Storm of the Light's Bane

I'm a huge fan of DIssection, so reviewing any of their albums usually comes with a good deal of bias, but when it concerns Storm of the Light's Bane, I do think that it is an objectively perfect album. I put it up there with Master of Puppets, Stained Class, Blessed are the Sick, and Paranoid in terms of its classic status, as it does represent a peak of the black metal scene. In a lot of ways, Dissection was a far darker and more authentic band than even their Norwegian breatheren just a stone's throw from their home town of Stromstad--just read up on their history if you doubt it.

Every one of the six real songs covers a gamut of styles, a veritable black rainbow of black metal moods. The most savage of songs would be "Unhallowed" and "Soul Reaper," with their viscious riffing and blast beats. "Night's Blood" served as my intro to Dissection, and has the best elements of what they're known for: sinister, majestic melodies, acoustic work, icy tremolo riffs, and blast beats. The title track has a rare guitar solo and this classic metal feel that reeks of Show No Mercy-era Slayer, perhaps the winding riffs the last legacy of departed guitarist John Zwetsloot. Want some epicness, almost on par with Bathory's finest? "Thorns of Crimson Death" delivers that feel of triumph, tragedy, and perseverance after a goregeous clean intro. This one totally takes you into a labyrinth of arctic darkness, especially when the horrific Possessed-inspired blast in the middle shows up.

On the unique end of things there's "Where Dead Angels Lie," showing off Dissection's most progressive influences, with the King Crimson-esque acoustic work and off kilter rhthym--it's quite evocative of being frozen to death in some dazzling winter landscape, seductive even, as you could just give in to death because the moonlit on the snow is so beautiful. It would have been so interesting to hear how they could have developed had they followed these progressive elements. They can also be heard briefly in the outro on "Unhallowed," where they sound beguiling and intriguing.

Mind you, this is all delivered with passion and precision. Every member seems on top of their game, with Nodtveidt leading the pack with his commanding rasp. Though it's easy to dismiss his vocals as the most monodimensional element of Dissection, his lyrics are some of the most intelligent of the entire black metal scene. On surface they often appear to be simple tales of evil crushing "good," but they're loaded with great imagery and cleverly worded passages and avoid the cliches of the more barbaric death metal bands (hey, Deicide...).

The principle difference between this album and its predecessor lie in the rawness and the concise nature of the album. Though it's only two minutes shorter, Storm of the Light's Bane rocks a wicked punch through its 6 real songs and 2 instrumental bookends, both of which feel necessary and enhance the cold atmosphere of the album. The nastiness comes through in a distinct Norwegian influence of fast, tremolo picked riffs and a noticeably rougher sound than their debut--perhaps De Mysteriis dom Sathanas and Pure Holocaust were big influence on this, or the addition of Johan Norman to the fold. Once again, Jon Nodtveidt's consummate proficiency in both performance and composition allow these ugly elements to outshine the Norwegian scene that bore them.

Credit is due to Dan Swano and his excellent Unisound produced sound on this album. As most of the Swedish black metal differed from it's better known variant in it's melodies and more complex nature, Dan seemed instrumental in establishing the Swedish black metal sound. I'm partial to the great music that came out of that place in the 90's, and I couldn't think of anyone who could have delivered a clean enough sound to make this album shine like the black diamond it is.

I'm not the first person to say this and I certainly won't be the last: Storm of the Light’s Bane is a landmark album in the realm of black metal. Or even metal in general. If you're more than a surface-level metalhead and have been associated with the genre for a while now, you definitely would have crossed paths with that album cover at least once in your life, be it in the form of its dominant positioning in the "top 10" or "greatest ever" lists, or YouTube recommendations, or elsewhere in the unfathomable ravines of the internet. It's become kind of ubiquitous in this modern internet age and I personally think it's a wonderful thing, gets all the eyeballs it can... And what an album cover as well at that! The daunting image of the fearsome grim reaper atop his tastefully adorned horse outing in that untrodden landscape, frozen lakes and all, is an iconic image in the metal circles at this point. It immediately makes you conjure up ideas on how the actual album may sound like and lets your imagination run wild; you kind of start connecting the lyrical themes to the various imaginative settings depicted on the cover. What they achieve with the sound does not let you down, too.

At the Fathomless Depths sets the tone for a cold and forbidding sound, chilling you to the bone - a wicked throng of sinister melodies with minimalistic percussion for added depth. It's not very long at two minutes but immediately gives you a good idea of what to expect from the rest of the sound. The following song Night's Blood is what ushers in all the chaos, picking up the threads of what was achieved on The Somberlain. It's a striking song. Not the best on the album maybe, in my opinion at least, but the most appropriate one to prepare you for the ensuing storming of your senses. The lyrics are beautiful, totally capturing the essence of the cover's wintry landscape and giving you the impression of being caught in an endless nightmare. What immediately strikes me is the drum sound; much more conventional sounding snares and an overall minimalism to the style that's in stark contrast to The Somberlain's blaring metallic-sounding drum fills. This simplistic approach may seem austere at first but it's actually much more effective, to the point where drums feel integrated as part of the sound rather than being an added element to it. The double bass, already judicious on The Somberlain, is amplified thrice over and makes for some delicious fills on certain songs, especially in the outro of Unhallowed. In many ways, it's the drums and their constant pounding in one repeated pattern that confers this album a lot of its cold and wicked demeanour.

The pure and bottomless malice is delved further into with Unhallowed, a truly terrifying number. In fact, it's one of the most wicked songs I've ever listened to - a vast and ruthless avalanche of icy cold tremolo-based riffs coalesced with mesmerising guitar melodies. This song is the genesis of all evil and means harm; if it was a living, breathing entity, it'd rip your head straight off. The combined effect of those first set of melodies with towering riffs in the background and the skillfull and subtle double bass complementing all that drama is nothing short of transcendental. And what a magnificent outro... Truly malicious yet full of soul, it's the acme of musical delight; a wonderful sensation to behold and experience once you've warmed up enough to it. They achieve a slightly similar effect in the opening riffs of Where Dead Angels Lie too, albeit the pace is much calmer this time. It's another personal favourite of mine and seems to be Dissection’s most popular and renowned song this side of Maha Kali. The best moment's experienced after that icy cold acoustic passage when all hell breaks loose and the avalanche of piercing Arctic riffs enshrouds you in its endless cold blanket, aided by the single-most blood-curdling black metal shriek of all time: “DIEEEEEEEE!”

I've seen a good number of people and reviews address this album as blackened death metal, and kind of oddly, even melodic death. And that's totally fine; I believe we shouldn't let genres or sub-genres limit our enjoyment of any form of music. However, to these ears, there barely are any death metal influences to be picked up. Yes, the middle section of Thorns of Crimson Death is totally inspired from Sarcófago's The Laws of Scourge, right down to how the blast beats are played, but that's about the only thrash/death influence I can distinguish. It's also such an emotionally-driven song, Thorns of Crimson Death. Sinister yet painfully melancholic; the tremolo pickings hit like the chilly gales of wind and that sublime acoustic passage building towards the loud thunder sounds is one of the simplest, coldest and most atmospheric pieces of music I've witnessed. The peak of the song is the outro, a repetition of the main melodies pressing on the initial vigour, then leading to the majestic tumbling of the drums and finally breaking into the main solo... Wow! Dissection has always had a very distinctive, unmistakably evil sound and while the riffs can be attributed as brutal and furious, they aren't heavy as such. I don't think they've ever been a heavy band. Utter lack of heaviness is what closes this album too, as No Dreams Breed in Breathless Sleep (what an evocative song title that is) is a soft piano-based instrumental number, like the calm after the storm. It's not a dark composition like what you generally experience on Opeth's stuff but regardless hits hard due to the way it's arranged and played, almost like an inner conflict of emotions on account of its ever-changing tempo - a tussle between chaos and tranquility within.

The production’s not the cleanest but couldn't be better suited to this album. Sadly, I don't hear as much of the bass as I do on The Somberlain but absolutely love the way the drums have been wrought here. The vocals seem a shade louder than most of everything else but with Jon Nödtveidt screaming his lungs out, I've little to complain; his screams are of the most exquisite quality and seethe absolute darkness and bloodlust. At times, even the distortion seems to drown out other stuff as observed on Thorns of Crimson Death and there's noticeable reverb on Where Dead Angels Lie, but the level of melodic complexity and the multitude of melodies pervasive throughout the album offer welcome respite from the unyielding nature of the mix. It makes for a perfect harmony that carries the better part of the album. I remember listening to the sound engineer Dan Swanö's interview on YouTube once where he claimed to have convinced the band to retain this current sound in interest of preserving its originality, because the band was otherwise drawn towards the Norwegian style of black metal. I'm glad they decided to stick to this style - which I'm not sure is the archetypal Swedish style - because it's leagues above the usual crop of Norwegian black metal we are accustomed to. There's even an alternative mix available online, and apparently a third one which never surfaced anywhere. I decided to listen to the alternative mix for the sake of exploration and mere curiosity because I love Dissection but was left disappointed at how pointless it seemed and its conspicuous lack of soul compared to the original.

There's a strong sentiment among some that this album is Dissection's foray into the mainstream and consequently an overrated and overblown attempt of muddled melodies and cheesy riffs. I get that. It's absolutely normal for people to dislike or even hate this album and differing opinions don't bother me all that much these days but even though I try to look at things from their perspective, I especially struggle to make sense of the comments citing it mainstream. I don't think this is an easy album to get into and barely anything on it sounds super-polished or catering to the masses. But mainstream or not, this is a legendary album that in many ways redefined the genre and inspired a good number of bands to make music along similar lines. The Somberlain started it, Storm of the Light’s Bane catapulted it. It has everything here: technique, speed, melody, power, wickedness and a unique soul. Where The Somberlain is kind of like a fuzzy, comforting blanket, SOtLB is like a thick, cold layer of snow weighing down and burying you, choking you in your breathless sleep (see what I did there? :D). Overall, I think it's the marginally better album of the two because it seems like one singular block of music rather than a collection of songs. What's amazing is that these albums have become timeless at this point; in my review of The Somberlain elsewhere on this website, I was astounded to discover that it recently turned 30. SOtLB turns 30 soon, towards the end of next year, and it's kind of astonishing that it still seems like an album that was conceptualised just yesterday. 30 years on, metal music fans will look back to this as the pivotal moment in the genre's transformational journey.

You know what's ironic? The more you try to push metal commercially into the underground, the harder it resists and in spite of your best efforts, more masterworks get produced just to fly into your face like the entire scene collectively agreed to tell you to go fuck yourself. Such was the case in early-mid 90s when grunge topped charts and metal's commercial viability ended, this nadir of commerciality being 1995. However, black metal and death metal could not have been developed in any other time. Not only were two subgenres a response to L.A. strip hair metal bands of yore, their development was further amplified as a response to grunge. But funnily enough there was a very vitriolic rivalry between Norwegian black metal and Swedish death metal scenes. In that situation it seemed impossible that the two scenes were going to even agree on anything.

In entered Dissection with Somberlain. Not only did it feature some of the most haunting vocals, blast beats and tremolo riffs, it also incorporated both melodic death and melodic black into the sound with elements of NWOBHM. This quite bold move got them noticed by both scenes and even some begrudging respect from the Norwegians. So the expectations for the follow up were indeed quite high. Can Dissection live up to the Somberlain? Not only did they did, but they also surpassed it despite shorter runtime and lesser amount of tracks here.

The album opens up with a hauntingly evil and cold piece that is slowly taking you down to the frozen 9th circle of Hell. You know whatever is coming is not going to be your typical black metal album. Then the “Night's Blood” immediately blasts your ears at such rampaging ferocity and coldness it's not even a question. This is going to be black metal’s "Painkiller". However while the album is a furious mix of tremolos, blast beats and shrieks that you're going to hear when a monster in your nightmare is chasing you, the band loves to throw in acoustic interludes to spice things up. Such is the case with aforementioned “Night's Blood” and “Thorns of Crimson Death” which along with “Unhallowed” is my favorite track on here. And speaking of “Unhallowed”, it is one of the best black metal songs. Not only does it have an evilly catchy riff and an interlude that has elements of atmospheric, the moment said interlude ends, the riff breaks back into the original riff and Jon screams “Apocalypse is here” there is just no way in hell you won't be running around your room destroying everything in it. These bone chilling moments are jam-packed into the record, but the ending shriek of “Thorns of Crimson Death” is something that is going to haunt you long after the record is finished. Once “Soulreaper” ends reining in the Armageddon, the final piano instrumental closes things off with the mood of a frozen wasteland that was once rich in life, but now death is the only thing there…

Speaking of shrieks these are not your typical shrieks. They still sound demonic, but they are much more in the territory of a tortured demon in an icy cave of Siberia than outright hellish. The guitars are where the special attention is deserved. They alternate between black metal tremolo and occasional melodeath riffing so naturally there are no jarring contrasts which was something that could be heard on the debut album, although not in large doses. The tone is much colder and furious, like a blizzard on Mt. Everest hellbent to throw the climbers off. The drums are imbued with a similar fury, particularly during the blast beats, like the one you can hear in the middle of “Thorns of Crimson Death”. The bass is content doubling for the guitars here, providing the depth this record needs to cut so deep.

In short, the best way one could describe this record is as "The Somberlain" but much tighter, much more focused and polished to perfection, but not soulless corporate polish, but rather like a refined edge of a blade. This record is mandatory if you're either a black metal or a death metal fan. However I would not recommend it as a first entry into black metal simply because its fury is not very beginner friendly, but rather after one’s ears get more accustomed to the genre's conventions, which this record takes to its logical conclusion.

I was happy about the recent 63%-review for “Storm of the Light’s Bane”. Not because of the rating itself. Even though I know that it is useless to discuss about personal taste, I think the author has taken a position that is similarly promising to General Custer's Last Stand Hill back in 1876. The ending is known. Nevertheless, I was happy about the review, because it triggered some reactions in the forum and reminded me of the fact that this is (one of) the last classic album(s) in my collection I haven’t reviewed so far.

The first thing I must mention is the iconic artwork. Its message is totally clear, it spreads an overwhelming atmosphere and the meagre choice of colours merges death and the landscape to a single, murderous panorama. What I fool I was that I bought the CD back in 1995, not the much more fitting vinyl format. However, this cover prepares the consumer perfectly for the musical content. Dissection did not try to score with overly brutal gimmicks or any form of blatant shock effects. Mastermind (or better: sick mind) Jon Nödtveidt had not written extremely harsh tracks. Especially “Where Dead Angels Lie” follows on almost mild approach. It’s a sort of black death metal ballad with a sanguinary undertone. Okay, musically it is not the most exciting track and from my point of view, it lacks dynamic. Nevertheless, this experiment has not gone wrong. Although I listen to the “worst” regular track here (intro and outro do not count in this context), it is still a solid number and abysmal evil.

Anyway, we find the real killers somewhere else. Especially the quasi title track “Retribution – Storm of the Light’s Bane” has an enormous inner strength. It belongs to the most angry songs here and, better still, it spreads more or less the same vibes as the band’s best song ever, “In the Cold Winds of Nowhere”. Dissection arranged the album very well, the sharp-tongued outbursts of (always controlled) fury alternate with those compositions that offer a tragic touch as well. A masterpiece like the multi-layered “Thorns of Crimson Death” features both in one. The melancholic guitars at the beginning draw large, broad lines and later there is an acoustic intermezzo with rumbling thunder in the background, perhaps inspired by some atmospheric sounds of Bathory. Yet we also get a section with rapid drumming and neckbreaking riffing which is offered on a probably very high technical level. The “Cold Winds” on the eighth position marked the hidden champion of the debut, “Thorns…” follows in its footsteps in this respect.

The album does not lack harshness or profound depth, quite the opposite. Yet it’s most impressive detail is a pretty classic one for a sonic artwork. The melodies on this full-length are simply precious treasures, formed of perfectly matching notes. Even “Unhallowed” and “Soulreaper”, two furious, diabolic heralds of upcoming Armageddon, captivate with this element, which is masterly integrated into the nightly, blustery surrounding. Dissection vary density, tempo and intensity in an almost god-like manner and not only the chorus of “Unhallowed” has the might to drive guys with an affinity for dark sounds insane. By the way, the titanic power of the songs is not supported by the production. It’s a good mix, but not an outstanding one. A few details leave room for improvement. For example, the snare gets nearly lost during some fast sections. It doesn’t matter. The compositions speak for themselves and the mastermind’s voice complements the instrumental orgies very well.

Maybe Nödtveids criminal “career” helped his band to achieve cult status. I don’t think so. Both classic Dissection works marked massive statements and reflected his outstanding song-writing skills. Not with each and every cut, but often enough to realise his fascinating potential. If he had been less… well, satanic, sick, weird (make your choice), then today he could be the leader of a band that could rival the divine Necrophobic. The energetic, pulsating and belligerent “Night’s Blood” is just one of the songs that would enrich even the catalogue of those who exist in the dawn of the damned. But some people’s mind is forged in blood by tragedy, to quote Jon himself. Thank God, this cannot be said about reviewers who do not understand the dimension of this masterpiece. They just have a different opinion. That’s okay. The “Storm of the Light’s Bane” does not care.

What in the world does that title mean ? Read on, it'll gradually make more sense. This is pretty good. Unfortunately, that's all it is: pretty good. There's a taste of predictability there. A certain flatness. None of it seems to peel off the smooth wallpaper it's set for itself, and that unbending conformity kills off any spirit that may've taken flight in a more daring setting. The chord progressions are often linear - adequate for the sought out effect, weak in the way of surprising the listener. The music is combative and energetic, yet not particularly creative. This is mainly due to the backbone of the sections being an exhaustive utilization of common chords, progressions and dynamics in the converging field of melo-death/black metal. It all comes together to produce a straightforwardness that sets the audience on a path with a clear start, finish, and a fairly narrow, direct route in between. We're given a big target to look at the whole time, then, after a short while, distractions of any significance occur quite rarely to the unchanging prevailing uniformity. Some black metal or melo-death out there has been far simpler, but more effective.

The difference between this, and say, 'Far away from the sun' by Sacramentum to compare with same era/style and country, is as follows. Pick a random part on this album, and it'll surely land on a section completely consistent with any other part. The album establishes what it's about from the get-go, and surely enough it does that for three quarters of an hour, unrelentingly, a thousand miles to think of adding significant variation, and happy to dump in another shipment of, you've guessed it: more of the same. Now pick a random section on the latter, and there's a fair chance you'll land on a part distinct from the central flow, as the album is made so each song has at least one genuinely recognizable moment. And that is song-writing quality for you. It's not about establishing a decent sound, broadly, and then running away with it. It also takes hindsight, meticulous architectural work - clever and accurate crafting and polishing of the sections. Dissection were late for a train here, and it sounds as if the album was more keen on driving forward hard; in some sort of rush; than keeping its composure to deliver a more focused, finely detailed rendition of its potential.

For the most part, the song-writers aren't interested in stepping outside the established boundaries of by-the-book melodic black metal standards they so studiously apply, and even the articulated melodies; respite from the rhythmic monotony; are molded into rigid shapes. The music comes out sounding too redundant for its own good, in a way lifeless and surely one-dimensional, and somewhat cursory as it seems fairly ordinary sections were agreed on as making the cut. The music is also emotionally flat. For all the minor chords and sudden chord changes, occasional acoustic breaks (which are weak), it has little depth going for it, and is more rough than given credit for, lacking the subtlety that can usually be found on such releases. If anything, its brutality is appreciable as it is uncompromising and serves its purpose fully; unlike the melodic component, too stale and sedentary. The tremolo section midway through 'Thorns of Crimson death' does supply a rare instance of novelty for us, and overall it may possibly be the best track here. At the end of it, the track also offers a glimpse of exactly the kind of atmospheric melancholy that would've given this some much needed depth.

Come to think of it, it's very much like its title: wordy, on the attack, but lacking of substance, coherence and maturity. Returning to this feels underwhelming, shoulder-dropping in energy even, as it never seems to be about taking flight into the unknown, rather willing the listener to remain earthbound with it, in its flat comfort zone. Really, this album is conservative, which surely comes as a disappointment for anyone seeking an original piece with twists and turns and unique moments found nowhere else. A redundancy also sets in from the fact the songs are apparently a collection of sections thrown in together, often lacking the binding glue that grants the strength distinctive of great songs, and great albums. All in all, this simply lacks well too much in detail, in supplying high caliber, memorable melodies, and settles almost entirely for decent parts at best; often mediocre, mostly pedestrian. Give it a play and step back and it'll sound mighty and show character. Come closer, and challenge the individual sections in each song, and witness the lack of fineness.

There is a trio of albums from the mid nineties that seem to have frozen themselves into the halls of melodic black metal history as untouchable and unreplicable works of art. Those being Vinterland's "Welcome to My Last Chapter", Sacramentums "Far Away From the Sun" and obviously this album. Unsurprisingly, all from Sweden again. Jon was at the top of his game here.

The intro starts off with brooding guitars and then leads into the magnificent "Nights Blood" "A heart dies, drowning in the Nights Blood!" The riffs are "cold as ice" and very catchy. The interlude in the middle of the song is done very well and flows. Next up is the mighty "Unhallowed" and the blasting starts straight away with dissonant riffing and it ends with a slower flourishing that transports the listener to a devilish landscape. The slower but brilliant anthem "Where Dead Angels Lie" is a melodic masterpeice about the freezing darkness that has come to comsume angels. Even if you don't like metal this track can still be appreciated for it's very melodic and catchy. The title track is blistering with memorable riffage "I have come to challenge your ways, lights bane the last of your days!" and has the best solo on the album.

Jons vocals have a delightful harshness that are definitely black metal, they compliment the icy instrumentation perfectly. The epic "Thorns of Crimson Death is up next, it starts out very melodic and eases into the main riffwork terrifically. It is perhaps the most non-linear song and not as chorus-verse driven as the rest of the album, the middle section features excellent tremolo melodies that lead into a dark interlude with dissonant and inverted chord work to follow. "Soulreaper" is perhaps the most average song on the album but is still a killer, it just feels as though it could of been a couple of minutes shorter instead of going over the same riffs (which are very solid) for seven minutes. It is hard to compare this to other albums as it sounds very original, but Mayhem and Iron Maiden have often been cited as a direct influence. Lyrically, it's vampiric and unholy theme is done very well, evoking desolate landscapes of freezing winds and the grand darkness beyond time.

For the longest time now I have thought of SOTLB as kind of a gateway black metal album as well as a work of icy brilliance. The whole thing is super memorable although the music itself isn't particularly demanding to jump into these days, absolutely nothing about it's longevity is in question, it's still deathly cold and all things considered, I would say it still has holds it's charm. It's timeless, deathly, majestic etc. It set the standard for all melodic black metal after it.

Melodic black metal's history has seen plenty of good and bad bands, but Dissection is no doubtedly the best band in the genre. First formed in 1989, the band would release several demos and an EP before releasing their debut album "The Somberlain", which gained critical acclaim from the local scene. While that album was good, it would be their next album "Storm of the Light's Bane" in 1995 that set them apart from other black metal bands at the time and would be the best album they did. Everything from the instruments to the vocals are perfect, and would set a very high standard to what is good melodic black metal.

One amazing part about the album is the instruments. "The Somberlain" had some great instrumentals, but SOTLB would take it to a whole new level. The album starts off with "At the Fathomless Depths", an instrumental with a guitar and some ambient noises in the background. The guitar plays a dark, yet powerful riff that is mixed well with the stomping noises and the thundering ambient. This track is a good setup to the next song "Night's Blood", which explodes into a chaotic mess. The guitar riffs are more harsh, but also more melodic and calming. The drums also kick in with blastbeats that are also mixed with some technical beat patterns that set up the versatile tempos of the track. The bass is also great, as when it's not following along with the guitars, it is forming an excellent foundation for the track. The first two tracks are one of the best openers for a melodic black metal album, but "Where Dead Angels Lie" and "Thorns of Crimson Death" also have some amazing instrumental moments with a higher emphasis of the melodic moments. The outro track "No Dreams Breed in Breathless Sleep", however, is highly underrated, as the simple MIDI keyboards are able to bring in an atmosphere of sadness and depression. Every single track on this album has some amazing instrumentals, and would be a huge upgrade to the instruments on the previous album.

While the instruments are fantastic, the vocals are even better. Jon Nödtveidt's vocals on the previous album was good, but his voice would be vastly improved in the next album. While he does incorporate some shrieking, he also puts a twist in them. One good example of this would be in "Soulreaper". Jon's vocals sound very harsh, but they also have an echo effect in them, so his voice feels more powerful. They also flow better with the instruments, so they enhance the quality of the melodies. He even mixes in some chants and other voices to give the tracks a more grander atmosphere, and they are executed well. Throughout the album, Nödtveidt would add in some more elements in his vocals compared to the previous album, and the vocals here sound even better than in "The Somberlain".

Even the lyrics have a special charm in them. While the lyrics in "The Somberlain" were okay, SOTLB would improve them greatly. For example, in the track "Unhallowed", this verse quotes:

Dusk will bring the gathered ones upon the feeble men of "god"
Superior mighty warriors of pure unhallowed blood
Shoulder to shoulder they reign in the darkest of nights
Together at the edge of time, brought forth to slay the light

This verse talks about an army taking over the land. The lyrics here are very descriptive in the invasion, and it gives the invading army a powerful edge while making the victims of the land feel powerless. Furthermore, the instruments also further enhance the lyrics, as the track's more abrasive tone gives the lyrics a more scary tone. "Retribution - Storm of the Light's Bane" would have the best lyrics in this album in my opinion, as the poetic descriptions of destruction goes perfectly with the agonizing shrieks and chaotic instruments. The lyrics on this album are great, and are even more dark with the instruments and vocals.

With all of these reasons, it's easy to see why "Storm of the Light's Bane" is the best in Dissection's discography. The instrumentals have an amazing balance of heaviness and mellowness, the vocals are diverse and powerful, and the lyrics are well-written and enhanced greatly. The band would disband two years later after Jon Nödtveidt was imprisoned for murder, though he would bring back the band after his release in 2004 and release a melodic death metal album titled "Reinkaos". While Reinkaos was okay and I personally find the album overhated, that and "The Somberlain" still don't compete with "Storm of the Light's Bane", as it still remains the best melodic black metal album ever.

I have to admit that it is difficult for me to be totally objective with this album, the first time I listened to it, I found it boring, and the second one too, and the third and fourth and fifth ones..... It was not until I started to listen to his main discography for these reviews that I started to appreciate this particular work more. Where before I only heard boring riffs and solos I now found beautiful melodies and dark passages that stimulated my hearing more. And, yet I can't see this album in any other way than as a step back from "The Somberlain".

I already mentioned it in my review of their previous album already mentioned, for me the essence of Dissection is besides fast and melodic songs a nocturnal, winter and medieval atmosphere which is not present in most of the album. Although this time they do use the instrumentals for some purposes even though they are not as good as on the previous album. However, I find the compositions less inspired and many of them use a "little trick" that can fool the listener if he is not paying too much attention, but an attentive ear can appreciate that songs like "unhallowed" or "where dead angels lie" are composed based on a parade of riffs with little charisma that are preceded by each other until they reach the melodic part, either a solo or a chorus, but the fact is that when preceded by a series of riffs that leave you indifferent, when this nice part sounds it feels like better than it really is. And that's why I think people prefer this record over "The Somberlain", which had more natural and better constructed melodic moments but that same naturalness made them look bad at the same time. We all know that a supermarket apple is going to look better than one from the field, but the former has been manipulated by various products so that the result is clean, beautiful and easily accessible, but it is still artificial. The second one is uglier, it doesn't look good but it's 100% natural and tastes better."Storm of the Light's Bane" is the supermarket apple and "The Somberlain" is the natural apple.

But let's stop with the metaphors. The important thing here is the music, and this reaches its peak in the first bars of the album, leaving aside the indifferent intro, the song "Night's Blood" is undoubtedly the point that the rest of the album should aim. It's a great opener like "Black Horizons" was and it's not a coincidence that it's a composition by John Zwetsloot, it has its main characteristics, epic dyes on well constructed fast riffs that in turn serve as a bridge to the more melodic passages, this is truly Dissection and it frustrates me that the rest of the album doesn't continue these steps. I could dissect one by one the songs on the album but it would be even more tedious for me than for the reader, so I will focus on two examples which will adequately show from my perspective what is wrong with this work.

Since I've commented on a composition by John Zwetsloot, the next one will be by the so-called mastermind behind Dissection, Jon Nödtveidt. "Where dead angels lie" is possibly the most well known song of the album and my big problem with it is that although I think it meets the standards of a melodic metal song, you can see very clearly the influences of the Gothenbug´s scene, it really sounds like a very amateur composition, you know, all of us who have played some instrument have tried to make some composition with the little base we had and the result most of the time is very basic, and thats exactly what "Where dead angels lie" gives off, simplicity, to a point where you feel that it doesn't fit with the rest of the songs on the album, it seems like a song recorded for a demo without having even re-recorded it for the LP.

And finally, we examine the third composer of the album, Johan Norman and his song "Thorns of Crimson Death" whose introduction has a sound that evokes a direct influence of Iron Maiden and despite being the longest song on the album is one of the most constant and which more premium an atmosphere created in itself but for me "Night's Blood" eclipses this and the rest of the songs, there is a dramatic component in the work with which I do not fit, I do not deny that there has been a great work for this album but does not for me, this bores me.

My last comment on "Storm of the Light's Bane" will be a brief one about how for some strange reason most of the community has agreed to praise Jon Nödtveidt as if he were the writter of all the songs on all the Dissection albums, and in reality both "The Somberlain" and this album is the product of a group effort, the work of several minds and skills, not of one individual. The first two Dissection albums come from multiple songwritters and i think is pretty sad that only one of them is getting recognize for it.

In my mind, this album will always belong to a category much lower than the classics of the genre, I have never understood his legendary status, but still every now and then I come back to it to see if someday my perception changes.

If there is one album that exemplifies all of the best qualities of melodic black metal it is no doubt Dissection's sophomore release. What this album is is 45 minutes of pure brilliance. This brilliance is the flawless combination of melody and aggression that is reflected perfectly in the album's artwork by the legendary Necrolord which places a sinister reaper on a horse within the otherwise tranquil looking scene. Every track is full of melodies that will stick with any listener. Even "Unhallowed" which is definitely the darkest and most traditional black metal song on the album still carries this trait. These melodies all have an unmistakable sinister nature to them. These are not relaxing melodies that could be copied and pasted into a hymn and work. They all have inherent evilness to them that cannot be overlooked. It is interesting because they often come off as catchy without at all feeling "poppy" per se. This definitely shows Jon's talent in constructing evil but pretty sounding riffs. There are no filler tracks. Each song was obviously crafted with just as much care as the next and each one establishes a little something different. You will find it very hard to name a favorite track since they are all very memorable for different reasons.

A defining feature of this album is Dissection's combination of melody and aggression. There are plenty of heavy riffs that then transition well into an amazing melody. It is hard to name specific examples from individual tracks since it is done so perfectly all throughout the album. An easy example though is in the opening track "Night's Blood" where the opening guns a blazing heavy riff is followed by an incredibly melodic tremolo-picked black metal riff that exemplifies the melodic and aggressive aspects of the album perfectly.

The acoustic parts are well placed and never feel like they were shoehorned in for no good reason. The acoustic intro to the third track "Where Dead Angels Lie" does a fantastic job of preluding the metal riffing that soon follows. The acoustic interludes such as the one in "Night's Blood" compliment the metal riffing nicely and comes in at just the right time to do so.

I cannot think of a way Jon could have improved his vocals here. They never at all sound raspy or raw. One way I can describe it is that he comes off as "well-spoken" in the context of extreme metal vocals. Despite this, it sounds as powerful as he can possibly get and with as much passion and aggression as black metal should have. It almost sounds as if it is Edgar Allen Poe attempting black metal because the lyrics and the way they are presented come off as very poetic. The lyrics are another highlight of this album. Due to Jon pronouncing them fairly clearly it is easy to understand much of it without looking them up. They definitely have come to serve as a blueprint for melodic black metal lyrics and this is evident in seemingly all melodic black metal released after his. They have a general theme of evil defeating good. This is often conveyed with a really interesting vocabulary. One of my favorite lyrics from the album is found in "Nights Blood." I like them because I feel that they exemplify the cold, dark, and melodic atmosphere of the album all in one paragraph.

"Loneliness in the embrace of you autumn night
The night that froze my cries
Deep into the woods glows a fading light
I sold my soul, cold as ice."

Ole Öhman's drumming is also worth mentioning. His blasts work really well with both the thrash and black metal riffing heard throughout the album. There are plenty of times where you will find yourself listening to the drums just as much as anything else on the album. You will definitely hear parts where the tremolo-picked melodic black metal riffing would not be quite as memorable without the accompanying drum work. The bass generally mirrors the guitar.

The production is pretty much perfect as well. It is impossible to make a good case that this would sound better with more traditional rough black metal production. Rough production was not as all needed for Dissection to deliver here. The sinister clearly heard melodies establish evilness more than any rough production ever could. The guitar tone is pretty clear and comes off as really chilling. Because of this, it is often easy to associate the sound with a crisp chilly winter atmosphere. This definitely helps the listener visualize the album in a sense. For example, during the second track "Unhallowed" it is easy to picture Soldiers clad in armor in the snow ready to slay the forces of good.

The final product ends up being a timeless work of extreme metal. It is easy to see why it gets the praise it does in the metal world. Especially in melodic black metal.

What were you doing with your life when you were 19 years old? Speaking as someone who was that age just a few months ago, I can attest that I spent most of that 365 day period procrastinating on papers I should have been writing, browsing the internet, and watching Twin Peaks while yelling at the screen with my friend. When Jon Nodtveidt was 19, he made "Storm of the Light's Bane." Kind of a sharp contrast.

Much has been written about this album, how it supposedly revolutionized black metal, how it's apparently without parallel, how it looked like it might be Dissection's swansong when he was sent to prison. I can't speak for the veracity of these claims, but I can say one thing: "Storm of the Light's Bane" is a fucking masterpiece. Seriously, it's not very common for an album to completely live up to all the hype that I've heard about it, but this one absolutely did.

From the first surge of life on the instrumental opener, "At The Fathomless Depths," you know this isn't going to be your average black metal album. There's an sense of to the foreboding on this track, a cross between King Diamond and Wagner. As the serpentine guitar melodies move through the track, it's apparent that this is building to something greater. And by the time "Night's Blood" comes crashing in, you're hooked. Even with all the intensity and aggression of this thrashy song, the band never sacrifices melody. Nodtveidt's vocals are powerful and harsh, yet clear and distinct, moreso than on "The Somberlain." It's actually fairly easy to understand the lyrics, and all the better for it. The lyrics are grand and evocative, with a flair for the gothic, while never being too melodramatic.

The guitar work is brilliant, bringing a healthy sense of melody and Iron Maiden influence, while still having the intensity and drone of black metal. Nodtveidt's solos, while rare, are memorable and eerie, combining beautiful melodies with darkness and melancholy. The use of acoustic passages as a means of breaking up the songs can sometimes go on a bit long, but it makes for a good contrast with the blasting, aggressive black metal sections. This isn't a Marduk album, so the drummer uses blast beats sparingly, which works wonders. I'm a proponent of the idea that blast beats must be strictly rationed in order to make sure that when they occur, the effect is even greater, such as on the penultimate track, "Soulreaper." This song is probably the closest "Storm of the Light's Bane gets to pure black metal, with it's drilling tremolo riffs and icy atmosphere, but make no mistake, it's still firmly in the more melodic camp.

If I had to choose one highlight, it would have to be "Where Dead Angels Lie." Here Nodtveidt really indulges himself in his more melodic, traditional tendencies, following a verse-chorus format, and even including a fairly bluesy guitar solo. That's all well and good, but the moment that truly makes this an incredible song is the bone chilling scream Nodtveidt emits at the end of the acoustic bridge. He sounds like a man possessed, yet totally in control.

Closing out the record is "No Dreams Breed In Breathless Sleep," a short piano piece. While it might initially seem a bit underwhelming, it's melancholy atmosphere fits perfectly with the rest of the album, and the final chord is just as powerful to me as the massive cacophony that closes "A Day in the Life."

What else can I really say about "Storm of the Light's Bane?" It's like a metal symphony that ebbs and flows, with Nodtveidt at the helm. Even if you don't usually like black metal, there's enough here to capture the interest of anyone with an ear for the grand and melodic. For my money, this is an all time high point in metal history.

In the middle of the 1990’s, something fantastic happened in Sweden. Death metal in the vein of Entombed, Dismember and Grave had been ruling the extreme metal scene for a couple of years, and the second wave of black metal was starting to lift its ugly head over the horizon. Drawing inspiration from both these majestic sources of energy, some deranged minds began to mix a stew of their very own. Bands like Unanimated, Decameron, Lord Belial and so forth began to pop up, but none were as competent as the ferocious, evil spawn of Jon Nödtveidt, the mighty Dissection. With the release of their debut “The Somberlain” in 1993, they cemented themselves as the band in Swedish death/black metal. And with the follow-up, the universe exploded.

There’s no songwriting here. There’s only magic. I’ve probably never heard an album that is so uniform throughout its length, yet still so varied. The coldness that emanates from the very essence of the musical expression of Nödtveidt is nothing short of breath-taking. Malignant bursts of sulfur-spewing pure fucking evil, bone-chilling melodies that haunt your dreams at night, innovative song structures that keep you on your toes at all times, majestic and profound THE WORLD OPENS AND FINALLY I CAN SEE moments of truth and clarity…it’s all here. This is the ultimate metal manifesto.

Riffs galore. Satan help us. There are so many quality riffs in every song that it’s not even funny. Let’s take an example: "Retribution – Storm of the Light’s Bane". Intro riff A – godlike blasting. Intro riff B – majestic harmonies. Intro riff A – reminiscing the divine. Verse riff – catchy bleakness. Pre-chorus riff – energetic fireball. That’s four different amazing riffs and we’re 55 seconds into the track, and the vocals haven’t even appeared yet. Most parts are not easy to categorize as either riffs or melodies, as they’re often both. How Nödtveidt could get in so much information into every riff and still keep them catchy and driving the song’s momentum forward is beyond me. That’s pure genius. During a few intros and bridge breaks, an eerie acoustic guitar also creeps in. Everything to set the right mood.

Drummer Ole Öhman plays such imaginative patterns and memorable fills that it’s spooky how they don’t come across as “too much”, but heighten the songs’ moods and keep the listener’s interest up. He’s absolutely not the tightest drummer out there, but although his tempos may vary a few bpm’s up or down, I’d much rather take Öhman’s style before a soulless, coldly calculated technical-and-tight approach.

Recorded and mixed at Unisound Studios, Dan Swanö simply pushed the “cold and freezing as the bleak apparition of Death on a winter morning, crossing the crystal-capped glaciers harboring the souls of worlds long dead” button. I’ve been looking for that button on all mixing boards ever since, with no luck. Dan, what did you do!?!? All the guitars sound so sharp and edgy, yet pleasant that it shouldn’t be possible. The drums, especially the toms sound huge, but maybe they could’ve been a tiny tiny bit more integrated into the mix. And the vocals…the soul-piercing heart of this record. Pristine is an understatement for this, the great Unisound’s greatest achievement.

So what about those vocals? Well, we’re talking about the best extreme metal vocalist to ever have spewed forth his hatred against life and religion, and the crown jewel of his magnum opus, well… Such distinct malevolence as Jon’s vocals on “SotLB” has seldom been heard – correction: make that never. There’s so much emotion and conviction behind his stellar screams that him being able to articulate and perform at top-notch level is beyond me. Given the state of euphoria he seems to be in, he should’ve been self-combusting out of hatred, sobbing in a heap in the corner out of melancholy or killing someone with his bare hands in a frenzy of illwill joy, not performing vocal duties in a studio booth. Maybe he was.

The lyrics are quasi-poetic renditions of evil, death, anti-Christianity, the end of the world, killing the weak, hell and Satan. You know the deal. What sets these lyrics apart from most are the subtle twists in the choice of words and the seemingly never-ending search for the purpose beyond mere actions. In darkness, in death – beyond darkness, beyond death you may find your purpose, your survival:

I drown in the color of your eye
for a black heart will only find beauty in darkness
I breathe its eternity to absorb the sky
where the shadows of my death may lie

The cover art has to be mentioned, considering that it's one of the greatest ever made. Necrolord aka Kristian Wåhlin. You know him? You should. This is his finest piece. It’s in such perfect correlation with the music that any one of them wouldn’t be as iconic as it is without the other. I have a signed 27”/22” lithograph of this album cover on my bedroom wall, contact the man himself if you’re interested in one. The button Dan Swanö pushed to achieve the production values herein was, as you can see if you scroll back to that paragraph, a perfect fit to the cover as well.

If there was one album which could be perfect, it would be this. Through the thousands of records I’ve heard, none is as magical as this one. The atmosphere that permeates the whole opus, from intro to outro, is so grandiose, cold and evil it still gives me shivers every time I listen to it, two decades since hearing it for the first time. This is also probably the album I’ve spun the most total times, ever, and its quality and impact show not a single sign of wear. It has not aged well. It has aged fucking superbly. Jon was a genius, and this is the pinnacle of his genius. All hail Dissection, the mightiest of the mighty!

While the finger of scorn is so often pointed at the likes of English breast-enthusiasts, Cradle of Filth, and Norway’s leather gang, Dimmu Borgir, in truth it’s probably Dissection who made the first accessible, mainstream-sounding black metal albums. Especially when compared to the aforementioned bands either surprisingly low-powered take on black metal (For All Tid’s somewhat amateurish me-too-isms and Stormblåst’s rainy melancholy) and Cradle’s early, more bombastic approach, it’s clear that Dissection would serve as a better gateway drug for thousands of lonely teenagers who have already weaned themselves on Maiden and are looking for something in the extreme end of the metal spectrum that still carries some of that melodic melancholy. After all teenagers love being depressed; it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.

Certainly, the success of this record is, in part, due to its accessibility. Whilst there were many other extreme metal bands vying for a bigger, more accessible sound – At the Gates and Carcass spring to mind – Jon Nödtveidt manages to work in many of his more stadium-pleasing, earworm melodies into songs that can still carry more class than the “GO! DO IT!” quandary of Slaughter of the Soul or the proto-Wacken metal grooves of Heartwork. What comes to mind for me is that old Venom instrumental, ‘Mayhem with Mercy’, as our black-clad Swedish young man – at the time barely out of his teens – has basically married Mayhem with Maiden. It always strikes me as a little funny when people call an album like this “NWOBHM-inspired”; I mean, I can certainly hear the Maiden… but where’s the Dumpy’s Rusty Nuts influence? Where are the Vardis-esque boogie passages? Anyway, like many of its more melodious contemporaries, it would seem that The Storm of Light’s Bane owes a great deal to Euronymous’s work on De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. Certainly, the majority of the black metal parts on this record tend to carry a twinge of Mayhem. Let’s just say that I wouldn’t be surprised if both Dave Murray and Mr Aarseth were amongst Nödtveidt’s favourite guitarists. Elsewhere, and another clear indication of this record’s accessibility, is the use of clean and acoustic guitar sections. These are generally really well-done and serve as pivotal moments for many songs (you don’t get many better acoustic passages than the one in ‘Night’s Blood’) but instead of being reminded of Bathory, Immortal or Venom… strangely, they tend to sound like Blind Guardian more than anyone else. Coincidental or not, I think that it’s not a massive stretch to say that this album has more in common with, say, Imaginations from the Other Side than it does with Graveland’s Thousand Swords.

Nonetheless, if this album is one I would consider to be very successful, another impression it leaves is one of inconsistency. For example, I’d say that this album is less cohesive than its predecessor and the black metal parts can sometimes be a bit ‘by-numbers’ especially when they go for some of the typical Euronymous “close-note” riffing over blast-beats. Weirdly enough, though, is the fact that the inconsistency tends to be in terms of individual riffs as all the songs themselves are quite strong when taken on their own. There’s nothing throwaway here; but I find some of the more normal black metal parts to be a little dull at times (‘Unhallowed’ has a few sections that drag on needlessly I’d say). I’d definitely argue that the band’s strengths lay more in their ability to craft beautiful, sonorous passages rather than in their bludgeoning riff-craft (which, if we’re perfectly honest, shows them again to be more in line with In Flames than Abrumptum or Absurd). That’s probably part of the reason why I think it’s funny that the vast majority of Dissection’s fan-base despise Reinkaos for being – shock horror! – melodeath (albeit melodeath of the bald-headed “a bit too serious about this whole Satan thing” variety) as if their previous material sounded like early Beherit or something of that ilk.

Of course, what further gives this album the sense that it could appeal to your sibling who thinks Heartwork is much better than Reek of Putrefaction and says Atrocity “really found their feet” when they started singing about vampires to impress the goth girls in their town, is its anthemic feel. Whilst this was clearly the work of a despondent, spooky teenager – most of the lyrics reek of that “I’m going to my bedroom to read Anne Rice novels and draw pentagrams and there’s nothing you can do about it, mum!” – there’s a sense of singalong, communal melody here. Again, one might be inclined to state that Dissection really started the “arena black metal” sound. It’s certainly not too difficult to imagine the twin guitar parts being sung back by a stadium full of wild fans. Most of the time it’s successful, too, ‘Night’s Blood’ and ‘Where Dead Angels Lie’ present the band at their catchiest and yet they’re simultaneously the most forceful songs on the record. On the other hand, the song with the biggest chorus – ostensibly designed to be carved into the school books of a thousand socially awkward teens (in red or black ink, natch) – ‘Soulreaper’ falls flat.

Still, it’s hard to scold a band too much for not being as consistently brilliant as the highlights here show them to be. But what highlights they are! ‘Where Dead Angels Lie’ is like a brilliantly icy take on Maiden’s ‘Revelations’ and ‘Night’s Blood’ is simply thrilling with its breakneck pace and gorgeous interplay between the two guitarists. Simply put they’re probably the two strongest songs in the band’s woefully short catalogue (should have reconsidered your actions, Jon, and we’d have had at least one more brilliant record from you). They show the band’s songwriting at its deadly best and you get the feeling if certain people hadn’t made absurdly stupid decisions. Along with Euronymous’s sticky end it seems like one of the big “what ifs” in black metal.

Well, there you have it – a great band led by a fucking numpty. I’ve been listening to this album for about ten years now (not continuously, mind, a man’s got to sleep) and there has always been something very impressive about it, which is slightly marred by some songwriting slips.

Part of Jon Nödtveidt's claim to fame is that he made an old trick new again. Dissection's The Somberlain was released at the height of the so-called Second Wave; Storm of the Light's Bane came towards the end of it. By the point Nödtveidt left his mark in black metal, the musical end of the culture had begun to settle down; the original spirit of pure provocation inevitably gave way to a more mature, artistically liberated outlook. From a musical perspective, black metal no longer had to prove itself against other styles like death metal, and enough talented people had stirred it for long enough that it might still be identifiable if combined with other sounds. Dissection certainly pioneered melodic black metal, but they didn't invent any of the ingredients used in that formula. Nödtveidt went back in time to the twin-guitar melodies prevalent in Iron Maiden and other NWOBHM classics, and fused that familiar influence into black metal that an astonishing number of people who listen to them neglect to realize there's a fusion going on at all.

Storm of the Light's Bane arguably has one of the most iconic album covers in black metal history, and the music seems to have left about as much of an impression on people. Certainly, Dissection had built up a strong core ability by the point of The Somberlain, and this second album saw that intensity grow. Storm of the Light's Bane itself is a pretty great album, and I think Nödtveidt was able to pair his heretical visions with a songwriting proficiency shared by few of his Neanderthal contemporaries. But is it another sort of heresy to feel less towards an album almost unanimously thought of as a masterpiece? Is it alright to like an album -- a lot, even -- and still think it probably doesn't deserve the throne of reverence it gets from most other listeners? A more mixed reaction can be a more difficult foundation to write a review about; this is doubly true in the case of a twenty year-old classic that's been heard by virtually everyone it might appeal to.

I'll say again: Storm of the Light's Bane is a great album. If there are times I still think The Somberlain is better overall, this is the album with the most memorable songs. This is the album that immortalized Dissection. This is the album people will remember the band for, and for good reason. While the most significant innovation in Dissection was Nödtveidt successfully weaponizing Maidenesque twin-guitar leads, the thing that's kept Storm of the Light's Bane sounding fresh is the songwriting. With most fresh styles, there's usually a period where the pioneer is still learning to write around his innovation-- see Burzum's early work if you're looking for an example. For Dissection, the songwriting was always at the forefront, and none moreso than on Storm of the Light's Bane. Dissection's more memorable parts are all derived from their freshing use of melody, but Jon Nödtveidt doesn't let that aspect of the music dull any other. "Night's Blood" is startling for its speed and technical aggression. Melody is usually seen to go hand-in-hand with basic verseform songwriting, but again, Dissection doesn't let that conventional beauty get in the way of more involved songwriting. "Thorns of Crimson Death" is one of the prettiest songs on the album, and the parts are so nicely gathered together that it's easy to overlook how many dynamic shifts that song offers in its eight minutes. Even the single and melodic masterstroke "Where Dead Angels Lie" has a sense of engrained urgency in spite of being the most melodic and conventionally written song of the lot.

Given how many of their contemporaries were taken to a style-over-substance approach to music, the fact that Dissection's songwriting succeeds distinct of the risky style they were pioneering ensures that Storm of the Light's Bane be seen as a finalized expression rather than primarily as a genre's step in evolution. The marriage of classic metal melodies with evil tritone chord progressions was nonetheless a powerful reverse-engineering of old tricks, and the music takes capital advantage of the band's distinctive character. Nödtveidt's songwriting is built on strong foundations of dynamic and interesting chord changes. As it happens, a lot of those shifts throughout the album tend to be very similar, and the impression of a formula arises before the album's over, though it's not quite so pronounced that it makes the music sound predictable.

Considering Jon Nödtveidt and Johan Norman were 19 and 21 respectively when this album was recorded, I'm consistently wowed by their control as guitarists, and the almost-thrashy energy they put into the riffs on "Night's Blood" makes a good part of why it's one of my favourites on the album. Just as much, I'm impressed by Ole Öhman's drumming here, who sounds technically accomplished, but also too immersed in his playing to care if a beat or two is out of place. The percussion is constantly busy, and it gives Storm of the Light's Bane a feeling of consistent intensity.

I've got a lot of respect for Storm of the Light's Bane, and that respect is heightened when I stop to consider the band didn't have much to direct inspire the direction with, outside of The Somberlain from a couple years earlier. Style and songwriting are both strengths to this album, but those two parts of Dissection seem to impress me more in concept than in reality. Jon Nödtveidt wrote plenty of great riffs for this album, and it's obvious he knows how to organize songs, but the tracks here don't impress me equally. "Unhallowed" and "Soulreaper", for instance, never struck me immediately like "Where Dead Angels Lie", nor did they grow on me like "Night's Blood" or "Retribution - Storm of the Light's Bane". What's more; hearing a very similar-sounding album with Sacramentum's Far Away from the Sun, and realizing how much more I enjoyed it over this brings to question what Storm of the Light's Bane might be missing. In truth, I don't think anything is missing from this album. It is well-rounded, and thoroughly inspired, but other albums have been both without being considered the best for what they are. While I still think some of the subsequent meloblack acts (like Sacramentum and Vinterland) would actually do it better than this, Dissection still crafted a memorable record here, and I don't think they would seem less on-point if they weren't the first, but hundredth to play this style.

Dissection certainly belongs to the most respected and important Swedish extreme metal bands. No surprise really, if you look at their short discography… short, but filled with important and essential releases. Not only there’s “The Somberlain” – one of my favourite records of all time, a true death / black metal masterpiece, but there’s also an insanely good follower, “Storm of the Light’s Bane”. I am not sure if it is a better record when compared to the debut… and I probably don’t even care, as I would rather say that both are equally killer. Both have truly amazing songs, both characterise that exceptional songwriting and arranging style of Jon Nödtveidt… and both are masterpieces of melodic, dark death / black metal. Of course “Storm of the Light’s Bane” was a step forward for Dissection. They got signed by Nuclear Blast Records, who surely had bigger promotional possibilities than No Fashion. Luckily, bigger label didn’t affect the music, and the second album is a natural continuation of “The Somberlain”. The second LP maintains all the strong, powerful aspects of Dissection music and only the production is cleaner, less obscure, but still nice and powerful, fitting well to such dark and cold music.

One look at the tracklist of “Storm of the Light’s Bane” and you can spot that literally all songs on the album are top quality, all are killer tunes, so well known also from the band’s live performances. It is basically flawless, high quality and perfect record from start to finish, without even a second of filler material. Just give a listen to side A (I have the LP, but in case of CD version then I mean tracks 2-5): “Night’s Blood”, “Unhallowed” and finally “When Dead Angels Lie”. Isn’t that a perfect combination of songs? Just as on the previous album, also here Dissection composed amazing songs, where aggressive, obscure riffing goes hand in hand with great harmonies, the work of guitarists is simply astonishing, so well performed, so well composed and arranged music… Just as on the previous record, also here Dissection comes with lengthy songs, but this time is never wasted, as a strong care was taken to craft the long instrumental parts, where both guitarists bring excellent harmonies, which never sound boring and surely are not too melodic. And these lengthy songs never fell apart, being solid and complete… It’s a great achievement of Dissection that they can perform melodic death / black metal without sounding cheesy, but it’s always so dark, sharp and rough. There’s a lot of anger, aggression, but also melancholy and all in all it can be described as emotional music even. Ah, I forgot to add also that some space has also been spiced with acoustic guitars. They add some epicness and even more atmosphere to the whole record, clearly “When Dead Angels Lie” being the best known example for it. And let’s not forget about Jon Nödtveidt’s characteristic ice cold, harsh vocals, which are just as unique as his composing and playing style. With all these aspects together, you always know and recognize easily that this is Dissection and not some copycats or whatever.

“Night’s Blood” and “Unhallowed” are definitely my favourite tunes on this album. But then, as mentioned before, the whole record is perfect, so if I also take as an example such “Retribution - Storm of the Light's Bane” or “Soulreaper” then it’s also a very good choice. And this is how you recognize a masterpiece album. You listen to it for one decade, then for another, but it still gives you a goose bumps, still excites you like crazy… and every song is a winner. “The Somberlain” is exactly like that and “Storm of the Light's Bane” as well.

Finally, I have here an ultimate vinyl version of the album, released in 2006, which not only contains a nice 12” size booklet with lyrics, graphics and some band photos, but also a second bonus LP, which brings an unknown, previously unreleased, mixing of the whole album. And usually I am quite skeptic about such doubtful quality bonuses, as mostly you simply can’t tell the difference between both versions… In this case it’s actually a good addition, as the sound of the unreleased version is different; it’s harsher, more obscure, rawer… So, it was also a great experience to hear that album with more obscure sound and it’s nice to have now a choice which version I want to listen to. Fantastic, complete vinyl release, really!

Standout tracks: “Night’s Blood”, “Unhallowed”, “When Dead Angels Lie”, “Retribution”
Final rate: 88/100

Bellowing out some dark and original riff writing featuring 2 genres of metal, melodic death/melodic black, Dissection really pegs away at these genres. I'd say the production quality was quite raw, though you can hear the riffs pretty well in somewhat high definition. A real masterpiece of songwriting that is not copied by the band when they did riffs Jon pretty wrote all of the tracks and his vocals were dark and echo-sounding on the recording which makes the album sound more dark and dismal. He never was that well respected on leads, but harmonies he shines upon. Dissection hits home on this release if your forte is melodic metal in general.

I'd have to say all of the tracks are good on this recording. Nothing here is half assed or played without vigor. The recording could have been better, but I think that they really wanted to achieve a dark and dismal sound which is what they achieved here. Many musicians contributed to this release not only the 5 members, but some other guest back vocalists such as Legion (Marduk/Devian), IT (Abruptum) et al. They really added to the darkness of the release. Raw, decrepit and well played out album that was during a time where melodic stuff in the vein of black and melodic death were just emerging, Jon concocted many great melodies on this one.

Follow up from "The Somberlain", the music features melodic guitar with riffs that are fast picked and melodies with the main distorted guitar also showing up was some acoustic guitar pieces. But only short bits of those, this whole release mainly consists of a lot of use of standard tuning (what it sounds like at least) guitar with a lot of distortion. Jon's vocals are really dark and depressing. It really made an impact on the metal scene (the melodic death genre) back in the days when this sort of songwriting was just forming with a few other really well known bands such as Death, Darkane, and Soilwork were concocting.

I loved the riffs as a whole and this 8 track 43+ minute dark metal release really impressed me as a whole. Nothing more depressing than this album and I think that was Jon's goal to make music that was so desolate it would bring the listener down into the depressing mood entirely. Not something advisable to listen to if you are afflicted some sort of mood disorder. So in effect here, the music once again was solely original and well played out. The musicianship wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be, but that could be why the recording quality suffered greatly. However, this statement could be debatable.

If you're looking to hear some dark, depressing, melodic and overall original metal, "Storm of the Light's Bane" is there for you. A highlight in the band's shortened discography due to Jon's death, this album really is intense and atmospheric. There isn't a track on here that lacks originality or intensity except the instrumentals. All in all, a good album listened to in its entirety and definitely worth picking up if you love melodic metal. It really hit home with me and may do the same for you if you're a big fan of depressing metal with melodic and unrelenting intensity.

Melody has always been a difficult beast to handle in the metal world simply because if you use too much of it, you're likely to be placed in a group of horrific bands that you would never want to be in such company with. If you don't use any melody, then you had better have the riffs and everything else to impress. But if you're like Dissection and you know how to incorporate the perfect amount of melody with stunning riffs and a bleak and chilling atmosphere, then there should be no worries. "Storm of the Light's Bane" is infinitely better than the debut from these Swedes and it is praised the world over for its magnificence in conjuring the perfect aura for the band's black metal stylings.

The opening song of the record, "At the Fathomless Depths" sets the tone for the rest on the songs with a very haunting and looming feel of dread, while also possessing an almost classical sense to the music. The next song "Night's Blood" opens with a decent thrash riff, only to morph into a blistering melodic tremolo section followed by some brilliant midpaced riffage. While on the subject of riffs, there aren't many on this album, well in the traditional sense. The majority of the rhythms on "Storm of the Light's Bane" are your typical black metal tremolo patterns and the occasional thrashy riff, but for the most part the bulk of this record centers around the melodies that are so perfectly intertwined with the frenzied drumming and Nodtveit's tremendous vocals. "Soulreaper" is probably the best example of what Dissection sounds like when storming through at full force rather than focusing on melodies and atmosphere, settling for a blistering sound that could shatter bones.

Dissection also loved their acoustic guitars, making for some memorable moments on "Night's Blood" and "Thorns of Crimson Death," as they find their place in the songs as more of an interlude that raises the hair on one's neck rather than a showcase of technical proficiency. The intro to "Where Dead Angels Lie" is also one of the most memorable acoustic intros in recent memory as it makes way for the impeccable melodies that follow it. "Storm of the Light's Bane" isn't a record that should be written off as some boring Gothenburg melodeath album, but one that should be listened to on repeat for its sound is the equivalent of a raging ice storm that would bury a small village. If that doesn't sound appealing to you, then I would hope you find yourself caught in said blizzard.

Highlights
"Night's Blood"
"Where Dead Angels Lie"
"Retribution - Storm of the Light's Bane"

Originally written for Nightmare Reality Webzine.
nightmarerealitywebzine.blogspot.com

Throughout Dissection’s career, the band only released three albums, though they have released a handful of EPs and other memorabilia. Their first two albums, The Somberlain and Storm of the Light’s Bane, define the band’s sound (I will probably save their third album, Reinkaos, for a different time when I have the chance). While I acknowledge The Somberlain as one of Dissection’s classics, personally, I couldn’t quite get into it because of its naïve nature and its superficial atmosphere.

Their second album, Storm of the Light’s Bane, refines and perfects the sound that Dissection had on The Somberlain. The productions is a considerable step up, with a very cold and trebly sound without sounding very noisy like most black metal at the time or as sterile as most modern extreme metal. Imagine yourself alone in a desolate land in the middle of a deadly snowstorm; that’s the equivalent of Storm of the Light’s Bane’s intense nature. The songs are very memorable; often times, catchy, making this very accessible for newcomers, but never getting boring even after a lot of listens.

The guitarists, Jon Nodtveidt and Johan Norman, are the center of focus to create this album with their brutal, but also melodic riffs and leads. There is a fair amount of riff harmonization, which, unlike a lot of Gothenburg melodic death metal bands, doesn’t sound as cheesy, but rather more harsh-sounding and, sometimes, very abrasive. There are quite a few outside elements; there are multiple cases of classical influences, thrash metal-esque riffs seen in songs such as ‘Retribution’, and ‘Thorns of Crimson Death’, and even some bluesy licks in the song, ‘Where Dead Angels Lie’.

Ole Ohman compliments the guitar work perfectly behind the drum kit with considerable but controlled use of blast beats and thrash metal-style patterns. The bass guitar follows the guitars for the most part, but the overall musicianship is so good that it’s not much of a problem.

The acoustic sections are also very welcome and are played in a similarly cold nature as the other instruments are; one of the best uses of them is during the track, ‘Soulreaper’, where they contrast with the intense speed and distorted rhythm guitars. There are also occasional sound effects that create a dense layer of ambience such as a bass drop in ‘Night’s Blood’ and faint explosions…without even using keyboards. Hell, the atmosphere is just as dense as Emperor’s In the Nightside Eclipse; if not, more.

Jon’s vocal work further enhances the music. To this day, he stands out with a very recognizable voice that should not be confused with other black metal vocalists. His ghostly shrieks sound very desolate and mournful, creeping the listener with every poetic line he recites. Speaking of which, the lyrics Jon wrote for Storm of the Light’s Bane are disturbingly descriptive, haunting, and well written. The following excerpt is from ‘Soulreaper’.

“Wail - oh desolate gale
Bring forth your bitter winds
Wail through heart and through soul
A poisoned kiss so deathly cold
Vanish grief and inner pain
Wail - oh desolate gale
through empires by blackened tears created
On the wings of a wind - The wind of wraith
whose scythe caresses in rage”

100/100
Strong and thoughtful songwriting with a very bleak atmosphere as the icing on the cake, Storm of the Light’s Bane is, without doubt, a classic for melodic black metal and my personal favorite black metal record. It’s really a pity to have a band like them release a masterful record then split off. Then again, Dissection’s discography has been very good (yes, that includes the underrated Reinkaos), that there was probably no need for them to continue.

When I first got this album, I didn't pay it nearly enough attention. I think this was due to my background in hardcore punk, a subculture burdened with a lot of musical prejudices and inhibitions. With its polished production and flamboyant fretwork, Storm... struck me as something I couldn't quite take seriously. It didn't fit my notion of what truly grim, aggressive music should sound like. I was also a bit disappointed with the riffing. True to punk form, I virtually ignored the leads in favor of the rhythm parts, which I thought should be the "meat" of any heavy music. Many of these struck me as too standard. The most obvious example of this is the cliche thrash riff that begins "Night's Blood." Perhaps it poisoned my reception of the rest of the album? Over the last couple years Dissection grew on me, but I continued to compare them unfavorably with their fellow-travelers in the Swedish scene (see my True Black Metal, Part 2 post). Now I have seen the light, er, darkness.

Over the last couple weeks, I have played this album over and over and over again. I felt so stupid for neglecting it. In fact, I think Storm... has become one of my "go-to" black metal albums, on par with Gorgoroth's Under The Sign of Hell. I couldn't decide on a favorite song...each time I listened, I would hear new depth and power in every track. One day I'd go back and listen again to my old standard "Soulreaper," the next I'd be drooling over "Unhallowed" or "Retribution." What was I hearing, that I wasn't when I first listened ?

First, Dissection is grim as fuck and aggressive as all hell. Jon Nodtveidt's flair for melody only adds to the absolutely ripping feel of the music. And the fancy production doesn't detract from it. In fact, it's an essential part of the package. Every note is placed so carefully that the music would lose something if it wasn't as clear as a glacial lake. And, uh, the vocals dude. The vocals. There is nothing remotely accessible about this album, because Jon is standing athwart the gates and snarling like a three-headed hound.

Second, Dissection are brilliant riffwriters. The thing is, the rhythm parts aren't the center of the music, and attempting to treat them as such (as I did) will only make you miss the point. At its heart, Storm of the Light's Bane is about harmonized lead melodies, from the repetitive keening of "Where Dead Angels Lie" to the ecstatic frenzy of the chorus in "Soulreaper." As far as rhythm riffs go, Jon does indeed use a lot of standard patterns, but he gives us new versions of these riffs that are full of personality. They're also usually better than the originals. And you can't talk about Dissection's songwriting without talking about their gift for arrangement. In an album this riffy, it's a wonder the songs don't fall apart. Instead, each passage flows into the next one with the inexorability of fate. Through this deft sequencing Dissection multiply their riffpower and build grand narratives. Everything is going somewhere, and it's always exciting to hear what comes next.

Third, Dissection is easily confused with pretentious bands because they have a common ambition. The difference is that Dissection actually pull it off. They're not pretending to be shredmasters with the souls of Romantic composers, that's what they actually are. For Metallica, those florid lead embellishments and quasi-medieval acoustic interludes were moments of unintentional comic relief in the midst of bloated pop-thrash songs. For Dissection, they're part and parcel of a fully realized vision. Sure, Dissection write polished and sophisticated music. Sure, they completely disregard punk (read: modernist) hangups about "good taste." It doesn't make the music any less worth taking seriously.

Re-listening to Dissection reminded me that every album is a singular phenomenon, and you can never go into a listening experience simply hoping for the music to conform to your ideas of what it should be. Great music always confounds expectations and complicates assumptions. When I heard this for the first time, I was so wrapped up in my (newly formed) ideas about what black metal should be that I forgot to hear Dissection telling me what it is.

(Originally written for Trial By Ordeal, www.trialbyordeal666.blogspot.com)

This review was originally written for http://metalneverlies.com

This CD is epic, chilling, and brutal, but most of all, this CD is a masterpiece. Don't let the soft intro fool you, Storm of the Light's Bane (1995) is one of the most solid pieces of metal I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. What's good about this album? A lot of things really. The riffs are icy cold and the drumming will make your bones shiver. Finally, the vocals will kick in and send chills down your spine. This CD sounds like somebody who is suffering from the occult in the middle of a blizzard in a northern forest of Scandinavia.

The first of many epic songs on this CD is “Night's Blood.” This song is amazing. The drums are relentless, the riffs feel like a furious ice storm, and the vocals sound so sinister that you can almost feel like you are in the very place I described earlier. Dissection's work here is flawless. I'm listening and oh, what's this? Of course there is a perfectly placed acoustic passage here that makes the song that much more atmospheric and awesome. “Unhallowed” is next, and wouldn't you know this song is just as brutal as the first. The guitar solo sounds like mystic powers and shattering ice. It's awesome. “Where Dead Angels Lie” changes it up a bit. This song is a bit slower, but it makes up for it with darkness in it's lyrics and tone. The title track is another pitch-black and cold song that's almost as awesome as “Night's Blood” and “Unhallowed,” but the real gem on this release is the eight-minute epic: “Thorns of Crimson Death.”

Everything about that song is perfect. It builds up with more chilling, ice cold riffs and dark drumwork into an instrumental break of epic proportions which will totally blow you away. After this song is over, the album could be done and be fine just like that, but Dissection was actually nice enough to include “Soulreaper” a beast clocking in at 6:57, and a mysterious outro that will leave you shivering in a corner somewhere.

I'm completely serious when I say that this CD is a vital part of any collection. If you don't like this album, then you probably don't like music. Storm of the Light's Bane (1995) is Dissection's best effort, and a masterpiece that anyone can appreciate and enjoy.

It is hard to describe the influence that this band and this particular album have had on me. In the few recordings I've done with past projects it has been noted by the few people, who actually know about black/death metal, how much influence Storm of the Light's Bane (SOTLB) is in it. Jon Nodveidt is one of my personal heroes not only for the impact his music has on black and death metal but also for the obvious passion he put into his music. I note my influence for them so much that when Nodveidt died I had the Dissection cross tattooed on my right arm.

Storm of the Light's Bane came out during a year that was the heyday of death metal; a year marked by timeless masterpieces. Released alongside At the Gates's Slaughter of the Soul, Dark Tranquillity's The Gallery, Cryptopsy's None So Vile, and Suffocation's Pierced from Within, it was released during a noteworthy period of the genre. Each of the above mentioned albums have had a great deal of impact on technical death metal and melodic death metal, with SOTLB being at the top.

SOTLB is one of the rarest, perfect blends of blackened death metal, with a heavy dose of melody. The production on this album isn't perfect, however, it bridges between the low-fi quality of black metal and the generally cleaner quality of melodic death, which is exactly what SOTLB is a perfect amalgamation of the two styles. The guitars are distant sounding and chillingly melodic inducing a sense of ethereal wonder. The drums are fierce and change accordingly with the traditional blastbeats and chaotic fills. Nodveidt's vox are acceptional, an echoey screech reminscent of a demonic prophet. The lyrics are darkly poetic and are the perfect compliment to this album.

Essentially Dissection's Storm of the Light's Bane is, in any sense of the word, the perfect blackened death metal album. It is a benchmark in its genre and is worthy of being remembered if not for its impact but for the memory of its creator, Jon Nodveidt.

For most people, black metal means face paint, fake blood, swords, leather, synth all over and as little riffs as possible. This description, as awful as it sounds, is often correct. Only a ridiculously small amount of black metal bands deliver a product worthy of recognition but these few are not only good, they’re excellent. One of those legendary formations, originating from Sweden, is Dissection and they have managed to leave their mark with only two releases. Maybe their name doesn’t reach as far in the metal universe as Bathory, Burzum or Ulver but the band’s classic masterpiece, Storm of The Light’s Bane, is one of black metal’s most known, respected and owned album.

This particular release may not offer the “purest” black sound but it does have all of the genre’s personality without the decorations and fake vampire teeth. Dissection is straightforward and somewhat influenced by death and melodic death, they have a sound of their own, unique and genre-bending. Storm of The Light’s Bane was their second and most accomplished release. It lasts less than 50 minutes and contains only 6 full-length tracks, excluding intro and outro but it packs enough energy and talent to impress the most doubtful of listeners. Dissection’s entire popularity and renown is almost solely built on these 6 songs and that is, I do believe, one serious accomplishment.

The album begins with an epic and dark intro, made with heavy percussion and what one could call a typical atmospheric black metal riff. Then the albums dives right into the heavy, powerful and fast-paced riff of Night’s Blood, one of the 3 highlights of this release. This song lasts almost 7 minutes and represents fully Dissection’s mixing of the genres. Melody and aggression perfectly blend together and delivered with an overall black metal texture. It’s a very catchy song and one of Dissection most popular anthems, along with the other two highlights of this album: the title track and Thorns of Crimson Death. The former is packed with death influence, contains a large amount of well-executed riffs, and offers a short but satisfying solo, all that beautifully wrapped by a flawless drumming performance. Heck, if it wasn’t of the distortion in the guitars, this could almost be a Slayer song. The last but not the least of this Dissection triumvirate is Thorns of Crimson Death. That song is the band’s ninth symphony, nothing short of that. The most epic, melancholic and dark piece of melodic black metal one could find. It lasts just over eight minutes and is definitely the band’s best recording. The song doesn’t seem stretched or pushed further than it should be, its progression is continuous and leads to a powerful and memorable climax; truly one of the ten best black metal songs. The album wraps with a sad piano ending that cools down all the energy that was delivered and the listener is left with two choices: listen to it again, or listen to it again.

This album is the result of a blend of genres and the meeting of four very talented and passionate musicians. The guitars are strong, original and gloomy from start to end and Ole Öhman’s drumming is flawless. However, regardless of its professionalism, what struck me most on Storm of The Light’s Bane are Jon Nödtveidt vocals. His icy and impassioned raspy growl thunders all across the album without a moment of rest. He screams at the top of his lungs the lyrics he wrote, lyrics that could be described as an English version of Baudelaire’s work, dripping symbolism and darkness. This man gave the performance of his life at 20 years of age. So if you’re a fan of black metal, this album is necessary, a classic in the making and if you’re not into the genre, well, you should still give it a listen; you just might find yourself strangely drawn to it…

Dissection's debut album The Somberlain saw the young band make their mark on the blooming Swedish scene with their dark, epic style of black metal mixed with elements of melodic death metal and old heavy metal. Good as that debut was, there were some thngs that could be noticeably better; on Storm of the Light's Bane, not only do the band fix their mistakes, but make a collection of songs that put them among the best metal bands seen from Europe in the past 20 years; and leave an everlasting impression upon the metal scene with its darkness, its splendor, and its undeniable emotional power. SotLB witnesses the band taking their sound into darker, more emotional, and epic territory; it would become the watermark of their career.

What makes this album consistently stand the test of time is the impeccable songwriting. Each transition smoothly leads one passage to another, and the riffs are textured upon one another to create a strong change in mood and atmosphere. Special attention is paid small fills in guitar and drums to create a more dynamic and interesting listen; not quite what you would call "technical," but each member certainly pushed their skills to the test here. The variety in structure and technique is displayed perfectly on "Night's Blood," which toggles between fierce, ripping death metal and fret-scorching Maiden-esque harmonies. The acoustic break in the mid-section helps alleviate the cold, desolate atmosphere, which reaches a peak with the passion-soaked riffs thereafter. It's these moments that propel the listener through the dark, wintry landscapes of the album. Though most bands in this genre will sadly rehash one idea for another from song to song, no such thing happens here; the ambition and variety in the riffs is nothing short on incredible, from the evil and foreboding classic "Unhallowed" to the cathartic and desperate chorus of "Soulreaper." Dissection also show an unrivalled ability to write songs of epic proportions without becoming repetitive or boring. One element that adds to this is the fact that they don't rely on keyboards or other instruments for emotion and atmosphere; it's just the band, no bullshit guaranteed. "Thorns of Crimson Death" clearly shows this. The sprawling, melancholy guitars and emotionally charged lyrics take the listener on a dark journey through cloudy, windy winter plains, and the chugging guitars on the verse prove that things can get emotional without losing the fierce and mysterious edge of the album.

The guitars, of course, are the highlight of the album. Dissection apply melodic death metal riffs to a black metal aesthetic; and while this may sound bad on paper, it works wonders. There are some straight death metal riffs, mainly on "Retribution-- Storm of the Light's Bane." Aside from this, elaborate harmonized guitars and leads change places with thrash-oriented alternate picking and icy tremolo picking. Things lie on the more melodic end of the spectrum, but this is the charm of the album. Some old-school solos appear every now and then, but are usually limited to technical harmonies. Sparkling acoustic guitars pop up every now and then to take the listener to deeper depths of atmosphere, and usually work perfectly in the context of the music.

Ole's drum work is a cornerstone for the genre; sure, this type of thing has been done a million times before, but never has it fit the music so well. The guitars and drums are incredibly tight and glued together, and Ole's transitions meld perfectly with the riffs. He does stick out on his own, though; there are some insanely fast double bass runs here, especially on "Thorns of Crimson Death" before the acoustic break. Of course, there are plenty of blastbeats, but they are tastefully used to further the darkness of the songs, especially "Unhallowed" and "Soulreaper." His consistency, smoothness and confidence behind the kit are a hard to come by in metal, and the drum performance on this album definitely echo through today's bands.

Jon's vocals and lyrics are what really set the atmosphere here; his throaty and chilling rasp can grow into blood-soaked shrieks, and his projection and deliverance as a vocalist never falters. There are handfuls of memorable lines and vocal patterns, so there are definitely lines to remember this album by. It goes without saying that he has one of the most recognizable voices in this corner of metal, and this album is what made it so. The dark and highly atmospheric lyrics also aid in giving the listener visions of empty winter plains, and feelings of lonliness and desolation. Jon's performance on "Soulreaper" is a high standard in the amount of passion that has been seen in a single black metal vocalist, and the ferocity behind the vocals never loses it edge, even with consistent listens.

And of course, the production is classic. The drums have a punchy, huge sound, the guitars use a very clean but fitting tone, and Jon's vocals have the signature element of reverb for plenty of atmosphere. It is definitely clean, which may turn off those who seek a more controlled and obscure sound. But for the vast, ultimately epic and passionate scope of the music, it works perfectly.

Though some may call it overrated, there is no denying the pure legendary power, atmosphere, and emotion behind this release. This certainly makes my list of metal's best in recent years. If you don't enjoy this release, you'll at least understand why it has the influence it does, even today. And hell, it has one of the best album covers ever... What's not to love about that?

There was a time I stayed away from Dissection because of several things I have read about them. The most important one was the label "Black Metal" they always received. For me personally, there's two sides of Black Metal, one is the almost radio friendly, drowned in keyboards version as performed by the likes Dimmu Borgir and Cradle Of Filth and there is the extremely raw, darker version as performed by mostly Norwegian bands like Mayhem and Darkthrone. The first annoys me because of those terrible gothic interludes and too dominant keyboards, the latter because it's just too heavy for me. Putting Dissection into that mold, together with quite biased stories of a brutal Satanic murder by mainman Jon Nödtveidt, were things that scared me off from the Swedish band for a long time. Until the time I actually HEARD them, the time I actually heard the masterpiece 'Storm Of The Light's Bane' to be exact.

Dissection's second full length album has got to be one of the most brilliant extreme Metal albums I have ever heard. This is not Black Metal, this is adventurous and refreshing extreme Metal! Sure, there are some Black Metal elements to be heard throughout the album, but melodic Death Metal is at least just as dominant on the album. And there are dozens of influences from other (sub)genres present as well. Nödtveidt was one of the most talented songwriters of his time and 'Storm Of The Light's Bane' is, in the humble opinion of yours truly, his finest hour.

And the Satanism? Well, it should be displayed in the lyrics. And to be honest with you, I think some of the lyrics are poetic highlights. Take these from 'Night's Blood': "I drown in the color of your eye, for a black heart will only find beauty in darkness, I breathe its eternity to absorb the sky, where the shadows of Death may lie", or the opening lines to the title track: “Morning, o dreadful dawn, spread your pale dim light, reign for the last time over lands once so bright.” Beautiful! If Satanism is what inspired mr. Nödtveidt to write that, he can be as Satanic as he wants!

On to the music. After the intro 'At The Fathomless Depths', which sets the mood very well, but probably would have been a bit better if it was half a minute shorter, 'Night's Blood' starts of with some killer Thrash riffing! To me, as a huge Thrash fan, this is of course a good thing! There are some blastbeats sporadically, but there is enough variation in the drumming to make it interesting enough even for a listener who doesn't like them. Ole Öhman seems to really know when it's functional and when not. The riffs in this song really made it for me. The acoustic interlude and the very Maiden-esque riffs following that interlude show the compositoric versatility of the band. With this track, Dissection is off to a flying start. Definitely one of the best tracks of the album.

'Unhallowed' shows the Black/Death Metal side of the band a bit more, but there are plenty of melodic riffs and leads to make this song interesting for an open-minded fan of Iron Maiden or any melodic Thrash band. The chorus to the track is almost catchy! The only criticism I have on this track is that it gets a little too repetitive near the end. For the last two minutes or so, the same riff and lead part keep repeating with only a little variation. The track probably would have been better if it was six minutes instead of seven and a half. Great track nevertheless!

The following track ‘Where Dead Angels Lie’ was actually a quite successful track for the band. A video and an EP were made for the song and the audience seemed to like it. That’s not without any reason: ‘Where Dead Angels Lie’ is an amazing song! Starting out with an acoustic intro, turning into a song which could best be described as a Death Metal ballad, I guess. The guitar strumming is quite similar to that of a ballad, even though the guitars are distorted throughout the song. There are some really nice Maiden-esque leads throughout the song and especially the choruses are very moving. I wouldn’t see any other band labelled “Black Metal” do something like this!

The intro to ‘Retribution – Storm Of The Light’s Bane’ shows just about every time feel Ole Öhman can add to the song within less than a minute and he does a very good job with that. It gives the opening riff several dimensions, even though the riff is no different. The song has several killer, almost Thrashy riffs and an amazing guitar solo. The structure of the song is almost a journey, with every riff exposing another dark landscape. This song shows how outstanding Dissection’s musicians are, with the drumming and the guitar riffs really lifting this song to a higher level.

Next up is the intro to ‘Thorns Of Crimson Death’...WOW! Nothing short of amazing! Something that applies to the entire song! This is really one of the highlights of the album! It’s also the longest track on the album, but it’s worth every one of the eight minutes! The clean intro is beautiful and leads into a wonderful melodic intro, but labelling riff-by-riff with a superlative would be a complete waste of space. To be short, this is one of the best melodic Death Metal songs ever to be written. Even more than the previous song, ‘Thorns Of Crimson Death’ is a journey, an adventure, litterally leading through unexposed areas of extreme Metal. The structure of the song is perfect, as it constantly builds up another layer, another climax. The number one highlight of the album.

After that, ‘Soulreaper’ is a bit of a letdown to me. It’s not really a bad song, but this is definitely the most Black Metal song of the album. It starts out with a complete overdose of blastbeats and those dissonant chords which are so typical for the Black Metal genre. I must admit the second half of the song is saved by more varied drumming and a little more variation in the guitar work, but I just think that ‘Thorns Of Crimson Death’ would have made a better closer for this album, also because of its structure.

After the album closes with the very nice piano outro ‘No Dreams Breed In Breathless Sleep’ and all I can conclude is that I should have started listening to this band much earlier. I truly missed out something by leaving them for what they were. Dissection was a unique band and has unleashed two unquestionable masterpieces upon mankind, being this album and its predecessor ‘The Somberlain’, with ‘Storm Of The Light’s Bane’ being slightly superior over the debut.

Storm of the Light's Bane is basically where melodic death and black metal started, and it has never been done better than this. Dissection were truly ahead of the game in their heyday and this is one of the all time classics which no metalhead should ignore.

The guitar tone is very dry, yet has enough warmth in the more melodic passages to create a great diversity of tones compared to the icy cold sound that the drums create. The vocals on this release are absolutely perfect for the band's sound. Jon Nodtveidt's voice is dark and shrieks with intensity and vile emotion as he screams throughout the record's entirety.

From the eerie notes of the intro to the last passages of the piano outro this record brings in a dark and cold atmoshpere truly worthy of its black metal title, but with enough melody to enjoy the blissful airs and submit yourself to the mighty Dissection. The songwriting is excellent all throughout the record and just about every song on here is a classic of the genre. ''Night's Blood'' kicks things off in high gear with catchy riffs being played at a furious pace and a drum sound so cold and distant one can't help but cringe to the ideas put forth by this music. The band was hitting on all cylinders on tracks such as ''Unhallowed'' , the epic headbanger of a tune with awesome melodic elements,and the title track, which features a particularly awesome vocal performance from Nodtveidt.

Then comes the track that Dissection is probably most remembered for. ''Thorns of Crimson Death'' is a classic, withering away the listener and keeping one in awe at the sheer greatness and epicness of the music put forth. It kicks off with a light and melodic passage, only to erupt into a very epic riff which can only reflect the imagery of passing through an immense snowstorm and feeling the old creep up on you as though it's about to take you over. The chorus is also very epic and the famous line ''Dark Were the thorns of Crimson Death'' is followed up by the monster verse riff. The songs is very well crafted and constantly keeps you interested.

''Soulreaper'' is another standout track which is also considered a classic by now. Its chorus is very memorable and the riffs are very righteous. The piano outro ''No Dreams Breed in Breathless Sleep'' finishes the album with a classy touch that solidifies the icy feel of the record.

What is so great about this release is that despite having a very atmospheric feel to it, there is also room to enjoy the riffs and the interplay between the instruments. This is an album that has stood the test of time, and a must own for any metalhead.

I don't like throwing 100's around, and I prefer using them wisely. This release, however, deserves a 100. Not only does it define melodic black metal (that's right, all death metal influences are reduced to a trifle on this beast), but it does it VERY well, and without keyboards. Part of the perfection on this album is due to the production, which is very icy and cold, cold enough to make Immortal freeze. The guitars are very midrangy, but also very crisp, which makes it even colder, and is something few black metal bands are able to do. The drums don't really hammer, or at least are very well used. The cymbals don't stick out, and the drums aren't the typical holocaust that most bm bands become. This is how to effectively blastbeat, as Ohman mixes the blastbeats with other more relevant beats.

As far as the lyrical matter goes, this Nodtveight soars above everybody else. I literally cannot find a single fault with the lyrics, as with the music, too. The lyrics effectively deal with sadness without sounding brooding, anger without sounding aggro, evil without sounding cliche`, and still manage to be very kickass. Congrats, Nodtveight.

However, production and performance are only half the equation; Yngwie Malmsteen can shred like hell and often has killer production, but his music is still average. Marduk have great production and smashing performance, but are still mediocre; to be truly great, you have to be a killer songwriter. And here, Nodveight also delivers. I literally cannot find a single fault with Nodveight's songwriting. With most artists, even those I love dearly (Like Mayhem, Borknagar, Ulver, Dawn, Burzum, Nargaroth, Manowar, etc...) I can still find fault, and even on their best albums, there are still these "filler" moments that I hate. Not to disappoint, there is absolutely NO filler here. Every single note played here is awesome.

And that is my very feeling about this CD. I literally cannot find a single fault with this CD. I cannot give it any rating below 100, because I cannot find a single thing wrong with it. This CD belongs in a(n) (un)holy league of its own, along with other classics such as Demilich's Nespithe, Burzum's Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, and Ulver's Bergtatt.

“Storm of the Lights Bane” is the best Black/Death album ever. Period. A handful of bands with a similar musical direction may have come close – such as fellow Swedes Naglfar with their outstanding “Sheol” album –, but in the end, none have ever been able to match the pure majesty and genius that is “SotLB.”

The atmosphere this album creates is one of utter darkness, coldness, hatred, and desperation, and the way the music and lyrics perfectly complement each other in creating this atmosphere is remarkable. Yes, I’m talking about LYRICS here!! As opposed to many other Black Metal albums, the lyrics on “SotLB” are actually worth mentioning because they are supremely well-crafted and far better than the usual “Hail Satan” stuff we get to hear all the time. (No offense, Satan!) The thing that particularly surprises me is that these lyrics were written by people whose native language isn’t English. In comparison to the early efforts of other Scandinavian Black Metal bands like Emperor or Immortal, whose mastery of the English language was impressive in a negative and sometimes even laughable way, the lyrics on here are superior in every respect and certainly deserving of the highest praise.

With regard to the music, there is not much to say which hasn’t been said before. Altogether, it is simply the ideal blend between pure Black Metal and Death Metal with a slight Gothenburg twist (as evidenced by some typical “Maidenesque” guitar leads). Thanks to the very fitting production, which manages to be crystal clear and pretty raw at the same time, the sound the band has put together on this recording is heavy as f*** and colder than liquid nitrogen. Yet although the album is very homogeneous and the atmosphere it evokes for its entire duration is one of pure frost, the individual songs happen to be miraculously distinct and memorable – thanks to a perfect balance between faster (this is how to effectively use blast beats!) and slower passages, utter mayhem and fragile soundscapes. There are indeed not very many extreme Metal albums on which you can almost immediately identify every single song, no matter which part of it you’re listening to.

It’s true that Jon Nödtveidt is a bit of a weirdo (what the hell is “Anti-Cosmic Metal of Death” supposed to mean???) and that his decision to resurrect the band (although he is the only remaining original member) will very likely backfire, since the album that comes after this baby can only look pale in comparison – unfortunately the rather mediocre “Maha Kali” single seems to confirm these apprehensions. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that this album is pretty damn near perfect in every way. Worship it or die!!!

Choicest cuts: Night’s Blood, Unhallowed, Thorns of Crimson Death (best Black Metal song ever?!), Soulreaper

The metal community often seems to follow something akin to Newton's third law of motion. If something is highly praised and venerated by one camp, there's bound to be another subset that views the same article as being inherently worthless. No better illustrated is this principle than with the extreme reactions generated by a band like Nile, who are praised as remarkable innovators and creative genius by one camp of metalheads while slagged as being pointless blasturbation with dubious lyrical content by another. The truth is often somewhere in the middle, though. We should avoid fellating releases out of hand, but at the same time we should be able to recognise something for what it is and give it just consideration by that criteria. We should not reduce metal to music that exists solely so we can have a good time and headbang or drink beer to with our friends, but it is also necessary to recognise that metal does not belong on some overarching, ideological pedestal. Only in the rarest of cases does metal actually seek to make some bold leap that will make its listeners reevaluate their understanding of music or lifestyle, and in many of these instances the results are less than exemplary. We cannot, no matter how we try, separate metal from rock music any more than we could say that Jethro Tull isn't a rock band because they use flutes, write fifty minute songs about esoteric topics and aren't afraid to deviate from 4/4 time. It seems that many people in the black/death metal community have missed the point of what metal has always been, so wrapped up are they in the often imagined nihilistic, chaotic or neoclassical tendencies (I'm talking about music here, not ideology) of their favourite genres. Metal is not some reactionary counter to rock music and never has been. The earliest black metal bands owed more to rock n roll than most people realise, and every other subgenre of metal has always had intrinsic ties with rock music, from the overt classic rock-isms of some of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal to the punk-infused prototypes of thrash and death metal.

Ask the members of Dissection what they were listening to when constructing this album and they'll probably tell you, "lots of Iron Maiden, and some old death/thrash metal". It really shows, too, in the way the melodies on offer here are constructed. Nevertheless, this does have more of a black metal aesthetic to it, a feeling of overriding tension and chilly remorselessness that is difficult to trace to vocals and production alone, though both definitely help. Is it anthemic? Certainly in parts. Is it catchy? Well, some of the guitar melodies here are quite inescapable in that "stuck in your head for days" kind of sense. I wouldn't say this release is at the pinnacle of its genre by any means, yet there is a certain strength to it, a captivating grandeur and propulsiveness that makes the listener sit up and take notice of what's going on.

What differentiates this from its predecessor, "The Somberlain", and similar bands, such as Sacramentum, is a less dense seeming approach to songwriting and playing that leaves room for all the instruments to highlight their own melodic ideas. It's focussed more on the individual power of certain riff/melody combinations than on a wall of atmospheric sound. One might argue that this makes the album more immediate, more easily penetrated and thus ultimately less fulfilling, however it should also be remembered that this kind of up-front melodic attack is what heavy metal was founded upon and there is a certain inherent strength to it. One mustn't mistake this for pop sensibility or ear candy, because this is an album that radiates purpose and a definite feeling of cold, methodical strength. Dan Swano has done a decent job of the production here, which highlights the (dare I say it?) grimness of some of these melodies and the strength of some of the chunky, palm muted riffs. There's a load of reverb drenching everything, but it's handled effectively so that the instruments are not drowned in a wash of audial backlash, and the drums, though suffering from a distinct lack of high frequencies (the cymbals are nearly inaudible!) sound mighty and powerful. The Vocals of Jon Nödtveidt are a midrange, icy wail that carries a fair amount of expression and power, along with a certain biting rhythmic intensity that adds to the catchy nature of some of these refrains. The album is short and doesn't overstay its welcome, with six true songs, all of unique composition and dynamic, an excellent intro and a truly forgettable piano closer. Guitar playing is quite excellent, with particularly nice attention paid to the slow, minor keyed lead guitar passages that show up at just the right moments, not so much as wild heavy metal solos (there really aren't any) but more as sudden apparitions of stark, sorrowful melody that command the listener's full attention.

My favourite piece on here is also coincidentally the most overtly heavy metal one, "Retribution - Storm of the Lightsbane". I love that crunchy main verse riff with its spastic, oddly timed drum fills and the chantable chorus, and the harmonized guitar bridge in the middle, calling to mind a slightly more morbid Iron Maiden circa "Powerslave", is truly exellent and one of the factors that made me really take notice of this band in the first place back when this album was released. "Night's Blood" is probably the other highlight, going through a wealth of creative, well placed time and mood changes and some stellar use of melody. Some of the other tracks are not nearly as strong, but most do contain their fair share of memorable ideas. Dissection at this point definitely had a sense for craftsmanship, and it's often been immitated by many later bands but never with nearly as much effectiveness. Respect the innovators and deny the clones, I say, and give this album the acolades it deserves.

Despite my praise, though, I find myself not being nearly as excited by "Storm of the Light's Bane" as I used to be. I can still recommend this wholeheartedly, especially to those who don't normally go in for black metal, yet I feel in some senses that this approach to a more accessible form of black/death has overstayed its welcome. I'm not even going to compare this to the so-called Gothenberg bands (though admittedly the similarity is present), but there seem to have been a host of followers, mostly emerging from Dissection's homeland of Sweden, who have milked this style for nearly all it was worth and run it into the ground. It's sad that this album has suffered as a result, yet it definitely doesn't seem to pack the punch it did for me (and, I suspect, many others) back in 1996. I do find myself coming back to it periodically however, and lately it has been in my stereo a little more often than usual, which I guess is promising. Essentially, this disc won't challenge many people, yet it does carry a distinct aura of feeling and passion that many modern purveyors lack. Give it the credit it deserves and do not dismiss it out of hand as sweet, accessible cheese, for this assessment misses the point of what Dissection is really about, namely, bombastic heavy metal with just a touch more extremity to give it that extra push into something a little bit more morbid.

This is often seen as an absolute classic, essential to every Metalhead’s collection, a masterful representation of the better elements of the Extreme Metal spectrum. Thus, you’d expect to find unparalleled creativity and near flawless song writing.

Yet, here we find an over-reliance on recursive verse/chorus structures rather than the impeccable song-craftsmanship that is inherent of the apex of Death and Black Metal. The tendency of “Storm of the Light’s Bane” is to descend from a melancholically driven melody into an anthemic rock-inspired “hook” that are nectareous in nature. This results in a sentimental and charming soundscape that is fruity and appealing, yet vulgar and lacking in depth. There is definitely potential for a more fulfilling aesthetic, but too much emphasis is placed on catchiness, rather than an esoteric approach to song writing.

The streamlined modern production helps maintain the congenial nature of this record. Of the riffs, too few are captivating or invigorating to a keen listener and for the most part this is meagre entertainment. Similarities can be traced to Iron Maiden and Necrophobic, with the anthemic rock influence of the former and the fast-paced melodic riffing of the latter, albeit extremely watered down.

The little thought that has been used to hone the structures is dilapidated under insipid drumming, which is sloppy, being constantly overplayed, with a reliance on “blasting” and messy syncopation. Whilst, the furore of the drumming hits fever pitch, all is suddenly calmed by an acoustic passage. Yet, the implementation of these is disastrous, as the fibre of the songs is rent into incoherence by the irrelevance of said endeavours. The expectation of a higher order shouldn’t seem too foreign to proficient musicians, but again the theory that writing meaningful music is beyond most rises to the fore.

The grandiloquence of this release is brought down, shattered into a million pieces by the ineptitude of the band to play with direction, passion and a willingness to chaperone a message beyond the superficial guise of misanthropy. This is a bastardisation of all that Black/Death Metal stands for as an authoritative and communicative art-form, defying the paradigm with a non-existent ideological core, instead choosing to please the masses with highly accessible techniques akin to rock music.

From the onset of Storm of the Light's Bane it is quite easy to see why Dissection's brand of aggressive and yet melodic black metal is devastating. The haunting, death march like intro melds into "Night's Blood" which seems to hit like a ton of bricks across the skull. But the pace does not stop there, rather it continues through the majority of the album.

Most songs are segmented into the harsh, speedy sections and then the slower more harmony driven areas, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The stand out tracks are "Night's Blood", "Unhallowed", and the amazingly complex "Thorns of Crimson Death". The album closes with a very beautiful and yet sorrowful piano piece; a quite intriguing choice for this brutal and yet melodious offering from this unbelievable black metal band.

The vocal performance by Jon Nodtveidt is top notch. Fans of black metal without the shrieks and growls will be pleased with this album. Though there is still that sinister, haunting edge in his delivery that chills your bones.

This album is an excellent starting point for those unfamiliar with Dissection. 100% for being nearly perfect in all categories.

Despite containing only six real songs, an intro and an outro, this album is perhaps the most perfect, evil sounding experience of all time. Every single note on this recording oozes of evil, darkness, despair and blasphemy. You can actually hear all this on the album. Musically, it’s black metal, very melody-driven, and all melodies here are instantly memorable and refuses to leave your brain. They fare well in the speed stakes (“Night’s Blood “and “Unhallowed” for instance) but vary themselves greatly, both within and between the songs. They have managed to spew forth a very cold sound, without making it sterile. The production is crystal clear.

It’s hard to single out specific favourites, as they change depending on your mood for the day, but “Thorns of Crimson Death” must be one of the best songs ever written, being to Dissection what “For Whom the Bell Tolls” was for Metallica a long time ago, bearing some amazing riffage and a truly epic feel that leave you gasping with delight.

“Where Dead Angels Lie” is an eerie, slow piece with lots of emotion, a grand chorus and some amazing lyrics. Pictures of slaughtered angels emerge in your head. That’s one of the strange and wonderful things with this album, it paints pictures in your head, and they sure as hell isn’t about peace, love and understanding, more about crushing Christianity and erasing the memory of it.

As noted on the sleeve, the songs were composed during hours of darkness, and that’s easy to imagine. This album sounds just like that, a truly dark recording. It is also graced with a marvellous cover courtesy of artist Necrolord, one of his finest works ever.

It’s hard to imagine that this album will ever be considered outdated, as almost ten years on it still manages to make all other black metal sound lame and life-supporting. If you don’t already own at least one copy of this one, you have missed one of the most magnificent moments in black metal history, completely incomparable to any other artist, and it will probably never be surpassed. All hail the mighty Dissection.

...look elsewhere.

Storm of the Light's Bane is a nasty record, the perfect music for those angry-looking cats dressed all in black and constantly blasting music over their headphones. Set aside the Manson and the KoRn, herein lays true anger and despair. I won't say that Dissection is the most extreme band out there in any regard, because they aren't, but that doesn't really matter. The key thing to point out about Dissection is how much more classy and professional they are than your average black metallers.

Just say that title to yourself. There is no title more badass than that. Jon Notveidt could seriously have come up with that title, wrote it down somewhere, and then never uttered another sound. Instead he had a guy calling himself Necrolord paint him a picture of the grim reaper riding through snowy mountains and holding aloft a scythe. If this thing were any more badass I'd feel so emasculated that I'd be forced to surrender my MAN card.

The music on Storm of the Light's Bane is spiky neo-classical black metal of the highest caliber. I find the majority of black metal (outside such staples as Emperor) to be bland and ridiculous, but there is a deathly seriousness in these sorrow-drenched riffs and lightning-quick leads that demands you wipe the smile off of your face and headbang resolutely and angrily. This is basically melodic death metal with the veneer scraped off, or black metal with polish and craftsmanship. There are some formidable riff constructions here, power metal without the sweetness with the howling voice of winter scarring your ears o'ertop.

Not that everything is perfect in this wintry abyss. The production is undoubtedly a cut above the rest in the black metal genre, but by actually admitting that they give a shit Dissection open themselves up to comparison with the wider world of metal production, and at times the sound is just too sharp. The guitars have a way of riffing along at a high-register and after eight songs your ears will be begging for mercy. I don't say that as some sort of extreme-fearing whiner, I say that as someone whose ears literally began to hurt after too much hammering on one frequency. There are some brief respites hither and thither where the band drop the wall o' sound approach to production (generally when the band stops thrashing), but most of the time is spent headbanging in spite of the damage to the point where you feel shocked when there is actual silence.

That silence becomes more profoundly empty as the songs grow more tricky and grandiose, and I think it would have benefited Dissection to implement more space into a few of the more claustrophobic and dense structures, as well as to develop a thicker, warmer, and more muscular guitar sound.

We get a brief hint of this during the opening few bars of "Where Dead Angels Lie", a song that contains an alarmingly old, pure riff that allows the masses to lock step and rock with conviction. In fact, when the riffing gets blacker it's almost the auditory equivalent of shining a strobe light on something; it's still going the same speed, but it's choppier. On this song the band lets the piece breathe a bit more and as a result the lead breaks give you a really satisfying feeling, the simple crisp heart of metal laid bare.

Of course, Dissection is just as comfortable breaking out mathematical prog-thrash breakdowns (as they do perhaps three minutes into "Soulreaper") or driving forth with hateful fires in the belly (as they do on the deadly "Unhallowed"), or even dipping a toe into Mercyful Fate territory (as they do on the long, complex riff-fest "Thorns of Crimson Death").

Despite the fact that the majority of Notveidt's press-releases make him out to be the biggest buffoon in the universe ("We will be bringing to the masses the icy deathwind of our ANTI-COSMIC METAL OF DEATH!" etc.), this is extreme metal with a singleminded purpose and a perfectionists touch. The whole thing bleeds out a seriously unnerving vibe, as if merely touching it will lead to the ruination of one's soul. Even if the reissue includes some truly hilarious spelling errors on the back cover.

Man, I think I need to go listen to some Queen to purge my system. A little "Somebody to Love" maybe...

Stand-Outs: "Unhallowed", "Where Dead Angels Lie", "Thorns of Crimson Death"

PS: "Apocalypse is here, oh fools of the withering sky!" is the coolest line ever.

Unlike the unstoppable first record, "Storm of the Lights Bane" is an extremely competant but considerably "lighter" record in both mood and purpose. This is not to say that Jon and company have totally sold out the horse (there could be nothing farther from the truth), but one can surmise that the band wanted to explore other more melodic musical aspects of metal. Extremely clean (somewhat clinical) production, stunning musicianship and extremely good songwriting make this CD a worthy, if slightly puzzling follow up to the impeccable first release.

The songcraft here is wonderful yet again, but is missing the violent aura that made the first so rabid. It's still violent, don't get me wrong...but a little something is missing here. The band branched out, and in doing so ran the risk of losing a slight bit of the edge that put them at the forefront of the black metal community. The songwriting on this record finds them among the top dogs, but finally they have lost just enough ground to no longer be leading the pack. In the end, it matters little...as few bands managed to release a record even CLOSE to touching this...even is this doesn't really manage to grasp the charm of the one that came before it.

It's unfortunate that Dissection ended up having to hang it up a bit early, as unlike most of the bands they had so much more to offer. As musicians they were superior, as idealists they were crazy...and as an entity they had yet to find their true "set in stone" personality. This record though is among the "must own" records for its amazing craft that swims in a sea of boring blast-beats and mediocre praises to Satan.

BUY OR DIE!!!

Well folks..I must say that this album is an almost perfect album. Once again Dissection astounds me with their killer black metal guitar riffs and jon's signature songwriting skills. Well I might as well start off the review:

The opening track, "At the Fathomless Depths" provides an extremely dark and evil intro for this album. The part where the bass drums comes in to compliment the deep guitars is a pleasant suprirse. This song kicks off the album in a good way and it really sets the mood for the rest of the album.

"Night'sBlood"is probably one of my favorite Dissection songs of all time. It has this eerie dark feel about it and the melodic acoustic part in the middle really adds to it. The lyrics on this song are exceptionally well and I find myself singing along to it at times. "Take me to the woods...!" The Drums at the beginning really please me. The brutal tom intro sets the mood for a great song. The Guitars are also out of this world.

The next song, "Unhallowed" presents a really great guitar intro. The pounding chorus really makes you want to destroy someone. Once again the lyrics make you sing out and cry "We are the unhallowed!! Servants of the throne!!!!" Great song

"Where Dead Angels Lie" is probably the most recognizable track on the CD. For two reasons: First off, it has a killer guitar riff throughout the song that compliments the screaming of Jon. Second, it really portrays the bands talent with their guitars and with their songwriting in general..A brutal song.

The next 3 songs are very good songs..But I will review only one of them that sticks out to me and that is "Thorns of Crimson Death" I agree with the last user fully on it having one of the greatest intros to a song ever. The melodic undistorted guitar really brings up the mood and builds up to a brutal riff at the beginning. The acoustic guitars are unbelievable in this song. One of the greatest songs on the album indeed.

The last song "No Dreems Breed in Breathless Sleep" is a piano track. Now you may be thinking "what the fuck?? a brutal album all the way and then some pussy piano song to finish out???" Well NO..this song is probably the most beautiful yet evil piano track I have ever heard. It is a great closer (unless you have the where dead angels lie redistribution like I do) and it really makes a statement to end the album.

Overall this is a great album to check out if you are a fan of earlier Dissection stuff and other forms of melodic black/death metal. I'm sure this album will attract fans of all differant metal genres.

\m/ Dissection!!

First off, let me say that the 100 rating is not superfluous, but because I genuinely cannot find fault with this album. Everything on the album works cohesively to create a powerful evil atmosphere.

To give a brief overview of Dissection, they were a Swedish black metal band which was largely the brainchild of Jon Nödtveidt until he got tossed in the pokey. At this point he's planning to restart the band once he gets out but currently their only full-length studio albums are this and The Somberlain.

The opener, "At the Fathomless Depths", is a short instrumental. It introduces one of the best elements of the band, which is Jon Nödtveidt's uncanny ability to construct evil melodies. This is a very melodic album but these are not happy melodies. They have a decidedly epic and malicious feel. This is Nödtveidt's greatest strength as a guitar player and fortunately it shines throughout the whole album.

Night's Blood kicks things into gear right off the bat. This is one of the best songs on the album. It also brings another element into the mix, and that's the very clever use of acoustic guitars. Although the acoustic interludes aren't as common as they are in, say, Opeth, they're extraordinary and don't feel forced or overlong. This song also show's Dissection's gift for constructing amazing choruses. The song structures harken more to traditional metal than purist black metal, but despite the song lengths they never get repetitive or boring.

The rest of the album continues in this vein until the closer "No Dreams Breed in Breathless Sleep", which is a short piano instrumental. This 8-song structure with an intro and outro is reminescent of Emperor's Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk. One could draw many parallels between the two albums, as they are both monumental triumphs of black metal an its creative peak. While only 6 full-length songs might seem a bit short to some, the high quality of each of the songs makes up for the low number.

The production of the album seems a bit lo-fi at first but it grows on you. The guitar tone is icy cold and greatly enhances the atmosphere. The drumming is also outstanding, very fast with a lot of variety and quite audible. Nödtveidt's vocals are exceptional as well. They're much more coherent than average black metal vocals and he can control his voice very well while he's screaming. The lyrics all deal with the triumph of evil over good, and are several cuts above typical black metal lyrics.

To me, this album symbolizes the absolute peak of heavy metal. Its mix of the evil atmosphere of black metal and traditional metal's focus on riffs and coherency creates a perfect blend. I've even known people who never listen to black or death metal that like this album. As far as I'm concerned, it's an absolutely essential addition to any metalhead's collection.

Are you kidding me, I hear more Possessed than In Flames in here. (No Knight of the Road, but oh well.) This is solid melodic black metal with some early death-thrash influence. If you like your "kvlt" black metal with a bit more polish, this one is right up your alley. Not to mention an awesome fucking album cover too...

Intro, and then - holy moly we are blasting our way through the boundaries of Hell now!!! Solid riffage and then a little solo part and then a neckbreaker of a riff around 0.41... around 0.59 we get the first bad feature of the album, which is the occasional silly DM drumming - blast beats and other features of br00tality... fortunately it's not too prominent too often, and takes a backseat to the guitars.

So what does the album really sound like? Imagine if Dimmu Borgir got their act together, by about 58 orders of magnitude... that's the superficial resemblance - shrieky vocals, fast high-pitched riffage, death-metal drumming... okay, then throw in the occasional neckbreaker thrash riff, and in general the ability to keep one's head banging through solidly placed time changes.

There's the occasional acoustic interlude too... Night's Blood for example slows down quite a bit halfway through, but it does so in a way that makes a good deal of sense - none of this "gratuitous stupidity interval" for the Hell of it.

More highlights... Unhallowed, "The apocalypse is here!!!!" Prepare to BANG YOUR HEAD! When Satan comes to collect, you'd better have your brains splattered all over the stage or he's gonna send you to Christianity, Cradle of Filth, and other abominations.

But the greatest song on here has to be Thorns of Crimson Death. Check out the main riff at 1.16 in, after the nifty buildup intro.

Oh and you don't hear Possessed? Go listen to that break around 3.43 in Thorns of Crimson Death, then listen to Burning in Hell, and report back in. This knows where to borrow similar-sounding riffs from - none of this "let's ape Pleasure to Kill and throw out everything that was good about it" bullshit (At the Gates, Morbid Angel, a million other bands)...

So this is the album that shits over everything in the "Gothenburg" genre. Why? Because it's certainly not Gothenburg. There's the occasional Gothenburg-sounding riff, but man Iron Maiden had those too... In Flames wishes they were one-fifth this good. The occasional silly drumming makes this one not 100% killer, but it's close.