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September 7, 2008 |
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GORGOROTH - Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam
Candlelight (2006) |
8.5/10 |
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01. Wound Upon Wound
02. Carving A Giant
03. God Seed (Twilight Of The Idols)
04. Sign Of An Open Eye
05. White Seed
06. Exit
07. Untamed Forces
08. Prosperity And Beauty
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As the summer is now dying away awaiting the final coup de grace to be mercilessly given by the rising winter chills, GORGOROTH's new release composed of pure Black Metal fury made in Norway could be the best choice right now in order to set the mood for the long, cold and rainy months to come. It is quite surprising that with all the issues the band members currently have to deal with (vocalist Gaahl currently doing time for assault and, at the same time, guitarist Infernus being accused of having participated to the gang-rape of a woman plus illegal arms possession) they still had enough resources left to record and release their seventh album to date.
In a similar format as its predecessor "Twilight Of The Idols" released in 2003, this disc gets straight to the point by offering the listener a selection of eight raw and hate-fueled Black Metal tracks for the next 31 minutes or so. Short and sweet! Right off the bat it would be extremely unfair to deny GORGOROTH the merit to be accounted among some the most skilled musicians out there nowadays. Each one of them is very skilled and proves to be confidently able to change pace several times within the same track effortlessly. Throughout highly energized tracks such as "Wound Upon Wound", "Carving A Giant" and especially the fast and furious "God Seed (Twilight Of The Idols)" they can easily manage to explore different horizons without ever getting the listener lost at any time.
As usual the band is willing to switch gears to a slower and more menacing atmosphere on tracks such as "Sign Of An Open eye" or "White Seed", and as unbelievable as it may sound, when Black Metal is so perfectly executed it becomes infectious and even catchy! Hard to imagine that the trio, which only includes one guitar, a drum-set and vocals can still sound so thick. The following tracks "Exit" and the extremely brutal "Untamed Forces" bring the album back to the furious pace displayed earlier on this disc. From then on, expect no change as the final song, "Prosperity And Beauty", closes the album in beauty and also happens to be the strongest piece of the present collection.
For the ones eager to acquire a Black Metal CD with extra attitude, "Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam" should be the first choice at the present time. This album is perfect for a cardio workout involving kicking and punching the crap out of a sandbag and is definitely not recommended for a Valentine. As far as I'm concerned, with GORGOROTH, Extreme Norwegian Black Metal is not about to disappear.
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