A Bluntly Description of the Present

Misanthropic Path plays a rather modern fusion style similar to bands like King or Inhuman Hate: a combination of modern depressive black metal and more rock-oriented early Norwegian styles ala 'A Blaze In The Northern Sky' era Darkthrone. This band does it more crudely and in a more underground fashion than either of its two compatriots; this is the sort of album you pick up from a Brazilian tape distro with a description of "RAW DEPRESSIVE BLACK FROM SATAN'S FORTRESS!!!!!" and a price in some sort of currency you've never heard of. That being said, like bands like Nekrokrist SS, this does have a certain amateurish charm, though its flaws are many and varied. In short, this is nothing for people who are not dedicated fans of modern black metal, but there's enough curious stuff here to make it worth a look from those involved in the underground scene.

The most obviously odd element is the very audible bass guitar; it mostly just echoes the rhythm guitars but it still provides and enjoyable extra layer of melody and power. The rather thin guitar tone etches out riffs that are a combination of rhythmic, crunchy early Darkthrone and modern Nocturnal Depression style simple power chord tremolo, and while neither style is executed in a sophisticated or unprecedented way, it's done well for what it is. Little of this music is original; in essence, 'A Bluntly Description Of The Present' is just cobbled together from all sorts of other bands, but the fusion of all these elements ultimately comes to something enjoyable. Most of the elements are just average: the vocals are simple screeches, the drumming is primitive and binary, and the riffs are just reiterating the same melodic conventions of similar bands, but the amateurish intensity and simple songwriting quality at hand makes this something a bit more than the sum of its parts.

The band is generally at its best when extending itself past its normal boundaries; the little clean guitar interludes are surprisingly well engineered, and certain segments like the bass intro of 'Looking Forward Decay' really bring something interesting to the table. I wish the band had expanded more on some of those curious ideas; they really show a side of the band that's a lot more interesting that some of the more lurching and droning parts. While Misanthropic Path's general riffcraft and songwriting is strong, it lacks elegance and only occasionally can really capture the listener's attention, and even then it only captures the attention of those who are heavily experienced in the more underground reaches of black metal. The issues of this album are a matter of degree; while it has its good points, none of them are QUITE good enough to overwhelm the generally uninspired nature of the music.

While I find this perfectly listenable and even enjoyable in a very general fashion, I find it impossible, given the general uncreativity of the release, to recommend this to all but ardent fans of raw black metal. While Misanthropic Path clearly have their strengths, they need to cultivate their individual sound and delivery more to achieve the heights they're striving for.

The Germans are at it again. Another fine slab of "recorded in a tin shed onto an 80s answer machine" raw, depressive black metal. A full length recording of last years demo under the same name, 'A Bluntly Description Of The Present' (no I don't think that makes sense either) brings a few surprises. After an initially forgettable, albeit vocally unnerving start we're dropped into the Peste Noire-esque clean intro for 'The Whelps Path'. Then we're presented with the most unusual feature of the album - clearly audible bass. Playing in the forefront of the mix for most of the album and though at times verging on obnoxious, it does seem to work. Carrying on down the road of the unexpected, 'Chapters' treats us to another clean intro that comes across like Vincent Price playing surf rock before driving into familiar Darkthrone territory of riff-blast-riff-blast. Penultimate track and album highlight 'Als Ich Euch Verließ' delves into the depressive realm of Peste Noire/Mortifera, resplendent with barbed wire gargling vocals, clean interludes and buzz soaked misery.

Not a mould shattering album by any stretch of the imagination, but it will definitely appeal to those depressive black fans who felt Folkfuck Folie was a bit too clean. There's definite potential here.