«Hymn To Pan»
(Exile On Mainstream)
There's a certain irony in the fact that Germany-based quartet Obelyskkh were assembled with no intention of putting out any of their recorded music. The benefit of hindsight makes it all the more funny as the sprawling «Hymn To Pan» now marks their third release in as many years. So much for reclusiveness, thankfully. While the first two tracks won't surprise those already privy to their brand of trippy, psychedelic doom in a segue-of-sorts from what they had already laid on wax last year with «White Lightnin'», «The Man Within» shows a more punishing side, the necro-infused raspy vocals of Woitek "The Polish Hammer" Broslowki spewing considerable amounts of bile over the heavy grooves that get your head bobbing back and forth way before you actually notice it. The piéce de resistance, though, is the 22-minute «Revelations: The Will To Nothingness» which closes proceedings with an hyperbole of everything that preceded it, completed with a brief piano-only epitaph. Perhaps Obelyskkh still have an actual masterpiece in them, but up until now this is their most accomplished effort yet and a very satisfying one at that. [PA]
«Satyricon»
(Roadrunner)
Five years is a long time and for Satyricon that is the longest they have gone between full-length releases. If someone, somewhere, was still hoping for them to go back to their second wave roots, «Satyricon» is definitely not the ticket as this material, while not as much of a stylistic jump between records as they have undergone before, sonically moves even further away from their acclaimed «Nemesis Divina» era. Going all analog helps the warm, introspective mood evident in songs like «Tro Og Kraft» or closer «Natt», yet the poisonous edge has not been lost, «Walker Upon The Wind» and «Our World, It Rumbles Tonight» being prime examples of that, with Frost's drumming taking turns between his renowned all-out attack and the novelty of a softer, more refined and imaginative touch. Deceptively lukewarm at first, that feeling evaporates as the almost anthological «The Infinity Of Time And Space» sinks in or the criminally melodic hooks of «Phoenix», featuring Madrugada's vocalist Sivert Høyem, take hold and turn it into compulsive listening. For those who cherish and embrace change, who allow for evolution away from the genre's core and still rightfully believe the band to be a black metal institution at heart, «Satyricon» is not only their most organic album to date but also the one that perfectly ties almost every thread of their two decade career. [PA]
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