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"A History Of British Occult and Black Metal" Britannia Infernus |
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Featuring many of the greats of British Black Metal, Britannia Infernus is like an encyclopedic collection that spawns the darkest of the dark spanning four decades from the early seventies to the present day legions. While to many, "Black Metal"
was bore of the Scandinavian scene at the turn of the nineties where those
many from the great white North catapulted an entire genre destined to
unleash black rain upon the masses and is the recognized leader as such,
the U.K. pioneers From the darkest days of Sabbath
to the undisputed leaders who originally coined the term The first features the forbearers
of the genre in its infancy, beginning in 1970 with names like Black Widow,
Atomic Rooster, an early sound reminiscent of an unholy crossing of Uriah
Heep and Jethro Tull, blackened to the core; And then came "Black
Sabbath," whose historical reverence needs no further campaign,
there was a haunting chill in the Jumping a decade ahead with bands like Angel Witch and "Angel Of Death," Venom, "Bloodlust," we soon embark on a number of lesser known names, consistent with the early '80s Thrash that was taking the Metal world by storm both on American and European shores, here were yet a number of underground bands creating a harsher form of Thrash built upon the designs of Venom-names like Pagan Alter and their "The Black Mass," from '82, a great song with vocals that redefine irritation-absolutely abhorrent enough to make you welcome those upcoming grunts and growls that would follow a decade later… Now as I span further along disc one, I'm discovering for myself how many good bands existed, possibly short-lived, but nonetheless some impressive and pioneering material that most of today's listeners would be surprised to know. Other names like Widow, Witchfynde
and Hell made their mark, must've crawled back
And onward to where disc two begins, covering 1990 to today, we embark on the many Black Metal acts who would follow the lead-bands like Ragnarok, Cradle Of Filth, to many the class of the category, Bal Sagoth, Adorior, and Hecate Enthroned… or just think of any group name without an "OTH" trailer not from Nordic shores. And their contributions are cause
for celebration-COF's "The Forest Whispers My Name" going
back to '94, a Black Metal classic; Megiddo's "Eldest Of Lightnings,"
and Bal Sagoth's "Dreaming Of Atlantean Spires," from
'94 and '95, one of their true highlights; the music, transitory and bearing
witness to the expanded atmospheric style to enhance the underlying brutality;
a music now characterized by frenetic blast-beats and And yet one could never exist without
the other. What a collection like this allows you to do as a listener
is not only trace the roots of where it all began, but provides for an
And far from only digging up the remains of the past, part two concludes with five of Britain's best newcomers that could yet prove to be reckoned with. And Scandinavia notwithstanding,
while they continue to provide and pursue the best this Released by EdgyRecords Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] |