Strange Old Brew

Probably you agree that Carpathian Forest cannot be deemd as a streamlined black metal band. A horror piece like "House of the Whipcord" sends greetings to King Diamond, but the Norwegians have added some uncomfortable saxophone lines. Albeit this number is free from any metallic guitars, its vibes match the remaining musical content. Moreover, this slowly creeping piece sounds much more interesting and extraordinary than the following metal song, which also is also based on pretty sluggish rhythms. Generally speaking, the band does not put the focus on velocity. Baggy, Celtic Frost inspired riffs and ominous background choirs are important components as well. Yes, this album has a lot to offer and does not fall victim to the strict guidelines of the pure black metal dogma. This does not mean that each and every song hits the bull's eye, but even a non-metallic instrumental ("Theme from Nekromantikk") with its strong melody lines is pretty charming, to say the least.

On the other hand, there is still a couple of comparatively generic black metal tracks. Especially the first part of the album does not lack aggression and fury. The band kept a close eye on the bass guitar during the recordings and so pieces like "Bloodcleansing" demonstrate the advantage of a well audible four string. Of course, a prominent bass guitar alone cannot save an album, but don't worry. Carpathian Forest have always been reliable songwriters, occasional flops not excluded. "Slave of the Mask" bundles the strengths of the formation properly. A casual riff, commanding vocals, a good flow with a memorable chorus and delicate lyrics ("you are his toilet seat") are cleverly combined.

Maybe the mystical atmosphere of very early black metal, remember, for instance, the first outputs of Ancient, Gehenna or, well, Carpathian Forest, comes off badly, but the terrifying solemnity of "Thanatology" makes up for this. The more the listener gets drawn into this album, the more she or he can discover appealing facets. Inter alia Immortal's "Pure Holocaust" has taught us that one-dimensional black metal works can be very impressive. Nevertheless, diversity is no shame and Carpathian Forest connect the different sounds in a meaningful manner.

Production-wise, the album meets the standards of the sub genre. In other words, it is not the result of an excessive stay in the recording studios where some highly paid sound gurus took care for each and every detail. But the mix sprays the necessary dose of dark coldness and avoids any type of major flaws. It is a pity that a few tracks remain on a solid level without exploiting the entire potential of the group, for example "Martyr / Sacrificulum" or "Cloak of Midnight", two further numbers, the intro and "The Good Old Enema Treatment" do not offer any kind of music. Consequently, this is not the best album of the talented sadomasochistic maniacs, but still an album every fan of Norwegian blackness should be familiar with.

Carpathian Forest was formed in the early 90's and with the downfall of many of the original second wave they disapeared for a while, but with the release of their masterpiece Black Shining Leather they showed that Norwegian black metal wasn't dead yet, and I think that since that moment that has been one of their main objectives. Their sound has evolved over time, not really maturing so to say, more like crystalizing. On Black Shining Leather and other releases prior they created a sound somewhere in between old school rock influenced black metal and the more epic Emperor sound with keyboards and an ancient atmosphere. The overall message of Carpathian Forest I think is their disgust and contempt for mankind. The so called porno songs they do about sado-masochism have a certain element of contempt and hatred, using others to display their disgust by abusing them.

This album is no different, combining spiritual darkness with pure hatred, S&M and the peace found in destruction. The sound on here is more old school sounding, with a punk rock vibe at times, but there are some odd songs on here that present Carpathian Forest's true oddness. Though very old school and primitive a lot of the time, they aren't above a slow burning song like Thanatology, that has deep choir keyboards and an almost mystical feeling. This is set between hateful black metal songs. They don't use speed too much, don't expect any Immortal like blast beats. Instead Carpathian Forest play with a more thrashy speed, sometimes breaking into pure blast beats. Usually everything has a rock and roll swagger, with Bathory style riffs mixing with some Celtic Frost slowness and an occasional old school Kreator thrash sound.

Ultimately Carpathian Forest, despite all their old school influences are one of the more original bands you'll hear. Many people try to sound like them, but Carpathian Forest is always distinctive and their own beast. Strange Old Brew doesn't break too many boundaries, certainly not as many as Morbid Fascination of Death did, but it does create enough unique atmospheres to be more interesting then most black and roll style bands.

Carpathian Forest doesn't really appeal to everyone, but if you're a fan this is an essential recording, presenting a movement from Black Shining Leather to the more raw old school sound that they followed on Morbid Fascination of Death. However I will warn you if you don't think saxophone, porno samples and ambience should be on a old school style album, stay away for Carpathian Forest rejoice in messing with your head.