Had this album originated from any place other than the ever-productive
metal-hive known as Sweden, perhaps it would've faired better on my
ears; but given this band's lucrative musical heritage (particularly in
their genre of choice, i.e. black metal) there is really little to
redeem them of their unimposing standing.
Don't get the wrong
impression though: where this band shows its teeth their innate Swedish
flair becomes assertively prominent, especially when they embark on
fast, pummelling exercises in black metal ferocity. The pounding, slower
interims of doom-ish sludgery are effective and appropriately menacing.
But still, as a whole this offering remains unconvincing. Perhaps it's
because their black metal lacks the caustic conviction of Dark Funeral's
early spells or even the six-stringed incisiveness of Dissection's
seminal output. Or perhaps because most of the creative élan that this
band possesses is shamelessly squandered due to the album's loose
musical set-up and dishevelled vocal parts. And this is notwithstanding
the fact that their sound is seriously hamstrung by an appalling and
incongruent production. In any case, it leaves much to be desired, not
necessarily in terms of execution, because there's a lot of eye-poking
quality in that area, but mostly in structural cohesion. So to sum it
up, although As is definitely a respectful effort, their sound could
certainly use some contextual maturity before it can evolve into a
standalone and solid musical identity.
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