Sinister Glorification

I’ve typically not been one to really care much for writing album reviews, and I’ve rarely ever felt the need to write one whilst listening to an album, however, Church Bizarre’s Sinister Glorification was a release that inspired me to give review-writing a shot. To be honest, the band was initially one that I foolishly kept neglecting to check out based on the band name alone. However, a few months back I was listening to an HHR compilation when a song started up that I didn’t recognize at all but was brimming with addictive riffs; lo and behold, upon checking the track listing on the back of the compilation, I discovered it was the very Church Bizarre I’d been subconsciously avoiding.

Almost every track on Sinister Glorification begins with a film clip, and from Inscribed in the Black Book onward those clips are taken from Roman Polanski’s The Ninth Gate. The above is worth mentioning because this album would, without a single modicum of doubt, be the perfect soundtrack for the film in question, from the production, to the riffs, to the vocals and lyrics superbly fitting in with the film’s actual soundtrack.

Sinister Glorification’s melodic riffs are what drive this release, and are what stand out most on the album, and though you occasionally get a sense of reoccurring riffs, herein they serve a thematic purpose and are essential to the album’s cohesion and atmosphere, in addition to being absolutely addictive. Pedersen’s vocals are also noteworthy in their variation and distinction, oddly enough, occasionally, reminding of Karlen’s vocal performance on The Coming of Chaos (though this really could just be me as I sometimes make such strange connections).

The lyrics are also worth paying attention to on this release as they are definitely not your typical satanic cookie cutter lyrics. They are the finishing touch to this already cohesive album, both music and lyrics portraying perfectly the album’s story and theme. Overall, this is an upbeat, mid- to fast-paced black metal release brimming with its own unique character and succeeding utterly in portraying the appropriate Club Dumas-esque occult atmosphere.

I’m not sure that I’ve fully done this release the justice it deserves, but hopefully I’ve been able to provide some glimpse of this album’s worth and spark some interest in the reader.

Sic Luceat Lux

Sinister Glorification, the debut full length album from Denmark's Church Bizarre, is an interesting and refreshing release for the metal underground. This band plays a style of black/death metal that rely's more on melodic riffing and catchy song structures than it does on being extreme or insanely fast, and I for one find this to be good thing.

Not to say that Church Bizarre isn't heavy or extreme. The band's music is chock full of black metal riffage and scathing, multilayered vocals. The lyrics are what you'd expect, satanic and death obsessed tales of demons and what not. However they are very well written and often take a storytelling stance, rather than just mindlessly railing against Christ.

Church Bizarre's greatest strength lies in their melodic sensibility and excellent song writing. Unlike most black metal, this band's songs are not very long, nor overly repetitive(save for the last song). The riffing is incredibly melodic with tinges of thrash thrown in. Many of the songs have an epic feel to them, and some of the riffs even have a certain "viking" metal quality. The bass playing also manages to stand most of the time, which is surprising for a black metal band. The drums are very complimentary to the riffs, but there are plenty of fills and double bass thrown in. My only complaint with the drums is that I think they could be a little bit higher in the mix, and also the snare drum is a little to "bongy" sounding for my taste.

There certianly is a sense of dark atmosphere to these songs, but the album doesn not rely too heavily on being atmospheric, like some black metal acts. Also, the use of many clever samples and intros keeps things interesting and makes each song distinctive.

One of the reasons I think I enjoy this album so much, is that it sounds so heavily influenced by old school metal. This band manage to sound as if they are equally influenced by extreme metal, as they are by bands like Iron Maiden and Mercyful Fate, and they do it all without sounding cheesy or overblown. Even the packaging is sick, the church doors on the cover actually open to reveal the evil within!

The only thing I think this band needs to work on is more variety in the tempos of their songs. While the title track is raging and fast paced throughout, all of the other songs folllow a mid tempo groove, with an occasional blast thrown in. However, aside from needing a little more speed in their music, Church Bizarre have crafted an excellent album, and are definetly a band to keep an eye on.