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Dissection > Into Infinite Obscurity > Reviews
Dissection - Into Infinite Obscurity

You Will Never Rule Again - 89%

LickMyOrangeBallsHalfling, May 27th, 2019

Far from the relatively polished, graceful band that they would soon become, "Into Infinite Obscurity" presents Dissection at their rawest. It's definitely evident that this is a recording made by a young, hungry band that wanted to come out of the gates swinging. Fortunately for both the band and the listeners, they did just that.

The recording quality is pretty raw. The guitars have a fuzzy, chainsaw tone to them, which actually works pretty well. There's also a lot more of a death metal influence in these songs, particularly "Son Of The Mourning." It sounds more like Entombed than any black metal band, there's even some d-beats thrown in. Nodtveidt's vocals are a bit rougher and lower pitched than on later recordings, and the guitar riffs are generally chunkier and death-ier, for lack of a better word. I actually prefer this version of "Shadows Over A Lost Kingdom" to the version on "The Somberlain," it omits part of the long intro, and the raw production suits it quite well. This is one of my favorite songs the band ever made, and the early version is superb, with Nodtveidt delivering a powerful vocal performance overtop some of his best riffs.

But even with all the rawness, it's still unmistakably Dissection. Nodtveidt's jagged yet elegant melodies permeate the songs, and it's this sense of melody that separates it from other black metal bands of the time, not to mention the death metal groups whose influence is shining through. Above all, it's downright catchy and fun, as is usually the case with Dissection.

The band gives us a preview of what to expect in the future with the short acoustic instrumental "Into Infinite Obscurity," foreshadowing their proclivity for classical guitar sections, and ending the EP on a solemn note. It's not a very interesting track, truth be told, but it's nice to have a bit of respite after the previous 2 songs.

If you're interested in seeing the roots of Dissection, when they were starting to find their sound, be sure to check this EP out. It's worth your time to see early versions of these songs, which hold up great in their own right.

Absent of future charm... - 80%

The_Ghoul, May 14th, 2006

These songs would all end up on future albums (Son of Mourning on Where Dead Angels Lie and the other two on The Somberlain), but the performance here is a bit different. The style is definitely death metal, as Dissection hadn't explored black metal yet. The songs would end up also on The Past Is Alive, and the nature of that compilation would allow you to see the progression Dissection made.

However, these songs would end up being the more primitive songs on the Somberlain, and lacked even the charm of the other Somberlain songs. Lacking in the intensity of Storm Of the Light's Bane, and the technical insight of The Somberlain, these songs were a good effort, though and any Dissection fan should line up to get this. However, get the others first; this EP is not as matured as the future albums. I said it before and I'll say it again, Storm of the Light's Bane reigns supreme, with cold riffs and a gripping atmosphere and superior performance. Part of the problem is the production; it's dry and inconsistent, while being a bit garbled. It isn't as clear as The Somberlain, nor as cold and epic and icy as Storm of the Light's Bane. The picture presented by the production here is not complete, so the experience isn't, either.

Make no mistake, this is not bad. It is just like the somberlain but with less matured songwriting and an incomplete production.