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Damnatur > One True Black Religion > Reviews
Damnatur - One True Black Religion

A lot of promise here... - 80%

The_Grand_Destructor, May 1st, 2007

Now, I'm hardly an expert when it comes to either ambient or black metal, but I am rather experienced at the whole "do it yourself, on your own" side of music making... And I must say, I'm rather impressed by Damnatur.

The album kicks off with a genuinely eerie (whispery voices et al) opener to "set the scene", as so many metal CDs do... And what a scene it sets! The pattering rain, the whispering voices, the subtle-yet-audible instruments all bring this far above a lot of what you see the kiddums buying (Cradle Of Filth, anyone?). From here you have what is essentially a rough, brutal and thoughtful dive into black metal riffage and exploration.

The first "real" song (Summoning Luciferian Darkness) is a perfect example of what the non-instrumental parts of this free download have to offer, with brutally fast riffs, shrieking-yet-understandable vocals and competent instrumentation. However, it also highlights much of what brings this album down - the production. Now, as far as self-released freebies are concerned, its unrealistic to expect brilliance, and it is totally acceptable for a debut demo for there to be a number of kinks and glitches. However, for the next/label release, it would be highly recommended to 'clean up' some of the ever-so-slightly out-of-sync instruments, a couple evident playing errors and such. While these are by no means major concerns, it certainly detracts from the album's professionalism.

On top of this, I have one major qualm with the CD as a whole - the fuzz on the guitars. Instead of bone-breaking crunch, the distortion employed seems to sound more like white noise than an intended sound. Almost like a really old cassette. However, after getting used to it, it doesn't become nearly as much of an issue and soon fades into the background as the brilliant overall feel takes over (see Wilderness for a perfect example of how brilliant Damnatur could develop to be). Another problem which clearly displays a level of unprofessionalism is the way some of the songs are contrasted - take the title song for instance, instead of sounding like an Opeth or Bathory tinted epic, it sounds like a few seperate songs loosely strung together, with no sense of anticipation or suspense for the next chapter. As I say though, this is a free demo and, as such, slight faults can be overlooked.

On the whole this is a demo well worth your time and effort (what little it takes to download) and would undoubtedly be a bargain for even, say, £5. Every "song" has a brutal, highly listenable edge, and every instrumental is a well thought out (if slightly dragging) wonder of dark brilliance (take Tranquility for instance). Sure, the production's not fantastic and there are a few weaknesses as there are with any DIY CDs, but Damnatur is definitely one to watch out for!