Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam

My very ambivalent relation with Gorgoroth did not stop me trying to find an album that could at least partly challenge their early works. And well, here it is. “Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam” does not bring back the fundamental approach of “Pentagram” or “Antichrist”, but it’s an album which reflects firmness and vigour, at least to a certain degree. The production is much better than, for instance, that of “Incipit Satan”. I know, this doesn’t tell us very much with regard to the toilet sound of their sonic fart from the year 2000. So I like to add that the here presented work does not suffer from major deficiencies in terms of the technical implementation. It fails to fascinate with an extra portion of vehemence, intensity or pressure, but everything sounds okay and the producers have found an acceptable balance between underground dirt and professional transparency. Some of the faster parts appear somewhat blurred, but that’s no big deal.

Well, I am able to forgive even a much worse production as long as the song material convinces. Expressed differently, the solid production does not say much about the overall quality of the disc with its gargantuan playtime of nearly 32 minutes. (Don’t worry, Gaahl, we have got used to this slightly embarrassing configuration.) The supreme discipline is still the song-writing. “Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam” offers a mix of relatively nutritious tracks (“Carving a Giant”) and songs of the category I-have-no-clue-why-they-recorded-it-but-it-does-not-suck (“White Seed”). Gorgoroth present a solid basic heaviness, many high velocity parts kill a few limp sequences and the usual aesthetics of original (non-ambient, non-symphonic, non-suicidal, non-whatever) black metal dominate the material. The closer, for example, delivers both untamed high speed and Immortal-like, mid-paced riff driven parts. “Prosperity and Beauty” eclipses its seven sonic brothers, even though the opener “Wound Upon Wound” also does its best to leave nothing but scorched earth. But only the closer provides the well-appreciated icy feelings Norwegian black metal once introduced into the global metal world.

All that glitters is not gold and all that screams is not black, but here Gaahl performs solidly. He focuses on rawness and therefore his voice is not prone to useless experiments. On the other hand, it’s an ordinary and not overly impressive performance. But as luck would have it, exactly the quality of the vocals is representative for the entire product. The album will never get a place in my private black metal hall of fame (a very virtual hall, to be honest), but it consists of orthodox, acceptable and sometimes even pretty strong songs. The band does not reach the highest level of misanthropic insanity, that’s right. Nevertheless, the generally resilient degree of grimness on the one hand and details like the atmospherically howling leads of “Sign of an Open Eye” on the other hand form an output I can recommend for all those maniacs who also want to know the formations that never were able to release masterpieces like “Pure Holocaust”, “In the Nightside Eclipse” or “Frost”.

The first paragraph is my personal story with the album. If not interested, skip to the 2nd paragraph.

This album holds a special place in my heart. Old school black metal fans usually mention Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone and such bands as their first experience with black metal, but since I wasn't around during the golden era of the genre, I didn't stumble into those bands right away. So years ago, in my earlier teenage years, I was listening to Metallica and such when a dear friend of mine (Hi Iwan!) sent me a song titled Sign of an Open Eye and told me about this little thing called "black metal". Of course, I immediately wrote this off as garbage but now revisiting my original introduction to black metal, I can tell how important this record was for me (and apparently for many others).

After the truly awful experimentation of Incipit Satan and the blackened death metal Twilight of the Idol, the band returned to their full-on black metal roots with a slightly more accessible and up to date approach. This record offers the most memorable songs, the sharpest guitar riffs of the Gaahl era, and the best mixture of the raw nature of the genre and modern production thus far! The main songwriter of the band has been Infernus for most of their albums, however, this record is entirely written by King ov Hell. This is his and Gaahl's last recording before attempting the scummiest move possible and trying to kick Infernus from his own band. Yet another case of a good musician being a shitty person.

Aggression. This one word could summarise the record pretty well. Frost does the drumming on this album (once again) and his contribution is probably my favorite part of the record. Snares and cymbals are all being used to their fullest potential, so much so that they often steal the show from the otherwise frenetic guitar work. They feel whole on their own, but together with Gaahl's grunting and otherwordly half-shrieks, they put the whole thing to a new level.

The synergy between drums and vocals is on point, but the riffs are not be underestimated either. Carving a Giant starts with probably my favorite riff of the record. It's fast, it's unrelenting, yet it's melodic. Exactly what I want from a Gorgoroth song. The tone of the guitars makes these attributes stand out even more. It maintains a hateful and cold sound without the production being rough around the edges. They also understood that tremolo picking isn't necessary to make some catchy black metal riffs, therefore they are almost completely absent. Tempo changes make space for more melodic licks (e.g. God Seed) or chanting vocals so the songs don't become overly boring. One of the more unique songs is Sign of an Open Eye, my first ever black metal song. Being a lot slower than the rest of the tracks, it builds up tension and atmosphere with Gaahl's spoken words before he erupts in some shrieking at the end of the song.

While satanism as a lyrical theme has been their weapon of choice since the very beginnings, on their last couple of albums the music didn't justify that. That changes with Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam. The sheer atmosphere of songs like Prosperity and Beauty and White Seed pack the threatening vibes that were missing to the satan cliché.

The only problem I have with this album is that it doesn't interest me. Don't get me wrong, it's a good album and I can easily recommend it to anyone, but black metal with clean production is not something I want to listen to. There is no denying that it can be done good (hell, this is the perfect example), but every time I finished the album, I felt like listening to their more "primal" records instead. The only truly negative thing I can mention about the record is Untamed Forces. Death metal vocals were really unnecessary.

Overall, I'm certain that there is a certain group that will appreciate this style of black metal, but as for me, this will remain an album that I only revisit for nostalgia reasons.

The highlights of the album are Carving a Giant, God Seed and Prosperity and Beauty.

There is a lot to be said about Ad Majorem. This album, for me and quite possibly others, was my entryway into Gorgoroth's powerful discography. Because of this, I was led to discover classics like Pentagram, Antichrist, and Under the Sign of Hell, but Ad Majorem will always be special to me.

However, I see why this album fails for several longtime Gorgoroth fans, given the band's continual departure from their former traditional black metal sound. Starting at Destroyer, we see them become more experimental, and Twilight of the Idols lacking Infernus as the main writer was the album least like Gorgoroth at that point. Looking back in time from where we are now, Ad Majorem was released just before Gaahl and King attempted to remove Infernus from his own band. There's a lot of bad tastes in our mouths approaching this album from before its release and after it. Also, Gaahl and King are repulsive characters to myself and many other people, and I completely understand why that puts a damper on the material they released through Gorgoroth.

So, why the higher score? Truthfully, it's nostalgia. One rain-drenched autumn afternoon, it really connected with me. As a newer fan of the band, I had the unique experience to try several Gorgoroth albums side by side rather than listen to them sequentially as they came out. Ad Majorem was my point of entry, striking me as more coherent and uniformly produced than the others did at the time. And from this point, I was able to appreciate the previous releases more, and I really understand why this era of the band was so polarizing.

For the overall sound, I'd say that King ov Hell was going for something colder, darker, and more atmospheric than Twilight of the Idols. His bass lines are less audible, and I think that makes the mix more frigid and feel more like black metal than Ad Majorem's predecessor. Gorgoroth also borrowed the renowned Frost on the drum kit, and he drums lots of blast beats. I don't think that Gorgoroth has had a record with so many blasts at this point, and his speed is the backbone for King's newer vision of the band's sound. There just isn't really a whole lot of groove in this record; there's more atmosphere instead of accentuated rhythms. Infernus isn't at the forefront of the writing, so naturally, there's more chugging-type riffing and dissonance rather than his well-known melodic passages. Definitely the work of King's writing. One thing I will say is that I enjoy the twangy clean-ish guitar tone Infernus uses in “Carving a Giant” and “White Seed.” I don't remember him using any guitar tones like that before, but I like them. I think the latter track used this newer guitar sound more successfully than the overrated “Carving a Giant.”

Now Gaahl's voice is unique for black metal; everyone agrees on that. However, not everyone agrees that his voice is good for black metal. This record is his finest moment while still pursuing his own unique vocal style. I've heard people say his voice is weak, and he's burying himself in reverb, but I'd argue that he's a competent vocalist. Look to the past, most notably on “Destoyer” (the song from the album Destroyer) and throughout Incipit Satan. It's one thing if his strange screeches is the best he can do, but it's another if he can do what we want but chooses not to. I think it's unfair to say Gaahl's voice is bad, but it's just that many disagree with his stylistic preference. Now for the reverb thing, that's not really true on this record. He uses plenty of compression and distortion, sure, but the real secret is that there are at least three tracks of his voice at any given time. I first discovered this on “God Seed” and then on more songs when you can hear syllables end three times within a split second, each panned differently in the mix, confirming multiple voice tracks. I'm guessing one he does more of a growl, another more of a shriek, and the last he does his bizarre Gaahl wailing. The result is the screeching of some undead creature. It's this multitracking technique that makes him sound so inhuman, and honestly, you either love it or you hate it. I know a lot of individuals are against vocal effects in black metal, but the truth is that the effect he's using is more of his own voice. I, for one, am glad to hear something different than the usual. Also, I've noticed that Gaahl makes use of his multiple voice tracks to subtely contribute to the atmosphere. Particularly on “God Seed” and “Exit,” you'll hear him adding more chaos with quiet screams panned in one ear that will be lost to you unless you listen for them.

The album's highlights are all over the place, starting instantly with “Wound Upon Wound,” which is also Gaahl's best vocal moment on Ad Majorem. This track begins and ends with sheer brutality; Frost blasts away and Gaahl's evil vocals seer into the forefront of this attack, similar to the deceptive opener on Twilight of the Idols, but “Wound Upon Wound” doesn't lie to you about what else there is to come.

“God Seed” is indisputably the strongest track in the album. The best part is the classical melody lines that form an apocalyptic anthem to evil, and the fanfare riffage in the middle (which is an awesome triplet riff in 5/4!) is just icing on the cake. Infernus steps up to his legacy and delivers melancholic beauty served on an altar of holocaust. This is truly his greatest moment on the album, and (unfortunately) the final track “Prosperity and Beauty” is the only other time we hear him boast his melodic prowess.

“Sign of an Open Eye” is hated by many, but for me, this track really made the album sink into my brain. In aforesaid stormy afternoon that I mentioned toward the beginning of this review, I was at the lowest point in a month-long conflict with my wife. I was experiencing a grief too deep for words, and this track made the neurons connect for me. It was beautiful and sad, largely droning on two open fifths stacked on each other. It has some obvious weaknesses: the lyrics aren't great and it feels like King re-hashing “Excerpt of X” from Incipit Satan. However, I think “Sign of an Open Eye” is stronger because there is emotion, intensity, and the presence of lower frequencies that the droning tracks from Incipit Satan severely lacked. Gaahl's spoken word delivery serves the song, and it's the large presence of the band occupying so much sonic space that makes this doomy track uncompromising.

Another fantastic moment is the whole track that is called “White Seed.” It starts with a wall of noise like a fierce wind ripping your soul from your body and sweeping you away. And just as you feel like the chaos won't end, it suddenly relents and transforms into an odd but very cohesive 6/8 groove. It goes on for a little while, and just when you are jiving with it, it returns to the chaos from which it came. That same torrent whips you around some more, and then it abruptly stops like you've fallen unconscious. Then you awake into the strange, cavernous dimension that is the song “Exit.” Excellent transitions and atmosphere; excellent experience.

Now the downsides… “Untamed Forces” is my least favorite track. It fails to bridge the melodic ending of “Exit” to the even more melodic “Prosperity and Beauty” that is to come. The whole song is half-baked, and the ending is hugely unsatisfactory. Just as you felt it was going somewhere, it just hits a note and quickly fades out in half a second. VERY unsatisfying. The only plus side to this track is that the riffage is brutal, reminiscent of death metal, but it just starts and ends two and a half minutes later.

Another problem is Gaahl's ghoulish wailing being a bit too much during the conclusion of “Exit,” even for me. Thankfully, most of the album doesn't feature as much of this atrocious constipated scream-grunting as Twilight of the Idols did.

In conclusion, this album was a unique attempt from King ov Hell to create something more atmospheric than what he wrote in Gorgoroth's previous release. I think this album is important since many people who will become fans of Gorgoroth or even any black metal in the future will probably stumble upon this album before they enjoy most of the trve classics. And that's okay. It's a point of entry, and it's a good one. It's cold, dark, and atmospheric, but it's also accessible since it branches out beyond what is typically considered “trve” black metal. All the instruments are audible, and nothing in the mix is overbearing. If you're already deep into black metal, then I see why you'd have little to no interest in this chapter of Gorgoroth's history. That's okay too. The point is, different albums do it for different people. This one will always be a good listen for me, even in the midst of the highly esteemed classics.

I find it kind of amazing that Gorgoroth manage to strike up more polarized opinions even than some of the most challenging black metal bands coming out today. Always treading somewhere behind the Norwegian frontrunners, they've never been truly daring. Even their half-successful experiments closely echoed the industrial fascinations of their influences. But even so, Gorgoroth are one of those bands where even the genre elite can't seem to make their minds up about it.

I'm pretty sure this has little to do with whether the band were ever making challenging music (hint: they weren't) but moreso with what different people look for in a "traditional" sound of black metal. For some, it's the atmosphere; for others, it's got everything to do with the songwriting. Others still put the focus (perhaps too much) purely on an artist's ideology. At one point or another, Gorgoroth have had all of these traits. However, considering they've had a bigger turnover rate than an average fast-food restaurant, it's nigh-impossible to have a single opinion that applies to everything they've done.

Strangely, it's the albums written by schoolteacher and bassist King (ov Hell) that start the most arguments. I guess it's because even the detractors can admit some worth in the early stuff that arguments are saved for the point in which Gorgoroth became, for all intents and purposes, a "modern" black metal band. King has always been something of an outsider to the black metal circle, and that's part of the reason why I was so surprised with how solid an album Twilight of the Idols was. Even if it played it safe wherever possible, the album was solid, and it's still the sort of thing I'll probably listen to occasionally when the mood strikes.

Having heard that Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam, the second album written by King, was possibly the band's most striking output, I was expecting this to make due on Twilight of the Idols' promise of tight songwriting and atmosphere. On the contrary, AMSG doesn't necessarily fail in either of those categories, but I've left wondering if its praise wasn't meant to be directed at the following, similarly Latin-named album the band put out after King and Gaahl left. For a band that has earned its reputation on averageness, AMSG is the first of theirs that doesn't serve to move me in any significant way.

Even if Gorgoroth always followed in the footsteps of others, I think they earned their own character through the melodic slant of Infernus' guitar playing. Although King may have written Twilight of the Idols as well, at least on that album it felt like the songwriting meant to capitalize on one of the band's greatest talents. To call the evolution on AMSG generic might be a start, but being derivative never stopped earlier albums from hitting much harder. Instead, AMSG was held back by a natural continuation of King's lust for consistency. Most of the songs employ the same tired approach without the riffs to justify it, and the few songs that break form end up being the album's best cuts. The martial focus of "Sign of an Open Eye" and the melodic tint of "Prosperity and Beauty" make them notably powerful in an album that otherwise aims for function alone.

On AMSG, I get the distinct feeling that Gorgoroth were trying to get more serious with their atmosphere. Not that they hadn't proved their dedication countless times before, but from the needlessly technical guitar parts and notable dissonance, it sounds like at least one of them had listened to Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice and decided the orthodox route would keep them fresh. In most cases, I'd actually welcome a band who tries to reinvent their image like that. However, where Deathspell Omega sounded fiercely inventive with their dissonance, King's writing feels somewhat lazy and unmemorable. He's a tame composer by default, and while that might have flown with a more primitive sound, King's reach isn't quite far enough to accommodate for this new approach.

On the other hand, ineffectual songwriting doesn't get in the way of another strong performance all around for Gorgoroth. Even if the riffs revolve on Iced Earth-y chugging more than they likely should have, Infernus stands out again as a great guitarist who manages to show his classical influences even after having had the writer's pen usurped from him. Although Gaahl would never come close to topping his performance on Incipit Satan, his screams here are fierce, helping to breathe some life onto a dry template. Lastly, where a lot of the "modern" black metal bands suffer from heinously pristine production, getting Herbrand Larsen to mix it obviously rubbed some of Enslaved's organic quality off on the band. Whether al of that is really enough to compensate for the lacking songwriting is really questionable. Making matters worse is the fact that all of the strengths on AMSG would be shortly toppled once Infernus regained control on Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt. Let the record show that Gaahl and King offered an interesting stage in this band's history, but it may have been for the best that they finally jumped ship.

This is the point where Gorgoroth was almost at its end musically, Infernus was barely writing anything and let medicore bassist King Ov Hell and medicore vocalist Gaahl write everything.

Although I did like "Incipit Satan" for its experimentation and original sound I despised "Destroyer" and "Twilight of The Idols" and I was certainly not looking forward to this one. I can safely say though I do enjoy this album somewhat and can listen to it a lot more than the previous album.

Gaahl is a lot less irritating on this release, hell, I might even say he is pretty good. His presence and performance on songs "Wound Upon Wound" and "God Seed" make the songs worthwhile. Although I am still pretty sure he uses effects (Something I feel no REAL black metal vocalist should do so much) he still sounds pretty good.

Infernus might as well have given the guitar to King and asked him to play, because King wrote ALL of the music. The riffs here are your standard black metal riffs, none struck me as memorable or interesting except for tracks like "Wound Upon Wound", "Sign Of An Open Eye" and "God Seed". The riffs aren't bad per se but King has never been able to write anything memorable or original, listen to "Ov Hell" for proof of that.

The bass is played by King, and it is okay but again very generic. I never dug him as the bassist for Gorgoroth anyway. You can hear his bass a lot of the time but you'll never pay attention to it because it is so boring.

The drummer is famed black metal drummer, Frost, and it is not surprising that he has the best performance on the album. He varies himself a lot in each song and it is a shame he is backing up such uncreative riffing. Whether it is blast beating or more technical drumming he pulls it off well.

The production is good, especially for a black metal album. You can hear each instrument clearly. Each riff sounding furious and the drums sounding even more inpressive. Nothing is louder than the other. The production is the best thing about this album next to the drumming.

All in all, this is not a bad album at all. In fact, I can listen to this and not feel ripped off because this was pretty much what I was expecting only little bit better. It is a well produced album that fails to offer anything new or exciting. Tracks like "Wound Upon Wound" and "God Seed" make this album great though. "Wound Upon Wound" is up there in my favorite tracks by the band.
This was Gaahl and King's last album with Gorgoroth (Thank goodness) and it was a respectable last effort by them. Infernus is better without them though.

Listening to this album is like eating trail mix; there’s a few Smarties among the boring healthy stuff, but once you’ve picked them all out there’s really nothing much of interest. This seems to be the way of Gaahl and King. I don’t dislike them on principal, necessarily, but they sure haven’t done any good for Gorgoroth. This is their last album with the band, and for that, I am grateful.

When Gaahl and King grabbed the reins of Gorgoroth from Infernus, it seems as though the band became more of an image than a musical entity. This is clear when listening to their 2006 full length, Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam. Most of the songs are unvarying at best and interchangeable at worst. The first three tracks are at a fast pace and pretty much meld into each other when listened to them back-to-back. Carving a Giant is a bit catchier than the others and has a pretty cool, melodic riff near the end. The fourth track, however, is the only reason I would recommend this album to someone. This one is amazing, the big red Smartie. Savour it because it’s nothing but nuts and raisins after this. Sign of an Open Eye opens with a slow paced, ominous riff (reminding us that Infernus is playing guitar) that sludges on throughout the song. Gaahl delivers some menacing spoken vocals and from what I can make out of the lyrics, they’re evil. The song builds up to a climax in which Gaahl repeatedly shrieks “Call him…to black flame!” - awesome. Everything about the song is pure grimness but it wouldn’t be a good thing if the whole album sounded like it. It’s only effectively jarring because it’s so different from the rest of the music.

The instrumentation is fairly standard but leaves much to be desired when you’re familiar with Gorgoroth’s back catalogue. There’s the odd memorable riff (Carving a Giant, Prosperity and Beauty) but for the most part the guitars are just kind of there. Gaahl’s vocal performance is fine, but the production on them is a bit strange and unnatural sounding. His vocals on Sign of an Open Eye are excellent and I enjoy the deeper growls on Untamed Forces. Am I forgetting anything? The bass? Nah, who gives a shit. Oh yeah, Frost does drums for this album! You’d think he’d almost be enough to make the album awesome, but not quite. He certainly does his best to save as many songs as he can, but it’s not his fault that they’re boring from the beginning. His performance is nice and varied. I love the slow pounding of Sign of an Open Eye and he does some great blasts on Prosperity and Beauty. Despite his commendable performance, the production he gets is a bit weak and quiet. I often find myself searching for his blastbeats through heaps of mediocre riffs.

I’m overjoyed that King is no longer the main songwriter of the band because I don’t think I could handle another album that is mostly ‘by the numbers’. This album is just a bad representation of the evilness that is Gorgoroth and I don’t think I’d recommend it. Unless you need to complete your Gorgoroth collection, save yourself the $15 and just download Sign of an Open Eye.

I am more than a casual fan of the Norwegian/Swedish black metal scene and I'm quite familiar with Gorgoroth from the early days. The new CD, Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam, is a lesson in evil straight out of the Scandinavian "black book". Originally spawned in 1992 from Norway, Gorgoroth has seen many lineup changes as well its fair share of legal troubles which should lend no credence to the music – as that stands the music is pure "kult" black metal that is completely raw, unpolished (yet with decent production) and blasphemous – all three elements of proper songs for Satan! The band currently consists of founder/guitarist Infernus (still holding helm since the band's inception), King ov Hell handling bass (though he has just left the band by mutual agreement for "ideological concerns), growling and vocal offerings are spewed from the throat of Gaahl. The drums were done by none other than Frost, who needs no introduction in black metal circles (though for those less versed, he is from Satyricon).

From beginning to end this offering is 31-minutes of blasphemy at its best! The CD has terrific moments of typical black metal insanity in tracks like "Wound Open" and "Carving a Giant", and total guitar-heavy slowness of "God Seed" that do not diminish the reputation Gorgoroth has carved for itself in the last 14-years. "Sign of an Open Eye" is simply brutal and horrifying. If true black metal is what you seek, then Gorgoroth will fill your wants nicely with Ad Majorem! Isn't it great to wait three years for a new CD from a great band and have it live up to all hopes and expectations? Gorgoroth has let up not one hair in its service to the Dark Lord and it shows!

As of this writing Gorgoroth has entered the Norwegian charts at 22 with Ad Majorem, while King has officially left the band by mutual agreement for "ideological concerns", hence carving another notch in the band's ever-changing roster. However, it makes me very happy to see a black metal band reaching any type of chart entry, especially in Norway where the shadow of Varg Vikernes, church fires and murders still loom ominously. Ihsahn did it earlier this year with "The Adversary" and now Gorgoroth has followed suit, exposing more people to the wonder and beauty that can be, and is, black metal! Give this CD a spot in the blackest part of your collection.

(Originally presented in Metal Coven webzine 8-12-06)

Call me crazy (you're crazy) but I prefer Incipit Satan over Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam. There are songs on both releases that brings down the overall quality from great to the ever dreaded pretty good, but it is less noticable on Incipt Satan. The problems on this album are quite simple. No, I'm not going to criticize King for his part in writing the music. That seems to be a trend for anyone who compares any album that King wrote to Under the Sign of Hell or Antichrist. King's writing isn't any better or worse. It's just different from that of Infernus. The problems are lack of variety in the music. Huh, I guess I am going to criticize King.

Now getting to the music on the album, the vocal work by Gaahl was to be expected. It's nothing new but It's not yet getting old. I, unlike some/most Gorgoroth fans actually prefer Gaahl to Pest or Hat or T-Reaper. Its just that he is the vocalist in the Gorgoroth that I grew up with. The one track that the vocals stand out (at least on this album) is Untamed Forces. The style on that track is very reminiscent of that on Ein Eim av Blod og Helvetesild from Incipit Satan. Very dark and very deep, except this time, the vocals are in English instead of German.

Infernus can really play. On this album, the guitar work is some of the best since Gaahl joined Gorgoroth. He plays like his life depends on it throughout the whole album. King's bass is very hard to hear, as in most black metal. Although there are moments that it does shine through the sonic raping that Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam provides you with. Frost's drum work is absolutely stellar. Many double bass drum fills and the ease at which he can change tempo is something to really amaze.

The songs on this album that I enjoyed the most and that I would consider the best are Wound upon wound, God seed, Carving a giant, Untamed forces and Prosperity and beauty. The track titles are not misleading on this album as they are on, say, Incipit Satan (i.e. Unchain My Heart!!!, When Love Rages Wild in My Heart) which is a good thing. You know exactly what you are gunna get. Straight forward Gorgoroth.

Now with Gorgoroth's last offering, the Twilight of the Idols... I got into them, however I always saw that album as kind of monotone and a little boring. The problem I really had with it was the extensive use of thrashy riffs. Well, after Gorgoroth's many scandals and line-up changes they offer something new, something amazing.


This album is what I would call "What black metal in 2006 should be." There is none of this rock n’ roll mixture as we see with bands like Satyricon or Carpathian forest. There is melody but no tendencies toward catchiness, and there is very powerful musicianship. I must also say the this album takes a lot from the first generation of black metal but it is autonomous and modern in comparison. The one big thing I see in this album relative to everything else being spewed out by Nuclear Blast and Century Media is the emotion. You really feel the darkness and pain with this album.


Now some have said that this album is too much like their previous record, I must strongly disagree. This album is very far from that. They have really taken the atmosphere up a notch into the dungeon. The creativity in King apparently blossomed for this album, because the amounts of original riffs in here are amazing. Now to examine each instrument:

The Guitars are great, a perfect mixture of the classic feeling of emptiness you get with black metal, but they have enough girth to fill up your headphones. The riffs are terrific (as stated above), they have similarities to those on Twilight... however King has decided to write some more tradition black metal double picking stuff, which I love. The drums are phenomenal, but what else could you expect from Frost? The truly sad thing about Frost is that he rarely shows his talent in his more popular project Satyricon. Me being a pretty big 1349 fan, I always grab the opportunity to listen to Frost’s amazing work. The bass isn’t very audible, but is that new in black metal? No. The vocals are really good. Ghaal once again shows us he can stand out from all of the other black metal vocalists. Of course I don’t know what the lyrics are, but I can get an idea. They seem to hold more water than on the previous album.

The reason I’m giving this album a 92 instead of a 100 is because, like all Gorgoroth albums, it’s very short, clocking only at 31:51. Also, a few of the song endings are a bit weak. Besides those things, it is the future of black metal as I see it.

I’m sure a lot of black metal fans will disagree but I would first say this is the best black metal album of 2006 and Gorgoroth’s best work to date. This album is just oozing with evil. If you were a Gorgoroth fan before this album, I’m sure you will enjoy this. If you weren’t a fan of them before, but you like extreme black metal, give this a listen.

Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam has been an album I've been looking foward to, as Gorgoroth is in my opinion one of the best Norwegian BM bands still playing in a pure artistic way. Their albums since Destroyer have indeed been taken by many in very different lights. Some hated them, some loved them. Personally I think Incipit Satan had some of their best and most experimental tracks and while Twilight of the Idols seemed to not be over all as inviting, the dark dungeon atmosphere contained on it, combined with more thrashy riffs was in the end a very pleasing record. Now with this new album Gorgoroth are out to prove something I feel, that after so many years and so much line-up changes (this album features Frost from Satyricon on drums for the second time (he was also on Antichrist)) they can still create the pure frigid cold yet hellish black metal they've always been known for.

On this album they continue down the path set by the last three albums, dark nihilistic soundscapes, combining fury with introspection. Gaahl's vocals are at their peak, this is perhaps his best performance with the band so far. The songwriting is in general split between more melodic work and more thrashy work. I believe I have heard Infernus and King split the songwriting, which explains the difference. The primarily thrashy Twilight of the Idols was mainly written by King, and Infernus focuses on the purer Norwegian sound. This combination works to the best effect on here, giving a very good balance. There is even quite a bit of almost doom like atmospheres on parts of this recording. The overall atmosphere is much like Gaahl has described it, finding wisdom and truth through chaos, darkness and death. This more mystical way of seeing existence seems to be very strong upon these songs (Gaahl also compared it to Shamanic teachings he follows, this I find to be very expressive of the very mysteries contained within the labyrinth that is black metal). Like the best of black metal, this seems to be part of an idea and expressing the idea at the same moment. One is lost in the atmosphere and the ideology, combining to create the most powerful of experiences. And yet, again like all good black metal, it is not immediatly easy to access, each song is like a mystery waiting to be unfolded. The more you listen the more you understand, but this is not a new aspect of Gorgoroth, always have they been this cold and stand offish, they don't want you to understand with one beer soaked listen, they want you to really absord their message and their atmospheres.

I wouldn't say this is a comeback record like many will. Gorgoroth never went anywhere, and in reality this is perhaps most of all a more focused version of the experiments made on their albums since Under the Sign of Hell. Much like that brilliant recording, this is pure black metal, but it is also very experimental, taking these experimental unusual elements and working them in perfectly with great songs that capture mood and emotion along with an icy internal silence. It's been many years since their inception, yet Gorgoroth are still just as important as they ever have been, and perhaps just as forgotten. This is no stupid Hail Satan band, they have a point in their Luciferian designs, and their music reflects this orthodox yet also openminded approach. If you are a black metal fan and have not heard this album yet, you should go out and get it, this will probably be the best pure BM album of the year. Gorgoroth reign triumphant again, creators of the fires of hell and of darkness and death.

(Originally written by me for www.tmetal.com)

After three years of wait. Black Metal fans finally get a new album from the infamous Black Metal act from Norway who are more well known for their Crimes and on stage antics than they are for their music. A band that in my eyes has always created solid, well done Black Metal for the most part but never quite reached the peak of the mountain like such other famous Norwegian acts such as Immortal, Emperor, and Burzum.

After their last two releases it looked as if Gorgoroth was in a downward spiral for the end after two straight lack luster albums and their vocalist Gaahl being charged with ritualistic crimes. But "Ad Majorem Satanhas Gloriam" was most certainly a surprise. As always, nothing special, nothing too original but Gorgoroth have bounced back and created a solid album. It starts off with "Wound upon Wound", one of the catchier tracks on the albums with riffs that will keep you head banging throughout. The album continues along a similar, steady path with flashes of atmospheric brilliance on tracks such as "God Seed", "Sign of an Open Eye", and the closing track "Prosperity and Beauty". "Sign of an Open Eye" does somewhat stray from the usual Gorgoroth style as it is a very slow atmospheric song with hardly any vocals on it at all, just a few spoken sections but it works well here and is one of the better tracks on the entire album. And as the album closes, Gorgoroth again touches back into abit more of the same kind of melodies that were present on the opening track. "Exit" and the closer "Prosperity and Beauty" are 2 of the catchier Gorgoroth songs I have ever heard and they are also 2 of the more memorable tracks on the entire album.

The production on this album is flawless but not overdone at all. The riffing is very clear and with Frost back in the mix; the drumming is nothing short of outstanding as would be expected. A big step up from the drumming on their last release "Twilight of the Idols". The vocals are much better this time around as well. I felt that the vocals were alittle overproduced on 2003's Twilight and sounded very fake but Gaahl puts forth a very good effort on Ad Majorem Satanhas Gloriam.

In conclusion, this is the best thing Gorgoroth has done since Under The Sign of Hell. But make no mistake about it; there is nothing particularly special or ground breaking about this release. As I stated at the beginning, it’s just a solid, straight forward Black Metal album that is somewhat of a return back to Gorgoroths better days. For long time Gorgoroth fans, this is a must buy and should not disappoint.

Standout songs: Wound Upon Wound, Sign of an Open Eye, God Seed (Twilight of the Idols), Prosperity and Beauty.

Cover Art: Alittle homo, 0/10
Musicianship: 8
Originality: 7
Replay Value: 9

Overall 8/10

it is never enough of Gorgoroth - they can release fantastic black metal cd-s full of various riffs and motives, full of overwhelming atmosphere. Their albums can be extremely aggressive, but still developing and surprising. They can, but it's not a rule. Here - it doesn't work like that.

"Ad Majorem..." is pretty... normal, I would say. It combines all Gorgoroth did on the previous albums and is quite similar to "Twilight of the Idols". The atmosphere is stronger, this is true, but on the other hand the riffs got rather repeated and used up. A song "Sign of an open eye" is even a precise copy of "An Excert of X" from "Incipit Satan". I liked in Gorgoroth the ability to record various albums, not repeating self and sounding differently. This is the first time this important advantage disappeared.

Still, if you expected a total failure, you were wrong. Gorgoroth did what it had to do though with the least effort, partly without ambition to show they're still strong and when others fall, they will be the leaders. No, they won't hold on. Unless they start recording albums like before. However, this was the first time when Gorgoroth went below the level sent by themselves, let's hope it isn't a beginning of a fatal serie.