Limbonik Art - Phantasmagoria

 I loved Bathory growing up. I mean, I REALLY loved me some Bathory! That crazy Quorthon and his one man band really tore it up while basically giving birth to the black, folk and viking metal genres all by his lonesome. However, A.B. (After Bathory), many one man bands rose up in the frozen, gloomy black metal basements of the world, some good, many not. Therefore, when I heard that long running Norwegian black metal act Limbonic Art was now essentially reduced to a one man project for co-founder Daemon, I was more than slightly uneasy about the release of this, their seventh album, Phantasmagoria. Further enhancing my unease was the advance word that the album would again feature a drum machine (a long running negative for this band). With unease and hesitation upon all our minds (or at least mine), here we go.

Limbonic Art was always a pretty raw black metal band with very clear classic/symphonic elements, but they never strayed anywhere near the level of Dimmu Borgir or other overly symphonic, polished acts. Additionally, Limbonic Art was always exceptionally proficient at creating a real atmosphere of evil and ugliness on past albums, which is so crucial to the entire black metal experience. Happily, these elements have managed to survive on Phantasmagoria to one degree or another despite the shift to one man DIY.

What becomes pretty obvious on Phantasmagoria is that the new Limbonic Art sound is way more stripped down and simpler than in the past. There are  still symphonic elements but to a lesser extent than ever before.  This album is a more primal version of their sound and it works very well on most of the tracks.

Things, however, get off to a pretty rough start with the opening title track, which although starting off promisingly with hyper-speed and ugly black metal, is badly undercut by an enormously ill-conceived and fruity keyboard flourish with matching vocals that sound like they belongs on Broadway in Mama Mia. Although the song changes gears and morphs into a creepy, atmospheric plodder, that damn flourish just ruins this song and I couldn’t take it seriously. Mercifully, things get back on track thereafter  and “Curse of the Necromancer,” “Crypt of Bereavement” and “Dark Winds” are all stellar examples of bleak, raw evilness and some of the better black metal I have heard in some time (“Dark Winds” standing out for its slow and evil vibe).

The production here is pitch perfect for black metal histrionics, with an under-produced raw sound that isn’t so murky and crappy that the music is lost in a frosty haze. Likewise, the album artwork is very cool and well suited to the mood of the music. In fact, it may be one of my favorites in a while. Now, for the downsides. One is the drum machine. I am very down on the programmed drum machine thing. It feels cold and emotionless and not in the cool, frowning black metal way either. At least the drum sound on here is slightly less robotic than on some albums but I still wish they had a real drummer. Secondly, the best material is all jammed into the first half of the album, with the second half being nowhere near as impressive. That isn’t to say that Phantasmagoria is only half good, just that one half is noticeably superior to the other. Lastly, that goddamn flourish in the title track!! ( Sorry, it bothered me that much.)Overall, this is a pretty respectable return for Limbonic Art and most of my fears about the quality were unfounded. If you like your black metal raw but still containing melody, you will probably appreciate this. I will always prefer their first few albums but I think Phantasmagoria will live in my iPod and get some respectable playtime as well (except that opening track).

(review:AngryMetalGuy)

1.	Prologue / Phantasmagoria
2.	Crypt Of Bereavement
3.	Curse Of The Necromancer
4.	Portal To The Unknown
5.	Dark Winds
6.	A World In Pandemonium
7.	Flight Of The Minds Eye
8.	Apocalyptic Manifestation
9.	Prophetic Dreams
10.	The Burning Vortex
11.	A Black Sphere Of Serenity
12.	Astral Projection

Support The Band : myspace.com/officiallimbonicart

Phantasmagoria :    http://rghost.net/2048454

 

The Acacia Strain - Wormwood

In the past, I’ve never gone out of my way to listen to The Acacia Strain. The first time I actually sat down and paid attention to a song of theirs was when they released the first single, Jonestown, off of their fifth studio album titled Wormwood. I loved it. It had a simple groove, angry and emotional lyrics, and I loved the sound of Vincent’s growl. Even though I really enjoyed the song, I had mid to low expectations for the album. All I can say after listening to the album thoroughly is, wow. I did not expect such a pissed off, misanthropic, sonic assault. Not only is it angry, but boy oh boy is it heavy. These two aspects obviously walk hand in hand and The Acacia Strain use that to their advantage, and to full effect.

The first four songs hit you in the face with a sledgehammer swung by a bloodthirsty gorilla. The band whips out an eight string beat down that never lets up. What should turn into a monotonous chug fest is saved by Vincent’s emotionally seeping and brutal screams and dark/mysterious melodies layered over each other in an expertly manner. Each breakdown is placed in a precise moment in order to reach each songs desired dynamic potential and they aren’t thrown in for the sake of “teh br00talz”. The breakdowns are almost needed. Yes, I just said that. You need something slow and crushingly heavy in order for Vincent’s ferocious and offensive chants to seem appropriate and not out of place. Listen to songs such as Ramirez and Bay of Pigs for examples, the latter arguably has the best breakdown of the album. The Acacia Strain really had a good idea of what they wanted this album to sound like. Every song flows into another, in a good way, and without trying hard at all you can easily pick out a memorable moment in each song.

Many may find the lyrics horrendous, cheesy, or maybe even offensive, while only some will understand what Vincent was going for. Vincent stated before the album release that these would be the most personal lyrics he has ever written. After listening to the record the previous statement becomes an obvious fact. He is angry, really angry. The themes involve Christianity, whores, and misanthropy, lots of misanthropy. Nothing totally new or innovative, yes, but I’m quite confident in saying that I have never heard someone pull it off as well as this. The lyrics are so emotional and in your face that they become therapeutic. If you are ever pissed off, this is the album to listen to. You can really hear the anger behind Vincent’s voice and it makes the lyrics much more meaningful. It’s easy to relate to them as well. If you hate Christianity listen to The Hills Have Eyes. If you are pissed off at an ex, listen to BTM FDR. The album is filled with memorable lines that you just want to yell to the world; however the trick is to not take them seriously. For example, in BTM FDR, you’ll hear one of my favourite lines: “You spread disease when you spread your legs. Time to suck today’s dick. I hope you choke on it.” The line is laughable, in a good way though, but it’s not like Vincent was going for something very emotional and deep here. There are lines like this throughout the album and makes the overall listening experience much more exciting.

The album, of course, does not come without its flaws. While the album helps The Acacia Strain stick their neck out of the tired deathcore genre, it does little else. It’s not very innovative, and variety is rarely found. On the first few listens some songs will seem very boring. Besides that, it’s hard to find anything to complain about. Although I quite enjoy Vincent's growl, it gets dull by the end of the album and it's disappointing he has such little range. The guest vocal appearances are rather useless as well, playing fairly small roles. What I can't seem to understand is how the guest appearances sound so similar to Vincent's vocals. If I was left totally unaware of the fact that there were guest vocals, I wouldn't have even noticed it was a totally different person.

Without exaggerating, I can easily say this is one of the heaviest albums I’ve ever heard. That reason alone is worth checking this out, but there is so much more to it. The songs flow well, and song writing is ace overall, it is very emotional and relatable, and features many well done breakdowns that will remind you why the abused technique ever became popular. This isn’t the run of the mill deathcore album, and several listens are acquired in order to give final judgement. I love pleasant surprises, and so should you. In other words, listen to this album.

Support The Artist : http://www.myspace.com/theacaciastrain


http://hotfile.com/dl/54852689/d6e829f/The_Acacia_Strain_-_Wormwood_%282010%29.zip.html


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