Simone Appolloni's Album Reviews
Who could imagine that Celtic Frost would have been set their throne not in one, but two movements? While in 1992 America was going crazy because of the Grunge movement (remember Kurt Cobain was a Celtic Frost fan), in Europe, apart of some remnants of the New Wave and the still upcoming Indie Rock scene, there seemed to be nothing new in musical panorama. Or at least they believed so.
In Europe, it was Extreme Metal that was growing up of success like nothing else before. Doom Metal had the magic trio Paradise Lost-My Dying Bride-Anathema, Death Metal had started incorporating the Grindcore ferocity (especially the Swedish scene), Thrash Metal would sadly remain underground even in the 00's: Black Metal seemed like a novelty act then, because some artists started deeply appreciate the garage-sounding albums of Venom and Bathory and decided they would create the most impenetrable kind of music in Earth known. Satanism accusations came after.
In 1992 Norway still didn't know the Black Metal scene, that found Darkthrone their favorite children. Ted Skjellum (vocals/guitar), Ivan Enger (guitar) and Gylve Nagell had formed yet the band as a Death Metal act that soon turned into the "polar opposite" following the Inner Circle influence. If Soulside Journey was a dirt, murky, but "clean" rest in technical sugarland, A Blaze In The Northern Sky found the band creating even more guitar webs (they almost sound like synthesizers), making longer songs and, most notably, leaving behind all confusing songwriting direction and relying instead in straightfoward sections (yeah, the songs still got an unpredictable flowing). Nearly absent solos, church-bell shy bass and tribal blasting drums: here you got all the bases.
The genre rarely sounds catchy, and that's not the case. Not the single moments, but the disc as a whole is a musical gem. So there aren't particular highlights, but two tracks hide some surprises: all of them have the Morbid Tales-era riffs and harmonies, but "The Pagan Winter" has a haunting atmosphere and ends like the album started. Even more fantastic is the title track that, after some classic Black Metal power exsposition, changes all things with a sleazy Ramones riff until the end. Good job, guys.
Highlights:"A Blaze in the Northern Sky", "The Pagan Winter".
In Europe, it was Extreme Metal that was growing up of success like nothing else before. Doom Metal had the magic trio Paradise Lost-My Dying Bride-Anathema, Death Metal had started incorporating the Grindcore ferocity (especially the Swedish scene), Thrash Metal would sadly remain underground even in the 00's: Black Metal seemed like a novelty act then, because some artists started deeply appreciate the garage-sounding albums of Venom and Bathory and decided they would create the most impenetrable kind of music in Earth known. Satanism accusations came after.
In 1992 Norway still didn't know the Black Metal scene, that found Darkthrone their favorite children. Ted Skjellum (vocals/guitar), Ivan Enger (guitar) and Gylve Nagell had formed yet the band as a Death Metal act that soon turned into the "polar opposite" following the Inner Circle influence. If Soulside Journey was a dirt, murky, but "clean" rest in technical sugarland, A Blaze In The Northern Sky found the band creating even more guitar webs (they almost sound like synthesizers), making longer songs and, most notably, leaving behind all confusing songwriting direction and relying instead in straightfoward sections (yeah, the songs still got an unpredictable flowing). Nearly absent solos, church-bell shy bass and tribal blasting drums: here you got all the bases.
The genre rarely sounds catchy, and that's not the case. Not the single moments, but the disc as a whole is a musical gem. So there aren't particular highlights, but two tracks hide some surprises: all of them have the Morbid Tales-era riffs and harmonies, but "The Pagan Winter" has a haunting atmosphere and ends like the album started. Even more fantastic is the title track that, after some classic Black Metal power exsposition, changes all things with a sleazy Ramones riff until the end. Good job, guys.
Highlights:"A Blaze in the Northern Sky", "The Pagan Winter".
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