End of Life

Burzum are seen by many as the originators of the depressive black metal scene. With ’Hvis Lyset Tar Oss’ grabbing the limelight when it came to black metal supremacy, bands like Strid were quietly, but effectively stamping their mark on the depressive black metal scene. If you were to ask a select band of followers of the particular sub-genre where it all began, half of them would accredit Burzum to the throne, whilst the other half are likely to throw in other names, such as Forgotten Woods or Strid and as such, they completely rule out the legacy of Burzum as the creators, or at least co-creators of the depressive sub-genre.

Everyone has their opinions. Their own views as to whom created what and when. To me, it’s hard to look anywhere else other than directly at Strid. Their first demo, ’End Of Life’ came out before Burzum’s historic ’Hvis Lyset Tar Oss’. Surely that’s evidence enough? Perhaps not. However, when one looks towards the depressive scene these days, it’s perhaps easier to see the Burzum influence than it is to see how Strid left their mark upon a genre which has become widely accessible. When I first came across Strid’s ‘End Of Life’ demo, I found myself resisting the temptation to say that I could see elements of Strid’s music in other black metal bands. In actual fact, I should be saying I can see element’s of other bands music in the material of Strid. Why? Well, it’s simple. Strid were here first. Seniority must go to Strid as they have been around the longest and have, in the eyes of many, created this style.

Thankfully, we can instantly brush aside any of the typical ‘Burzum clone’ chants we so often hear these days. Strid’s style isn’t particularly similar to that of Burzum anyway, but I suppose that’s never stopped some people chanting the same nonsensical rants about how a particular passage in another bands song has been stolen from a Burzum song. It’s becoming quite ridiculous if truth be told. So, here we have it. Strid’s first and perhaps most people’s view of their finest effort, ‘End Of Life’. I suppose the name says it all. The music depicts a callous and cold end to the life of one person, or perhaps many. Whether we’re speaking Armageddon or mass suicide here, I'm not entirely sure. What struck me as quite odd is the fact that the bass is a prominent instruments on this demo. What with it being such an early release in the depressive black metal history, I initially expected, well, not an awful lot in terms of the productiveness of the bass section. However, it’s used quite well. A simple, but affective low tow. Specifically used to give the music a better cutting edge. The bass is perfect in it’s depiction of the end of life. At times, one must expect it to become quite repetitive and it does, however, Strid obviously didn’t read the black metal manual when they first began recording because, despite the amount of recycled material, the track does offer a fair amount of variation.

I suppose that’s part of it’s charm. Using variation in terms of the guitars and bass especially, but still being able to repeat riffs time and again at certain moments. Musicianship of black metal bands isn’t often praised, but Strid deserve credit where credit is due. Though black metal isn’t too familiar with solos, it is familiar with creating a widespread atmospheric sound over the audience. Once you’re sucked in, there is no escape. The music relies heavily on atmosphere, but of course it would, it’s black metal. The atmosphere is the key driving force. It is attained by means of repetitive drums, rasping vocals and a little imagination in terms of riffs on the guitar and bass lines on the bass, respectively. Whilst many bands would later try to mimic this style, Strid are obviously going to be in a league of their own due to the simple fact that they were here first. However, the demo isn’t entirely devoid of problems. The major one being that perhaps the song is a little too long. Whilst I'm used to long songs, this one isn’t good enough to warrant being eleven minutes long. However, if you’re a fan of the history of black metal, this is a must.