Arma Christi

When considering Norwegian black metal releases from the 90's, most people would normally recall several classics - Satyricon's "Nemesis Divina", Gorgoroth's "Under the Sign of Hell" or Immortal's "Pure Holocaust". Urgehal is a name that isn't often mentioned and "Arma Christi" isn't an album that most people would recall as a release they had contact with in the 90's. Urgehal is a band that wasn't mentioned in the news as part of the "black metal inner circle" reportedly burning down churches, it wasn't a band whose members were ever reported as involved in murders. It is a band that started gaining notoriety for its work in recent years - "Goatcraft Torment" and "Ikonoklast" are strong statements that black metal is still practiced in its strongest and purest form.

Released in 1997,"Arma Christi" stands as a reminder that black metal was practiced in its finest form beyond the murders, beyond the "inner circle" and the magazines limelight. "Arma Christi" is an album that portrays black metal in its initial stages, and dares to show a glimpse of what would be made after the turning of the millennium. It is a work that could be placed side-by-side with Dodheimsgard's often overlooked "Kronet Til Konge" and with Watain's debut "Rabid Death's Curse".

Recorded at GL Studio, "Arma Christi" features Ensifer playing rhythm guitars and drums , Chiron on the bass and the late Trondr Nefas (Trond Bråthen) on lead guitars and performing all the vocalizations heard on the album. The band had by now released two demos, "Rise of the Monument" and "Ferd". It should be noted that Trondr Nefas had also participated in fellow band Kvist's first demo. In terms of the production of the album, despite the "black metal aesthetics", "Arma Christi" is a well recorded work - all the instruments can be followed by the listener with ease, and everything sounds in the place it should for a record like this.

Arma Christi is an interesting choice of title as the "Arma Christi" are the objects associated with Jesus' passion in Christian symbolism and art - the cross on which Jesus was crucified, the crown of thorns, the spear of Longinus with which a Roman soldier inflicted the final of the five wounds and the nails on the cross are some of the icons that are most frequently found depicting the instruments of the passion. Besides the cover art depicting the crucifixion scene, this iconographic reference makes no other appearance on the album. The appearance of the "Arma Christi" starting from the 9th century, reflected an increase in theological interest in the sufferings of Christ at the time, this approach is not taken on the lyrics either and Jesus and his torment are not a central theme of the album.

The lyrics offer a standard approach to black metal's Satanic themed landscapes pertaining orgies in "rotting forests" as depicted on "Embraced by Cold", and a strong anti-Christian sentiment as found described in "Evocation of the Satanic Ascendancy".

"Blood Hunt", the album's opening track, introduces the album with a blast beat segment followed by Trondr's vocalizations marking the beginning of each compass, with the following song "The Night Armageddon Comes" displaying a very different style, very similar to what can be found on Carpathian Forest's "Sadomasochistic" from "Black Shining Leather" released the next year. Perhaps this was as inspiration to Carpathian Forest? The same approach can be found on "The Eternal Eclipse", and the listener will find that the album mostly fluctuates between this "black'n'roll" approach together with the more traditional "blast-beat and tremolo guitar combo" usually found on the genre at the time. The song structures usually remain within the same parameters suggested in the first song, Trondr's vocals usually occupy the first beat of the compass, or shifts to marking the phrases on the first and third beats of each compass during passages that are rhythmically more expressive.

"Arma Christi" paints a different picture of the past, it is a statement that Norwegian black metal wasn't limited to a few under the limelight and it is a necessary album to those who want to fully enjoy what Norwegian black metal had to offer in the 90's.

Originally posted on http://shrineofmadlaughter.blogspot.pt

If someone were to ask me what bands define Norwegian black metal of course I'd mention bands like Gorgoroth, Darkthrone, etc. but there's one band who's often over looked who has for their entire career has stayed true and never corrupted their sound and that's Urgehal. All too often they've been passed off as one of those bands who's a Darkthrone rip off or some kind of excuse lacking in logic, that often shows that whoever sprouts off such words hasn't really listened to them. Sure they sometimes have elements of Darkthrone-esque black metal, but Vargsang this is not.

This album, being their first is an odd album, as it features elements that are very much rooted in the first wave black metal, and has some riffing that reminds me of continental black metal acts, particularly tracks like the opener "Blood Hunt." Of course this is probably due to the age of this album. This is also one of the charms, it's very primitive, and though it may not have the outright aggression of later albums, it has a lot of that old school charm.

Also some tracks feature more fully that old school Norwegian feeling, similar to Immortal's debut or Dodheimsgard's debut. Tracks like the second song "The Night Armageddon Comes" feature both the old school riffing and the more classic melodic Norwegian sound, creating an excellent contrast and movement in the song that keeps the listener interested.

The one downside of this album is the production. Fenriz talked about recording Dodheimsgard's first full length and how they did it in a middle priced studio which gave it a kind of not so powerful production which still kind of worked. The same can be said about this album. It's very cleanly produced but doesn't quite have the grime it seems to need. This is where songwriting comes into play, their songwriting is pretty high quality throughout and thus makes up for the very middle of the road production. Also I must say the kind of sound this album has is at least organic and audible, so I can't dock it of too many points, though it really could have used a bit of a grittier and more aggressive sound like on later albums.

Performances are solid, the drumming covers all its bases, keeping basic beats going without being boring, doing what one needs on a black metal album. The guitars are given a fuzzy sound that keeps definition, so riffs stand out and aren't washed out. Bass is in between clean and distorted, giving a thickness to the sound, and at times really driving the songs, which I enjoy a lot.

To sum it up, we have a quality Norwegian black metal album, which isn't quite as great as what would come from Ureghal but is still a great listen, particularly if you enjoy the sound of the early black metal similar to Gorgoroth's first few releases or Under a Funeral Moon.

Urgehal hereby presents us with their first full-length offering, 'Arma Christi'. Despite wading waist-deep in early Darkthrone, they still manage to come off somewhat fresh. The production is excellent (in terms of the genre) if you like a raw, but still audible tone. Standout tracks include "The Night Armageddon Comes", "Conjuring the Hordes of Blasphemy", and "Dethronation of God". However, I feel that the album should be judged as a whole. The atmosphere is laid on thick, and it flows together well. Overall, it makes for an excellent listening experience. While certainly not original, 'Arma Christi' is a worthy addition to any black metal collection. The only complaint I could make is that a few songs seem too long. Other than that, this is a great debut for a band with a solid future.

86/100