Et in Saecula Saeculorum

Negative Plane is a relatively new force in Black Metal. Having only put out a couple demos, the magnitude of this full length is simply astounding. This music captures a very unique essence and is an incredibly well composed piece. I can easily say this band is going to get huge worship if they keep this up.

What makes Negative Plane's debut so worthy to rave over? It's a high calibre execution of various elements that are essential to making a great record. The song writing is extremely competent. The production is organic and earthy. The conviction is present and in bold form. This is one of the most well rounded albums of 2006.

Looking at the track listening, and one will find that these song are pretty lengthy. On average, a Negative Plane song here is 8 minutes. Each song is crafted with care and arranged in such a sense that they seem so natural, thus these long songs don't feel overdone. Riffs progress through and carry aggression, melody, and overall the point of force. To do so, riffs come in different waves of attack. From tremolo picking, to note madness, legato playing, and the likes, the listener is barraged with a huge variety that always seems fresh but logical within its placement.

To further the attack and song writing lies in the well executed manner of drums and bass. Bass lines float along perfectly with the drums, and often deviate from the notes played in the riff, adding a very dynamic texture to the music. Just as dynamic, the drums really take this album to the next level. Open beats are utilized to create space, where as the converge into tasty blast beats that are as well played as they are appropriate. This really mixes the songs up nicely and adds all the more dynamics to the band's arsenal.

This leads me into the production. The drums alone have great sound, as the bass drums really thump. The snare sounds really large and booming and makes a nice gradient into the bass drum. The cymbals are crisp and clear, and really ring well. The bass is clear in the mix, which allows for those deadly bass lines to really be effective. The guitar tone is really reminiscent of Coroner to me, as it has a weird reverb or something on it. This tone has a bit more of an evil bite to it, and just totally sounds deadly and really gives the album a great essence.

The way the band presents themselves is very appealing, and really is much like the music. Reading the lyrics reveals some pretty interesting and well written lyrics. Feelings of nihilism, nothingness, and nocturnal evil are often subjects at hand. Combined with strong music and really great musicianship, this band really does what they do well, and they sound like they have reached a higher level as musicians.

If you like black metal that's occult and unique, I highly recommend that you hear this. The Ajna offensive is a label that puts out bands that are really doing something original, and Negative Plane really stands out amongst their already diverse roster. They'll be getting a lot of praise soon if they keep releasing albums like this.