere :S

Don't be silly, black metal ended with Venom.

I'm stealing it right now. I'm fully expecting a great listen, i hope it won't let down.

Just search "Beherit Engram Blogspot".


I'm listening to it right now, and it is fucking amazing.

Ok, by some reason, the samples reminds me of Bathory - Blood Fire Death...
Doesn't anyone else find the vocalline in Destroyer of Thousand World similar to that in Dies Irae for example?

It depends on your taste. I was never into the pagan/nature metal myself. I'm into the more primitive stuff. And that phrase wasn't meant to be taken seriously. I just think Engram is great and I think it will bring good things to the genre.



Actually the ambient side of Beherit that you'd expect to hear is limited. It's almost entirely metal.

The album is heavily Bathory inspired. All of it.

It's alright. It's not bad, but it doesn't live up to my expectations.

It can't touch Oath or Drawing.

It's easily better than Oath, but I doubt any BM album ever released after DDtM can surpass it. Again, it will require more listens to fully digest.

I think it's better than the first part of Oath (the Demonomancy demo) but not as good as the second part (Dawn of Satan's Millenium EP). Definitely not as good as Drawing Down the Moon, but still a classic album that holds up to the other albums.

I've heard this twice since getting the leak. I love it. In time, I think I may prefer this over Oath of Black Blood, and rank it just under Drawing.

Seems rather average to me, nothing particularly great. Not worth remembering in either direction I suppose.

Ahh rexxz, always ruining everyone's fun.

It's nowhere near as savage as the old stuff. I can only remember the drummer going into blasts maybe once.


It's still pretty good, but I was expecting them to be on par with the old stuff.


Archgoat new album is up to the standards to their own early stuff, so I figured Beherit would follow suit, but they fell slightly short.

Good as a standard album.
Lacking as a beherit album, lacks the sheer brutality and darkness of old releases.

A lot more polished than The Oath of Black Blood and more complex.
A lot less dark and ritualistic to Drawing Down the Moon

Not what I was expecting, but listenable.

Just as Darkthrone will never match Under a Funeral Moon; just as Mayhem will never match De Mysteriis; Beherit will never match Drawing Down the Moon. Good for Beherit 2009? Of course. I think black metal is lucky to even see another Beherit album.

Samples are much better than I expected. This will probably surpass my expectations. Then again, samples are short as hell, so who knows.

I does sound more like Oath to me, though. Doesn't have that droney ambience like DDtM, but that's okay.

The full album is available for download in the Audiofile section of the ANUS boards if anyone is still trying to find it. I have it downloaded but have yet to listen to it...which I will do sometime tomorrow when I find the time.

Just listened to the album.
Tracks I liked were "Pagan Moon", "Pimeyden Henki" and "Demon Advance". There's a shift in musical direction in "Demon Advance", but I can't tell where Nuclear Holocausto is trying to go this time. The second part of the song sounded interesting to me.