Wretched Doom Above

... suddenly everyone knows their lives are over.

Wretched Doom Above is a piece of pure old school black metal which emphasizes the more atmospheric side of this genre. The classic scandinavian-inspired sounds (reminiscent of Darkthrone and early Burzum, with a hint of Emperor) provide the ideal sound frame for the dark fantasy concept of the lyrics, which (if my understanding is correct) is intended to be a continuation of their previous work: tales of black magic, occult rites and unholy wars in the mythical land of Ensomhet.

The forty-three minutes of running time offer a wide enough spectrum of soundscapes. After an epic synthesizer-driven intro, in which a haunting voice sets the mood rightly, the album takes off with Origin of the Sacred War, which wastes no time in showing all that the band has to offer: from eerie mid-tempos to crushing blast-beats, the first half of the album flows away neatly like a stream of black blood. Frozen Darkness Invocation then slows the pace down a bit, conjuring up images of cold nocturnal landscapes, but the sonic aggression is soon resumed in the epic track which bears the name of its creators (Spells of Misery, that is), the longest and possibly most complex song of the lot. The journey is eventually brought to an end with The Void Beyond, an instrumental track in which the synthesizers rise once more to dominate the chilly atmosphere.

As far as musical technique is concerned, the band proves to be a well-oiled war machine, capable of delivering a brilliant performance that, I dare say, puts them on the same level as many older and more experienced bands. The most significant improvement in comparison to the first demo is, in my opinion, the vocals: not only has Yr-nhhngr managed to make his rasping screams much more solid, but he also manages to put quite some pathos behind the theatrical, haunting clean vocals (mostly reminiscent of Mayhem’s first opus De Mysteriis Dom. Sathanas), which surely adds to the gloomy atmosphere of the music. Liege ov Void’s guitar parts are mostly traditional, melody-driven riffs which might remind of Satanic Warmaster, yet the more experienced listener will not fail to notice the heavy influence of Inquisition, for instance in the use of open chords and occasional string bending. As for the rhythmic section, Daath’s drumming is accurate and unrelenting, displaying a significant amount of talent by hammering the listener without exceeding in technicalities. At the same time Manthorok makes himself comfortable in playing elaborate bass lines with a somewhat jazzy touch, and while this contributes to create an above-average performance (which I certainly appreciate being a bass player myself), it also gave me the impression that some parts may have been more effective if played a little bit more straight-forwardly. Last but not least, the synthesizers play a very distinct role in defining the atmospheres, blending well with the other instruments instead of just being used to fill in the gaps. In terms of production, the sound are very well balanced: the experienced engineer Carlo Meroni succeeds in keeping the soundscape neat and clear without losing any of the primitive energy of the band (which is especially crucial in this genre).

In conclusion, I recommend this album to all those who like their black metal old school and atmospheric; fans of the aforementioned Inquisition and Darkthrone, as well as Drowning The Light and Summoning, can surely find something of their liking in this undoubtedly solid release.