Armentar
Baptism By Hate ()
Wydane przez Absorb Records/Bertus DistributionRok wydania Kraj BelgiumNapisał Wouter8
Debuting on Absorb Records Belgian black metallers Armentar take the listener back to the genre's formative Scandinavian days. Heavily inspired by the likes of Immortal ("Pure Holocaust"), Emperor ("Wrath of the Tyrant") and Marduk ("Dark Endless") this unit produces high quality mid-tempo to fast black metal as it was done in the mid '90s. Armentar is fairly straightforward in approach which occasionally leads to sections which are too repetitive and certain riffs or dynamics that are a bit too simple. Vocally, this is down the lane of (early) Ancient Rites and (early) Satyricon. 'Verstrikt In de Doodstrijd' is a tasteful ambient/darkwave interlude which reminds of (early) Mortiis. The bass-heavy production on this debut is incredibly pristine while retaining enough raw edge in the guitar. As said the bass lies prominently in the mix and this gives the whole an organic warmth, notably absent on the majority of black metal albums these days. The drums sound detailed with a thundering bass - and a clear snare sound. Artwork, design and lay-out are crafted with much eye to detail and composition giving the whole a professional look. The booklet contains no information as to line-up, recording info and other vital matters. Despite that minor flaw, this is definitely one of the better Belgian black metal products to be released in the last couple of months alongside the recent Enthroned masterpiece.
www.absorbrecords.com
