The Key to the Gates of Apocalypses

Just two years after releasing the dark ambient masterpiece "Midnight Fullmoon", Mistigo Varggoth Darkestra would return once again to release their second and final album "The Key to the Gates of Apocalypses". Unlike the last album, this one offers some black metal mixed in within the ambient pieces, and with this additional style in mind, it actually works well with its blend of metal and ambient.

The copy I have includes 13 tracks titled "Mantra I", "Mantra II", "Mantra III", and so on, though some copies just have one song that goes on for over an hour. For simplicity, though, I'll just go with the Mantra track listing. The first track is made up of a dark ambient piece. It's somehow more minimalistic than the last album, as it's mainly just comprised of echoed sound effects along with some other keyboard work. However, this album includes a more polished production, giving the piece a more grand and vast atmosphere, as well as making the dark and eerie atmosphere more effective with better sounding keyboards. But this is all a built-up for Mantra II, which is a black metal track. The guitars first play a raw and slow riff that slowly but surely move on to a more epic-driven riff that is high on atmosphere. The drumming is also basic, as it plays some simple beat patterns that aren't the most impressive, but still effective enough to lead the guitars with its slow beats. The bass is also good, as it plays along the guitars well and plays its own riffs. There's plenty of black metal tracks that I love like Mantra VIII and X, which, in my opinion, are the most effective at their slow, but deadly atmosphere. However, you also get some ambient pieces thrown in the mix like Mantra III and XI, which are also just as good with their grand atmosphere and high-quality synths. With a more professional synth play and some impressive black metal riffs, this album does deliver when it comes to the instruments.

The vocals are also really good. Knjaz Varggoth has had plenty of amazing vocal performances before, and this album is no exception. His voice mainly does some high-pitched shrieks that are similar to that of the Nokturnal Mortum albums, but they sound more feral and painful than usual. A good example of this is in Mantra V, which not only includes some shrieks, but also have some nice chants that offer a more epic tone towards the vocal styling. Not to mention that these shrieks also flow well with the guitars and add in more despair within the epic atmosphere. While not the most perfect vocal performance, Varggoth overall had excellent vocals that carried the tracks well.

This record definitely feels like a natural evolution to the more amateurish dark ambient style of the previous album, and not only is it a good successor to that album, but it's even good when you compare it on its own. The black metal tracks are fantastic, and the ambient portions are more strengthened with its better production. This would be the last album released under Mistigo Varggoth Darkestra, as Varggoth quit it for good in 2000. But regardless, "The Key to the Gates of Apocalypses" remains a powerful album that I implore you listen to.

The advent of the suites that occupy an entire album into the heavy music was vastly explored by proggers back in the 70's. More than entertainment, it was supposed to be an out of body musical experience immersed in complexity. Contemporaneously, a lot of sludge/drone/doom acts also have released 1-track albums. I don't like it at all 'cause there is no sufficient tempo changes, atmospheric variations, nice interludes and other key-elements to that kind of music/album. And also the depressive wave sometimes uses this appeal, like Trist, Niemalsland etc. But DSBM definitely isn't my thing! So it seems uninteresting when generally a metal band deals with it. Of course there are exceptions, take Ictus (metallic crust punk!) and the more well-known Sabbat's gem as examples.

The Key to the Gates of Apocalypses (sic) is the 6th longest metal song and one of the darkest musical pieces ever. Varggoth has done something on this album that he had not achieved with any of his other music and which triumphs over many other similar attempts. Unlike the Nokturnal Mortum, here there is no folk sections and production is more raw (but would not be correct to label it as a raw black metal). The instrumental shouldn't be evaluated technically, since it's all about atmosphere and persuasion. Don't get me wrong, this one isn't an amateur crap with poor execution, however the mystical side takes you to feel its gloomy mood mixed into gruesome soundscapes on a totally mind-blowing vibe and you don't give a fuck to Varggoth's abilities.

The previous experiences with dark ambient has been applied to the work along with an emphatic black metal approach. It starts out with a dark ambient intro preceding the 'first black metal part', which consists of down-tempo. Then a macabre interlude evokes a mid-paced 'sub track' filled with haunting keyboards in a discrete, yet successful way and so on, i.e. the stuff consists in a deep and varied journey conjuring a very grim and netherworld picture, which is really not suitable for the uninitiated, nor is it intended for the Nokturnal Mortum fans.

The package is very, very simple and it seems more a demo than full album. 4-page b/w booklet with the cover art repeated inside, lyrics, a obscure pic, just the title on the back cover and a fully black disc. A simplicity that combines a lot with the mysterious spell surrounding this ridiculously ignored album. It's definitely a quintessential opus hidden amidst mediocre side-projects/one-man bands covered by hype. This is not something you'll hear constantly or among friends, drinking beer, just as it is not the kind of music to be performed live, it has its own purpose and value - a self cult (read the message on booklet) by a experienced musician to be shared with few ones (one press ONLY), without leaving aside the quality, unlike most of the 'restricted' projects.

Varggoth's side project caught my attention because I was always a fan of most of Nokturnal Mortum's work and wanted to see how their members handled different genres and ideas that aren't used by that band. More specifically, MVD's Key to the Gates... album especially intrigued me because it was essentially a single track album spanning over seventy minutes. Based on my experiences with these types of releases, the album could have been either some awesome journey of atmospheric metal with a lot of unexpected twists or an entire hour filled with weird pointless ambient noises. Still, I bought the album because I wanted to know.

It turns out that Key to the Gates....is a very interesting mix of atmospheric "dungeon" metal with cool ambient interludes in between the partitions of metal throughout the album. The music reminds me of a mix between Nokturnal Mortum's "To the Gates..." album and their "Nechrist" album. It has the hellish atmosphere of the former combined with the wishy washy production, but the guitars come in a lot thicker like NeChrist; however, there are no folk elements and so Varggoth takes a more traditional approach in the vein of bands like Gorgoroth and Countess. The sound isn't clear, but is perfectly acceptable for the atmosphere trying to be conveyed. Varggoth uses his higher pitched screaming/singing style (again, like on Nechrist and To the Gates...) as opposed to the singing growls found on albums like Weltenschauung.

You can really break this down into three long metal tracks and four ambient interludes that separate and clinch/begin everything. The metal tracks are all at a moderate to faster pace, but I couldn't tell you much about the riffs; I barely noticed them - not that that's a bad thing. It's just that I was so immersed in the atmosphere that I never really bothered to think about anything else. When I listen to this, I can picture myself in an underground subway right above the gates of hell filled with red lights and random sparks. It makes for somewhat of an industrial setting that gives the music its dungeon feel. The ambient interludes supplement this well. Around the middle of the album, there's a really awesome orchestral piece that sounds absolutely wicked and demented - perfect soundtrack to the fiery depths of hell. It makes the album much more tense in some areas which really contributes more quality. Other ambient interludes remind me of Burzum in that they consist of simple, but curious synths that really make you use your imagination. Transitions aren't the most smooth, but it's never a big deal.

If you despise Varggoth and Nokturnal Mortum, I don't think anything by his side projects that are in some ways similar will make you switch teams. Also, yes, this album is very long. You can't listen to half of it, take a break, and then continue a few days later. I think you'll miss the magic and the "point" of the album. Similarly, you can listen to the whole thing once, but be bored with it on subsequent listens. You're better off listening to the whole thing every once in a while. That way, you'll appreciate it more. As for what the point of this album is, I don't know if there is one answer. I didn't even look at the lyrics either, but I don't think doing so is essential. Whatever it is, it's an intriguing album that makes the listener use their imagination and find that distinct atmosphere and mood. Will this album get you inside the mind of Varggoth or does it do something else? You'll have to listen up and see for yourself.

It's always very pretentious when an artist decides to release a one track album, especially one of this length. In fact, this recording is pretty much well known for its length, rather than what can be found on this recording. When you record an album like this, you have confidence in your abilities to record good music. With an album like this, there can only be two results, you fail miserably, or it's a great success, there is no between.
First I'd like to say that this music is nothing like Nokturnal Mortum. So don't be expecting a Nokturnal Mortum album when you listen to this. Varggoth created this band to play a very different style of music and he has.

One particular thing I like about this album is the dark, brooding atmosphere Varggoth creates. The atmosphere is created through ambient noises and interludes. Also the keyboards help a lot here.

The style of this album can be, somewhat slow and monotonous at times, however when it launches into the music it's pretty good. The black metal which is found on this album alternates between fast and slow passages. What I particularly liked about it was the keyboards. They are well played and can make the music quite beautiful at some points. The music is also symphonic at points.

I like the lyrics on this album. They reinforce what KV was going for here. His English was never his strong point but overall he succeeds here. The lyrics are very dark and philosophical in nature. There is a concept behind this album, but it is some what vague and open to interpretation. I'll let you listen to it and make you're own mind up about it.

This album was meant to be the final offering of Mistigo Varggoth Darkestra and be the bands opus magnum. With one dark,epic song of this lenght, it was a stunning success. This is the type of album that you either get, or you don't. If you get it, then it's a very rewarding experience, if you don't, well it's your loss.

Conclusion: The above is recommended for download or purchase.