In Arms of Kurpian Phantom

A good section of Hellveto fans seem to agree that this is the prolific artist's greatest work. I'm not sure if I can fully agree; there's just so many great Hellveto albums that it would be nearly impossible to decide on just one in particular. 'In Arms Of Kurpian Phantom' is probably in the top three overall though, and it possesses a clarity of vision and perfection of execution rarely matched elsewhere in the metal scene or even Hellveto's own catalog. It's certainly a mandatory purchase for Hellveto fans, and highly recommended for those new to the artist.

The typical Hellveto sound is intact: orchestral pagan metal with significant influences from black metal and Slavic folk. A couple central differences, however, differentiate this from other Hellveto albums. For one, guitars are much more forward in the mix and compositionally important than they were on 'Zemsta' or 'Medieval Scream'. This makes for an album that perhaps unintentionally feels more metal than previous works, and this feeling is also aided by the much increased aggression and intensity of some of these tracks. Blast beats are much more common along with L.O.N.'s throat-shredding screams, and this is certainly the most extreme Hellveto release at this point in the project's catalog. It's a rather surprising contrast to the folky and introspective 'Medieval Scream' and overall more even-handed 'Zemsta', and announces an interesting diversion from the most grounded of Hellveto's established musical elements.

The second, equally striking difference is that of the orchestral compositions, which in this case seem less influenced by folk (though that influence is still appreciable throughout) and more through Victorian classical. This is a more thoroughly neoclassical work than most of Hellveto's works, and yet it loses none of the band's extremely consistent sound in the process. The result of this is a great album that's constantly at battle with itself, with its furious, guitar-driven attack on one side and its refined neoclassical aesthetic on the other. It almost functions like a story of man's battle against himself, with both noble and savage impulses at war within one man's mind. The opening track says it all, really: delicate yet dramatic violins set the stage before a blast/tremolo attack storms in and decimates the fragile atmosphere.

This is perhaps the Hellveto album which most closely resembles 'normal' symphonic black metal, but even here it doesn't get that close. It's a bit more accessible than Hellveto's other works, with the orchestral melodies a bit less dissonant and abstract and more typically melodic instead. I can imagine that the greater emphasis on guitar would help many ease into this sound, which could probably seem daunting when faced with other Hellveto releases with the metal instruments just barely there to provide a supporting role to the orchestra. The songwriting, of course, is masterful, as on all Hellveto releases, but seems even better than typical here due to the more balanced production and seemingly conceptual leanings.

As previously stated, I'm not sure I could mark one Hellveto album in particular that's my favorite, but this comes very close. Even in Hellveto's remarkably consistent catalog, this stands out as an incredible release. Unfortunately, this is also probably the rarest of Hellveto's full-length albums, limited to only 500 copies and sold out of most distros. If you can track it down, however, I highly recommend it; it's an unforgettable release which any open-minded metalhead would love.