In het holst van de zwarte nacht / De Bremer stads muzikanten

There's raw black metal and then there's RAW black metal - in the secular/satanic black metal scene, I think of Ildjarn's entire discography, Ulver's "Nattens Madrigal" (an absolute masterpiece by the way), Emperor's "Wrath of the Tyrant", and the like. But after nine years of listening to the nastiest black metal the genre had to offer, I honestly think that most pales in comparison to this little monster of a band.

This disc, a nicely re-packaged re-issue of Verdelger's two demos, is about as pleasurable as having your throat sliced clean open in one swift movement. There is no room for even the remotest nuance of subtlety here, especially on the first five tracks that comprise the "In Het Holst Van De Zwarte Nacht" demo. Who would have known that this band would eventually morph into the progessive outfit known as Borgazur? Not I.

A still-quivering slab of savagery, Verdelger's sound has elements of punk-like fury woven in throughout the tracks (listen to the black metal meets oi punk sounds of "Imbolc Night and Its Bloody Funeral"). Something I must tip my hat to is the use of vicious feedback throughout many of the tracks.

Tracks like "Satanic Lamentation" and the title track are fine examples where the word "ferocious" doesn't even begin to describe the sound. Jagged guitars wreak havoc over manic drums whilst Lord Swordfather (admittedly, a pretty cheesy name, but hey) screams himself bloody sick over the whole mess. It's a combative and nasty sound, even by black metal standards - the sound is truly akin to a rabid, cornered animal ripping one's throat out. In black metal terms, it's ridiculously awesome.

Unfortunately, last track "De Bremer Stads Muzikanten" is a bit of a let-down compared to the first five tracks. Beginning with a strange and tinny acoustic intro, it becomes a decent black metal track similar to the earlier "Doomed to Burn", but is in desperate need of the production volume being turned up a little. Still, that's what the stereo's volume knob is for.

Of course, any band that has a sound so intent on massacring the ears as these guys have is going to have a very limited fanbase; add to that the fact that this is Christian black metal, and you can cut off 99% of that fanbase. For those of us who remain, this is indeed the ticket. Simply a must-own in my opinion.