Published on Jul 23, 1999
Before we begin today’s review, a quick warning: If you are
someone who believes that rock and roll is the devil’s music, stop
reading now. If you’re not open-minded about music, especially
music that promotes a set of beliefs you don’t agree with, stop
reading now. Go check out our archives or something, ’cause you’re
not going to want to read this one.
Okay, are they gone? Then let’s begin…
Every once in a while, I’m sent black metal to review; this, for
the uninitiated, is dark, moody music (that may or may not be speed
metal, there’s no real rule to it) that often promotes Satanic
beliefs and downplays the church, especially Catholicism. Being a
Roman Catholic, one might expect me to stay away from this type of
music – and, admittedly, I don’t go searching it out on a regular
basis.
But whether I agree with the message of the lyrics from a band
like Enthroned or not isn’t the point when I review a disc like
this. I have to put my feelings about their beliefs aside and judge
the album on its musical and songwriting qualities. But that’s
enough preaching.
In 1997, Cernunnos, the drummer for Enthroned, committed
suicide, leaving his remaining bandmates – who were preparing to
record their next album – in a lurch. The album was eventually
completed with the help of a session drummer, but their grieving
process would be completed with the release of the mini-album
Regie Sathanas: A Tribute To Cernunnos in 1998. (The disc is
just being released in America by Metal Blade.) The album tries to
tie the past with the present, and features the new incarnation of
the band tackling some of their older material, including some
pre-Enthroned songs written by Cernunnos.
This Belgian quartet – bassist/vocalist Sabathan, guitarists
Nornagest and Nabiros and new drummer Namroth Blackthorn – pull no
punches in delivering both the bleak realities of their beliefs and
the crunching power of their music. While I would have done a few
minor things differently (like bumped up the treble and lowered the
midrange just a touch), Enthroned do manage to create some powerful
songs that, while not the kind of stuff you’d slap on during Sunday
dinner, are nice outlets of energy during the day.
After the instrumental opener “Prelude To Satan’s Avengers”
(featuring some ominous sounding groans from the band), the group
kicks things into overdrive with “By Dark Glorious Thoughts”. While
you still need the lyric sheet to follow what Sabathan is saying,
his vocal delivery is clearer than one would expect from a band of
this ilk. And the lyrics? Well, they’re descriptive – but, to be
honest, I’ve heard scarier things in my time.
If there was ever a question of their beliefs, Enthroned
eliminate them with tracks like “Satan Never Sleeps” and a new
rendition of “Deny The Holy Book Of Lies”. Musically, these songs
ooze power, and while I kept waiting for both guitarists to just
open up the floodgates and set their axes on full shred, they both
choose more moderation in their solos. (In the end, maybe this was
the best route for them to take.) Add into the mix a cover of
Sodom’s “The Conqueror”, the original “Walpurgis Night” and a brief
instrumental ending (“Outro”), and the memorial to their fallen
bandmate is completed.
While I recognize that
Regie Sathanas was put together to help the band come to
grips with the loss of their bandmate and friend, I do wonder why
the disc was kept so short. Granted, a lot of discs in this vein
I’ve heard in recent months aren’t much longer, but at least
Enthroned have the musical talent to justify clocking in a little
more listening time.
Regie Sathanas: A Tribute To Cernunnos is definitely in a
league of its own, and if you’re considering buying it, you should
be warned that the lyrical content is quite raw and descriptive.
But, if you are into the black metal scene, then the release of
this disc on this side of the Atlantic should be welcome news to
you – and it is, in the end, both enjoyable and a fitting memorial
to Cernunnos.