Under the Sign of Hell

The Norwegian black metal scene has been covered with a certain obscure robe full of controversy due to the happenings (during the 90’s, church burnings, murders etc.) we all know about those and I will not unearth them in this review. A mysterious and cryptic gimmick that ended up with books and shitty movies about soap operas that made me walk away from this scene per se. Fortunately, not everything about the Norwegian black metal scene was spoiled with bullshit, many other bands like Urgehal, Tsjuder and Gorgoroth (there was also some controversy with Gaahl coming out of the closet and trying to kick out Infernus from the band) demonstrated through their careers that black metal is a merciless force to take seriously; without gimmicks or commercial maneuvers. That’s why we are gathered here metal brothers to talk about an album that, in my opinion, is the proof that rawness and aggression are still adjectives to describe black metal.

Under the sign of hell was Gorgoroth´s third full length after some praised releases like their demo “a sorcery written in blood”. Gorgoroth has always been a very “simple” band in the sense that they have never shown high production values or over technique when they execute their instruments. Let´s say that they want to transmit the most primitive and raw nature of their music. However, don’t be fooled by the meaning of the word “simple”! Under the sign of hell is not simple in an amateur or naive way, these demons play their instruments with such hateful commitment that all songs are memorable, there are no fillers in this album. There is a certain feeling of primitiveness, though, not in the Transilvanian Hunger tradition; this record sounds more menacing and obscure.

For instance, Grim pounds the drums like he is hammering the nails of Jesus in the cross, it is a total destruction of cymbals and snares. It’s a pity he died short after, would had been interesting to listen more records with Erik on drums. Pest vomits the most disgusting black metal vocals I have heard, is a weird range because he doesn´t delivers too high-pitched shrieks but instead his vocals are layered and “clean” in some songs like “Profetens Apenbaring”, very primitive and evocative harsh singing. Infernus, the founding member and ministry of Satan, is in charge of the guitars and bass department for this record. His riffs are sharpened and raw through out the whole invocation, there is no room for melody in this volcanic inferno. By the way, I mention the adjective volcanic inferno, not to flourish my review but because that´s how I feel when I listen to Under the sign of hell. For instance, most reviews on bands like Immortal describe their music as evocative for winter and frozen landscapes but in this case Gorgoroth conjures lava and infernal fire in each song. Examples can be found on tracks like “Krig” and “The Rite of Infernal Invocation”. Most songs are fast paced and merciless assaults but there is one in special that changes gears into a slower summoning. I’m talking about “The Devil is Calling”, the tune that closes the album. This song is more rhythmic yet evil and nasty approach.

Al in all, Under the sign of hell stands out for its uncompromising violence and raw nature that vindicates the black metal sound into a menacing status, no gimmicks, no fashion and no melody; just infernal noise. However, the band seemed to ruin the legacy of the record when they released the 2011 pussy version and I don’t really understand why they did that. Nonetheless, we have the 97 version, a testament of true chaotic black metal.

Probably everything there is to say about this album has been said ten times over; it's an incomparable, stand-alone rush of aggressive, masculine, angry, fiery energy. I only dabble in black metal; I don't wade too far beyond the genre greats (to the extent that any black metal band but Emperor can justifiably be called 'great', anyway), but this is one of the records that makes me interested in the genre at all. There was a time in my life when I identified with the raw, chaotic passion on this album.

It helps that its opening and closing songs are its highlights, bookending it and giving coherence to the whole. It's also short enough not to wear out its welcome. The vocals are so bestial that their static rage often functions as just another instrument. 'Revelation of Doom' is such a frenzied blur of noise that you can hardly believe you heard a human voice at all. There are some surprisingly beautiful melodies here: 'Funeral Procession' is built around a sad, droning melodic riff; the guitars in 'The Devil Is Calling' are agonizing and full of pain. I found all of these songs to be cathartic in some way when I was younger and was in 'me against the world' mode. Besides the unique wall-of-sound atmosphere, I find this album to be rhythmically varied in an unexpected way. Again, these three songs -- beginning, middle (not really, but close enough), and end -- are representative of the variety here.

Not every song here is interesting; 'The Rite of Infernal Invocation' should be a high point but instead seems to drag, and does not contain enough musical ideas to justify its length. I also find it difficult to take the last step toward full enjoyment of this album when I am unable to confirm the lyrics due to the band's drama-queen pursuit of anyone who dares to publish what they can divine from their screaming. Too bad, because it sounds like the lyrics are above-average for this genre, from what I can discern -- guess we'll never know!

Anyway, black metal is full of drama queens, self-obsessed, brooding, navel-gazing, contrarian weirdos who were frequently a little too determined to supremely piss off Christians and bourgeois society. If you're not at least a little bit pretentious to this degree, you don't make an album like this; even if you're capable of it, too much self-awareness or giving too much of a damn about what others think about you make it impossible to go through with presenting such strange and raw and impassioned music to the world.

I don't want to convey the sense that this album is some kind of masterpiece, because it's definitely not, and to the uninitiated it will probably just sound like clanging noise. If I picked this up for the first time today, would I feel the same way about it as I do having come across it for the first time at age 17? Probably not. And have I shed any new light on this album by writing this review? Probably not that, either. But I still feel compelled to offer my tribute to 'Under the Sign of Hell', which means you should at least bother to give it a listen if anything in you likes black metal at all.

If I'm being honest, I had little to no expectations for this album. Pest's vocals on Antichrist felt underwhelming at best and after that experience, I wasn't looking forward to listening to this record. The cover is uninteresting, the band went through another lineup change and then I'm supposed to be excited about this record?! Yet, somehow I convinced myself to listen to this (relatively short) album at least once and the next thing I knew is that I have pressed replay for the 5th time in a row.

Infernus managed to gather worthy companions to replace both Frost and Hat. Grim is responsible for the drums (it's kinda funny how most members before 2000 have an almost legendary status in the Norwegian black metal scene) on this record and I'll be damned if he doesn't do an amazing job at it. His instrument has a really sharp tone which goes well with both high-tempo blast beats and with slower sections too. The second "newcomer" is Pest, the guy being accountable for all the flops on Antichrist. He was the main source of my worries, but as it turns out, he shrieks like hell when he isn't impersonating Hat (which he was doing on the last album). His high-pitched vocals are just as haunting as Hat's were bestial sounding. In addition to that, he shows his clean (folk-ish??) vocals on Profetens åpenbaring and some raspy, but non-shrieking vocals on Blood Stains the Circle. All that being said, the guitars are the best part of the album by a large margin. We get some of the well-known black metal riffs of course, but that's not the main attraction here (despite them being extremely solid). Some of the guitar segments sound like NWOBHM or thrash metal riffs masked with some tremolo picking (and the guitar tone is also more black metal like, but that's beside the point). The prime example of this would be The Rite of Infernal Invocation (at least before it morphs into 3 minutes of ambient wind noises).

Revelation of Doom is what I would describe as a perfect opening song. It's not overly long and the guitar work provides a handful of memorable moments. Yet, Pest and Grim completely steal the show with the absolutely monstrous sound coming from both the drums and from Pest. On the other hand, songs like Krig and Funeral Procession (by far my favorite song) showcase that you don't have to be afraid of putting some decent melodies in your black metal.

As always (or at least most of the time), some elements bother me. The wind-blowing cliché I mentioned in connection with The Rite of Infernal Invocation is one of these. I get it, they want to sound mysterious and stuff, but this isn't their first time doing this and making it 3 minutes long doesn't make it any more enjoyable either. Then there is the obvious one. Postludium is your stereotypical hidden satanic message, but if you aren't listening to it backwards, it feels like our Norwegian friends got inspired by Trout Mask Replica a bit too much (only soundwise of course).

Overall, this record was a pleasant surprise for me. Even though I initially thought that this would be the first Gorgoroth full-length I'll genuinely dislike, instead of that I got an album with superb songwriting and all-around great chemistry between the bandmates. I prefer this record over Antichrist any time of the day, but I feel like it just barely comes short from reaching Pentagram in terms of quality. Now, all I'm hoping for is that Destroyer won't be a huge fucking mess, unlike the lineup it has...

The highlights of the album are Revelation of Doom, Funeral Procession and Profetens åpenbaring.

Having released two masterpieces of Norwegian black metal, their self titled debut and Antichrist, Gorgoroth would have still gone down in history as one of the most important bands in the genre if they had stopped there. However, instead they went ahead and released what might be the most evil, apocalyptic sounding records ever recorded. In the same way that Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger so perfectly captured the raw, stripped down coldness that define black metal, Under the Sign of Hell captures the sense of evil that very few bands ever have nor will.

While I will talk about the riffs that Gorgoroth are famous for later, the production is really what makes UtSoH stand out from their previous two albums. Still keeping their sound stripped down and raw, they managed to add a depth to the production through an almost wall of sound (or a barrage of sound) style production, something you would not normally associate with raw black metal.On tracks like Ødeleggelse og Undergang the quality of the production is almost ground shaking, and as the riff hits at 0:33 it feels as if Satan himself is crawling up from the abyss to drag us down to Hell. The interludes and more quiet moments on the album (for instance the several minutes of icy cold wind at the end of The Rite Of Infernal Invocation) also sound brilliant production-wise and really do a great job at adding to the atmosphere of the album in a way that many albums fail.

The riffs on this album are easily some of the best, most iconic riffs in the black metal genre as well as metal as a whole. Icy cold, pure evil and managing to be at the same time a perfect example of a black metal riff and also be completely unique within the genre. Gorgoroth are known for their amazing riffs, especially on their first three albums, and here this is especially true. Each track features amazing riffs, from the mad chaos of Revelation Of Doom, the slow crunching groove of The Devil Is Calling to what might be my personal favourite black metal riff of all time in the opening of Funeral Procession.

I won't linger too much on the individual instruments, but the all fit perfectly into the mix and all are outstanding in their own field. You can actually hear the bass which is nice and the drumming is exceptional, a great mix of blasting speed and crushing mid tempo. The band is incredibly tight, which is surprising seeing as how many lineup changes they went through early on, and all the instruments work together perfectly.

In my opinion, the vocals by Pest on this album are some of, if not the, best black metal vocals of all time. With a distorted, overdriven production and a truly menacing style that mixes hitch pitches shrieks, guttural growls and violent snarls, these are the vocals of Satan himself. Pure evil eill never be achieved so perfectly in a vocal performance again. Also, the pagan-esque chanting vocals on Profetens Åpenbaring are a standout moment on the album.

The album also has an interesting flow and pacing. Tracks 1 to 4 flow together unbelievably well, with only a brief respite given at the beginning of track 4 before being assaulted with more sonic evil. Then track 5 serves as an interlude before the second half of the album begins. On the first few listens of the album I found myself much more drawn to the first half of the album, as the first 4 tracks are undeniably masterpieces. I found myself losing concentration during the second half and noticed myself playing the first 4 tracks more than the others on the album. However, after listening to this album repeatedly I realise that this is not a fair criticism. The first half serves as 4 perfect black metal anthems, possibly the best arrangements of 4 songs on any album (that could probably be debated but I would happily debate this), the second half however strives for something different. Just like Burzum's classic Filosofem is broken up into the first half being pure Burzum style black metal the second half being more experimental, ambient tracks, almost the same principle is at work here. If after your first few listens of the album you feel these later tracks aren't as instantly captivating as the first 4, then I would suggest starting at track 5 and listening to the album from there. Tracks 5 through 9 are somewhat more challenging, but incredibly rewarding given the chance.

Overall, this is an album that any black metal fan should own. I would also say that for anyone interested in getting into the genre this isn't a bad place to start if you're looking for some of the most quintessential elements of the genre.


Favourite Tracks: Funeral Procession, Ødeleggelse og Undergang, Profetens Åpenbaring, The Devil Is Calling

Though I can never pin a truly distinctive character on Gorgoroth, they've done a fair bit of evolving from album to album. Their debut Pentagram was one of those to-the-point raptors that piggybacked on everything that was strong and sacred to the Second Wave in Norway. The second album Antichrist condensed the sound further for a more mature (albeit less memorable) approach. On Under the Sign of Hell, Gorgoroth arguably came the closest they ever got to finding their own voice. It's more technically sound and varied, and simultaneously murkier than anything they've put out before or since. Not all of the things they attempted here work to their favour, but it's an interesting twist for a band that originally seem fixed to play everything by the book.

Under the Sign of Hell is violent and virtually unrelenting, and at such a short length, this aggression is never given enough time to fizzle out. In a way, it's a viable alternative to Pure Holocaust if I'm ever looking for a quick half hour burst of Second Wave madness. While a logical association between the styles on Pentagram and Antichrist can be drawn, Gorgoroth took a fairly bold leap, without disturbing the burstfire pacing they're good for. Most notably, Infernus' riffs became considerably sharper here than they were previously. As some of their compatriots (notably Immortal) had done before, this newfound technical bite often took the form of a thrash influence. Wasting no time opening up the album with "Revelation of Doom", it's clear that Infernus is balancing the early material's primitivism with a desire to push forward. That's a good impression to have with any band, and it certainly helps Under the Sign of Hell loom, however slightly, over other albums Gorgoroth have done.

I enjoy Pentagram and Antichrist for being near-constant onslaughts, but I rarely had the impression that Gorgoroth were worth much as songwriters. Although Under the Sign of Hell strikes me as inconsistent more than anything, it offers individual songs that stand out from the first listen. Above anything else I've heard from the band's early period, "Funeral Procession" lingers in my mind even after the album has finished. Some of the songs here feel like pint-sized experiments on the band's part, and "Funeral Procession" was clearly their trial with melodic writing. The tragic sound of the song cuts an impressive distinction alongside the album's other tracks. "Profetens åpenbaring" (complete with Nordic clean vocals) and the uncharacteristically ominous "The Devil is Calling" also stand apart from the rest. Even with some of the best the Second Wave had to offer, there's not often a push to make individual tracks memorable like this. Gorgoroth certainly weren't consistent with this effort-- many of the pieces blend into the album's flow as much as the early material. Even so, Under the Sign of Hell strikes a nice balance between album flow and individual standouts.

I'm surprised that my biggest gripe against Under the Sign of Hell is the production. Woe be to anyone who actually thinks that "bad" production is inherent to black metal; it's really not. Certain production styles suit different approaches. Gorgoroth were undeniably pushing things in a more ambitious direction here. The production (considerably more percussive this time around) obviously tried to adapt, but with so much of the guitar's nuance getting drowned out in the murk, I can almost see why the guys chose to re-record this one. For the sake of an overall atmosphere, the overwhelming snare hits and studio fog fill their roles well enough, but it seems self-defeating to amp up the band's technique and rob the listener of the potential to hear it all.

For the sake of casual listening, I could say I prefer Pentagram. However, where that album asks nothing of the listener, Under the Sign of Hell manages to reinvent itself a few times over the course of its half hour. It's almost like Gorgoroth tried to clamber up to the level of the A-grade of bands they're so often (undeservedly) compared with. It's a shame they began to fall apart after this; if they kept up like this, maybe they could even have been great.

Under the Sign of Hell might as well be the "Reign in Blood" of black metal: short, fast, to the point and oh so memorable. First few listens indicated this purchase to be a waste of money. "What the hell is this? This is noise more than it is black metal!" complained a younger, more ignorant me. I am glad that I have this album a few more chances, because now when I have 30 minutes to kill and just need some True Norwegian brutality, this guy is here to satisfy.

"Norwegian brutality"? Yeah, it doesn't seem right at first glance. But brutal is the adjective that I can most apply to this album. There is an noticeable thrash influence going on, although not one that gives this release the genre label of blackened thrash. Instead, Gorgoroth simply eschews a good bit of the expected melodicism in favor of a different approach. The album opens with the one-two punch of "Revelation of Doom" and "Krig", and holy shit are we talking the most intense opening to a black metal album that I've ever heard. Feedback erupts out of the speakers, is held out for about five seconds, and then...*CRASHCRASHCRASHCRASHCRASH* Grim starts pounding the snare whilst the guitars begin shredding and Pest starts screaming in your face, and you just want to headbang like there's no tomorrow. "Krig" has riffage of the slightly more traditional variety, Pest shrieks like he's dying, and I don't know if it's because he's trapped in a cold forest with no hope, or suffering in the pits of Hell, but either way his vocals are amazing on this album, ridiculously passionate and dead serious, as if he is truly Satan's minion here on Earth.

"Funeral Procession" then changes things up, a melodic, sorrowful song for the first half, the title perfectly fitting the cold atmosphere, before finishing off with faster but still melodic riffing. And the album continues on with tons of variety, whether the viking atmosphere of "Profetens..." complete with Pest's baritone cleans, executed very well, the "black metal 101" of "Destruction and Doom", or the black metal "anthem" that is "The Devil Is Calling", Pest shrieking forth "...see the churches, oh they are burning like hell. When the devil is calling, when heaven is falling, have you got a soul to sell?" as the slow headbanging inevitably commences. This would be such a killer closer to a set, the crowd really getting into it, celebrating all that is right with giving the finger to organized religion.

The production is very unhinged, rehearsal like as others have noted, like you're listening to the band rehearse in their garage on a night where ever member is particularly on their game: Pest just embodies what it means to be a black metal vocalist, no caricature, no loss of power, no gimmicks, Grim pounds the shit out of his drums most of the time, and Infernus unleashing catchy, headbangable riffs that do not leave the mind. I have difficulty comparing this to other black metal albums right off the top of my head, it sounds very unique for black metal, not like anything else in Gorgoroth's discography. Maybe a comparison to "Under a Funeral Moon" could be reasonable, or maybe that's just because both are beastly albums.

Black metal is so often about an atmosphere, and melodicism, and sounding very different then most other heavy metal. Most of the time this is desired, and excellent releases have been produced. But here Gorgoroth manages to stay completely individual while still catering to many of the ideas that metal is about: power, catharsis, headbanging. You don't sit listening to this album to get lost in the atmosphere, to feel the sorrow, to enjoy the terrible sound in a twisted way. You listen to it because it's 30 minutes of banging your head for Satan. Like I said, the "Reign in Blood" of black metal.

Gorgoroth started as an ambitious band from Norway, the promised land of black metal during the early nineties. Already their first demo "A Sorcery Written in Blood" was well received and the first official releases confirmed the great expectations. The icy artwork of "Under the Sign of Hell" indicated that the album also would improve the reputation of the band. But the opposite was true. Gorgoroth went astray. Crude experiments were coupled with undistinguished black metal tunes. Both suffered from a primordial production. In view of his numerous shortcomings, the sound was condemned to transmit at least a true black metal feeling. But far from it. Instead, the production gave raise to the question whether they had been in a fairly well-equipped studio while recording this album. Honestly, I do not think that this was the case. The full-length rather sounded like the Norwegians had been wading through mud or swamps while playing their instruments under the viscous surface. Long story short, "Under the Sign of Hell" embodied the ugliness of black metal, but it was powerless, abnormal and nerve-shattering at the same time.

The album did not lack of velocity and harshness, although songs like "Profetens åpenbaring" were able to destroy the more or less acceptable overall impression. Maybe this crude tune wanted to demonstrate the compatibility of viking metal and black metal, but this experiment failed completely. In particular the hymnal singing made me looking for some headache pills. The only function of the subsequent "Postludium" was to kill the flow of the album and it fulfilled this purpose brilliantly. Not to mention the stupid hammering of the opener which lacked completely of charisma. The remaining songs had their moments, the hateful nagging of the lead vocalist expressed the spirit of the sub genre and some well integrated tempo changes increased the dynamic of the songs. But honestly speaking, there was no new classic to discover. The self-declared black metal elite from Norway had become obsolete. Some really interesting parts, for example the first minutes of "The Rite of Infernal Invocation", could not conceal the mediocrity of the song-writing - and an incomprehensible break stopped the song abruptly. A certain lack of creativity could not be ignored. The playtime of less than 33 minutes sent a clear signal.

"The Devil Is Calling" was the last song of the album, an unspectacular mid-tempo number with solid guitar lines and a boring instrumental part that appeared after 90 seconds. It was a typical closer of a mediocre album that was not able to leave a lasting impression. I cannot define its target group. But I know that sound aesthetes, fans of homogeneous song material and worshippers of the first two albums of Gorgoroth do not need to listen to this album. There are so many better ways to spend your time.

After a few releases that are considered by most black metal fans to be solid releases, Gorgoroth decided to go down the more atmospheric path, with Under the Sign of Hell. This is not very appreciated by most black metal fans, as most people prefer the more straightforward sound of Gorgoroth's earlier albums. This is not the case for me, and, while I enjoy Gorgoroth's more traditional black metal releases, I enjoy this album, and it's follow-up, Destroyer, even more than the earlier albums that are so highly rated.

Under the Sign of Hell is more aggressive than the last releases. It has a thinner, noisier, colder sound than those albums, and this is exactly why fans don't like this album. They see it as static, incoherent noise that causes headaches. While there is a lot of static and incoherent noise, the album uses this noise to its advantage, making it more than just noise. It makes it into atmosphere, specifically the atmosphere of a cold blizzard.

Because of this album's more atmospheric sound, it's songs aren't very good for casual listening. 'Funeral Procession', one of the album's most aggressive songs, is the only song fit for just listening. The album should be listened to in full, in proper order, so the listener can hear it as it is intended to be heard and get the most out of it. This is really how most black metal is.

Infernus is an excellent guitarist, he can do so much within his playing style. He is a master of tremolo picking, butterfly picking, and tremolo sweeps. He even incorporates some clean playing into a few songs, creating a great deal of musical texture, something which many black metal albums lack. Even in softer parts, though, there is still that static noise, making the album aggressive all the way through.

The album cover is also an important aspect of the album. I love album covers that look how the album sounds. This album is a perfect example of that. The stark, white and gray blizzard pictured is just like the sound. The album does an excellent job of putting the listener in that blizzard. This is what black metal is supposed to do.

With all of that said, this is not an album for the average black metal fan. It is more of an album for a more open minded black metal fan, one who can understand this kind of music. Therefore, no, I do not recommend this excellent album to any black metal fan. I recommend giving the song 'Funeral Procession' a listen, and, if you like that, give Under the Sign of Hell a listen. If not, stick to Gorgoroth's earlier (or later) material.

This is my favorite Gorgoroth album, but I've only listened to four or so of them.
This album is a true embodiment of black metal.

This CD is one of my alltime favorites of black metal, no ways around it.
It is everything I love about the genre, it is evil, raw, angry, uncaring and original. This would be Gorgoroth's magnum opus as they have yet to top this one. It managed to not only easily surpass Antichrist in musicianship and brutality but it even passes Pentagram in the same aspect. Everyone is on top of their game here. Pest would never sound any more evil or vicious as he does here, his performance on" Revelation Of Doom" and" Blood Stains the Circle" are blood curdling, especially on "Blood Stains the Circle", he sounds as if he is slowly going insane the longer the song goes on. Pest shows just how powerful and diverse of a vocalist he is on" Profetens Upenbaring" where he mixes his evil snarls and screams with an operatic sounding clean voice.

Infernus is the star of the show as usual, yet again he is playing both Bass and Electric guitar and he exceeds on both. He truly plays some Heaven shattering riffs that just oozes of morbid perfection. His riffs are hauntingly evil but very pleasing to hear at the same time. The best thing about the riffs though are the style they are composed in, they add a bit of complexity to the songs instead of being completely straight forward. To be honest, his bass is nothing special here. It isn't bad but when you actually do hear it it's usually just following the guitar. Not really an issue though because you rarely hear it. He also wrote all the music here so it's no surprise it's as good as it is.

Grim may not have been around long, but nobody can deny how great of a drummer he was. His drumming adds so much more brutality to the music. He opens the record with his ferocious pounding and furious double bass on "Revelation Of Doom" his drumming is very intense and merciless on the ears. I mean that in a good way too. Although he isn't playing in a technical or diverse manner, he drums his heart out and really makes the songs have more ferocity than usual. I don't think "Revelation of Doom" would have been the same without him.

The production is freaking awesome. It sounds so grim and cold, having them play their instruments with better production just simply would not work. It is easier to take them seriously with the raw and vitrolic production that this CD has. Grim's drums sound really bad, but again, it is perfect in its badness due to the kid of music we are dealing with.

The only reason I do not give it a perfect score is because of the pointless track "Postludium". It disrupts the flow of the CD and seems very out of place.
This is one hell of a CD (No pun intended) and I rank it up there as one of the greatest Metal albums you can purchase along with "Pentagram"

Although it may sound silly; this is the epitome of a Gorgoroth album. Here me out: when one thinks of Gorgoroth, they think of pure chaotic evil and satanic hatred, and that is what all 33 minutes of Under The Sign of Hell offers. Each song is well crafted and diverse, thanks to excellent song writing from Gorgoroth mastermind, Infernus, and exceptional performances from the bands finest line up.

1997 was a fine year for black metal with lots of great bands releasing solid albums, but I must say Gorgoroth wins the gold medal. The album opens up with the sound of Infernus readying his axe for battle, some miscellaneous guitar sounds seep through the speakers, and then Revelation of Doom explodes into a relentless blizzard of furious riffs and blastbeats. Before you have time to fully comprehend the aggression of Grim’s unholy snare, Pest rages in, preaching blasphemy in one of the most evil vocal performances of musical history. The unyielding onslaught continues into Krig, although the riff is a bit more catchy and the short length of the song makes it real fast neck-splitter, however the third track, Funeral Procession is a nice contrast to the frenzied beginning of this album. The brilliant melodic riff is somewhat reminiscent of Dissection’s sound from the ‘90s and the bizarre moaning partway through creates an eerie, mysterious atmosphere.

Each member excels beyond expectation. This record showcases Infernus’ best song writing and many of his most memorable riffs. Grim’s drumming is truly astonishing and even though he would take his life two years after the release of Under The Sign Of Hell, his performance on the album is enough to immortalize his name as one of the finest drummers in the Norwegian black metal scene. In addition to these two demons, Pest offers some of the sickest, most hateful, and downright evil vocals, well, ever. Revelation of Doom shows him in his most violent state but he also performs perfect clean vocals in the vein of Storm or early Vintersorg on the track Profetens Åpenbaring (a personal favourite). This sort of addition is uncommon in most pure black metal albums, but is another way that this album achieves diversity. His desperate wailings in the latter half of Blood Stains the Circle are most disturbing and you can even make out some of the lyrics on the catchy closer, When The Devil is Calling.

One of the things that I love about this album is the natural production. It’s not raw in the sense of early Darkthrone (although it certainly isn‘t clean), but more rehearsal-like, as if you are hanging out in a gloomy garage on a dark evening, watching the band perform these songs. Despite sounding this way, it doesn’t come off as half assed and each instrument is sufficiently audible.

It seems cliché to say that black metal isn’t made like this anymore, but hey, I’m not hearing music that sounds like this nowadays. Now that Pest is back in the band and King and Gaahl are out, I have high hopes for the bands future. Hopefully the band will once again make music the priority, rather than the image. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for some true unholy black metal with unlimited replay value from the vastlands of Norway, this is pure classic.

Yeaaaah, you know the time has come to get your ass kicked. Guitars shredding outside the house, Grim pounding at the door, Pest shrieking on the roof, and the bass too busy smoking pot in the woods. Uh huh, you know damn well Gorgoroth are gonna eat you alive when they break in – and that’s what this whole album sounds like… a merciless assault on the senses (in a good way). After the lacking Antichrist and the disappearance of Hat, Pest took over vocal duties while Infernus started trying to write good riffs again. He also handles bass duties for the majority of the album, but overall it goes largely unnoticed.

Anyway, the atmosphere resembles Pentagram - you can feel the hateful energy surge through the air, and boy does it feel cold. All the while, melody lurks flawlessly, helping add layers of depth to keep you coming back for more and more. The replayability is through the roof since most of the songs are not only sinister, but overall fun to hear. This kind of contrasts the later output, which sounds malevolent but meandering.

The mood here feels raw, unrehearsed, and more natural than ever before. The distortion pierces through your flesh like chainsaws, but they’re tremolo and invariably thin (didn’t want to throw you off with that “shredding” in the first paragraph). Going along with the fast-paced frenzy is Grim, and I’m pretty sure he was the real riot instigator. This man is quite the beast on the battery, utilizing double bass fanatically on the opening track before going into a more precise correction through the rest of the album.

I’ll add that although production qualities vary throughout the album, it really only has a distinguishing effect on the drums. “Revelation Of Doom” sounds like Satan at the door, “Krig” is much of the same, “Funeral Procession” balances things out nicely, “Profetens Apenbaring” fucks with the double bass… god damn, the drums are jacked up on this entire album. It’s nice to hear different outputs, but this really was unnecessary for album progression. Thankfully, Grim’s superb style keeps drumming alive in this half hour of darkness.

Speaking of which, I feel as though the world gets emptier, colder, and more true-faced whenever I hear this album. We all know the world is fucked up, but we usually do a good job at bullshitting ourselves to cover it up. However, this album brings it back to basics and adds a pagan / folk touch to the whole thing – one that doesn’t sound cheesy, either. Infernus blazes with hypnotic riff after another, making this album trance-inducing with a negative appeal like on the cover.

The last icing on the cake is Pest, and holy shit am I glad he’s back in the band. I know Hat was a ghoul when it came to shrieking, but Pest had the mutilated scream down from the very beginning. His shrieks are extra distorted like the guitars, so it goes hand in hand with that airy / synthetic tone; this isn’t a problem since the previously mentioned attributes lend well to the music. Rarely he’ll exhale with deep, profound cleans, and they work only to a certain extent for me since they kind of sound over-the-top.

Otherwise, this album is essential for fans of Gorgoroth or fans who wish to check out Gorgoroth. I’d hint at looking at Pentagram first to grab hold of Infernus’ style if you haven’t heard it yet, but go for this the second you want more.

This album is very strange. Unlike most mediocre albums, “Under the Sign of Hell” is either really good or really bad. Most mediocre albums are not exciting through and through, with an occasional good song, but this album is spilt with greatness and pointlessness.

The first four songs here are sick. After you hear these four songs, you’re definitely thinking masterpiece. But sadly, after these four the album falls apart.

First, we will discuss the first four songs. “Revelation of Doom” starts off with a bang featuring nasty drums by Grim. Seriously, the drumming on this song is like no other. Killer drum work from the late great, Grim. The song is total chaos, never relenting until the end. Pest’s high pitched screams really suit the music. Simply one of Gorgoroth’s finest. “Krig” is next with amazing guitar work from Infernus. However, if you listen to Enslaved’s “Vetranott”, from their 1994 album “Vikingligr Veldi”, you will hear the same riff played that is featured “Krig.” I don’t know if Infernus meant to do this, but “Vetranott” clearly came out before “Krig.” Anyway, it’s not a bad thing because we now have a much shorter version of the Enslaved classic. “Funeral Procession” is another incredible effort, with nasty riffing and fast drums. “Profetens Apenbaring” is no less than a classic. It starts off with wind blowing leading into marvelous folk baritone vocals from Pest. He sings so well here, and I wish he would do it more. Astounding guitars dominate the song giving it a rather epic feel.

Now, onto the bad half. After a quite stupid instrumental, the next four songs come and by no means do they match up to the first four. Songs like “The Devil is Calling” and “Blood Stains the Circle” are very agonizing to listen to. You find yourself checking the time to get an estimate of when they will end. Horrible songwriting, poor execution and overall pointless songs. “Odeleggelse Om Undergang” and “The Rite of Infernal Invocation” are not as bad as those two, but they are not memorable at all.

This album could have been one of the best but it failed in its second half. I would have given it a 100% if it were an E.P. with the first four songs featured. But because Infernus and the gang got lazy and decided to poison the album with pointless filler songs and it does not make the cut. I bought it, and I suggest you do too, but I only listen to the first four songs typically and skip the rest. You will probably find yourself doing that as well.

The black metal band ‘Gorgoroth’ was formed in the year 1992. Their first release, ‘Pentagram’, was the usual dose of black metal. Very good if I may add, but nothing entirely new. Then came ‘Antichrist’, an album in which they began to do a little bit of experimenting. Instead of fast paced black metal, they began to work more with atmosphere. Oh yes there was speed here and there, but nothing compared to ‘Pentagram’. A good album as well, but ‘Pentagram’ was just better to me. Then came ‘Under Sign of Hell’, released 5 years after their inception, and it is by far the best album they will probably ever write in their career. ‘Under The Sign of Hell’ is 32 minutes of fierce black metal of pure fury. Most black metal bands would normally sing of Satan and such, and you felt absolutely nothing. Yea, yea, yea, Satan this, Satan that, whatever. But for some reason, when ‘Gorgoroth’ sings of Satan on this album, you can’t help but feel that this is true black metal, that these musicians truly believe and love Satan.

It’s the atmosphere portrayed in this album that make it so good; it’s raw, and it sounds very real. The performance of Pest is what solidifies this album as an ungodly album. Their previous singer, Hat, was good but is no where near as good as Pest. Pest truly puts his heart and soul into his voice, projecting an energy that is so rare to hear from a vocalist. In the song ‘Blood Stains the Circle’, Pest sings of swearing allegiance to the Devil. I know their lyrics aren’t printed, but I’m sure that near the end he screams, “Consecrate us! My savior!” When those words are uttered, you feel the passion, the love that this guy is showing. It may be fake, but my God does it sound so fucking real. When I first heard those words, the hairs on my neck and arms stood on end.

Then comes the guitar, which is another component that makes the atmosphere on this album so real. The riffs give off such an evil aura, that you wouldn’t be surprised that the guitar player would be Satan himself. But in reality, it is none other than Infernus, playing riffs that are very fast, fierce, and memorable. A good representation of what makes a black metal riff good. It’s hard to fully explain the sound of Infernus’s style, but it is somewhat unique. After all, it wouldn’t be ‘Gorgoroth’ without his riffs.

And the drums, the final ingredient in this album of pure black metal art. Most will tell you that Frost is the best drummer that ‘Gorgoroth’ has ever had. I must greatly disagree with this claim. That honor goes to Grim. The fast, vengeful playing of utter hatred is what Grim does on this album. It may be the overall sound that the snare gives off, but whatever it is, it fucking worked. Don’t get me wrong, when the drums kicked in at the beginning of ‘Revelation of Doom’, I was stunned. It came out of nowhere, and it is absolutely bizarre sounding. But when you hear it with Infernus’s guitar playing and Pest’s vocal performance, only then will you truly understand the significance of those drums. I assure you that Frost could not have done the same had he played on this album. Sure, his technique may be better, but Grim fucking beats the shit out of those drums, producing a sound that only compliments the atmosphere of this album. The mixture of these three musicians is what created the black, grim atmosphere of this album, a unique mix that sadly will never be heard again.

As for the bass, well, I can’t really hear it. If it’s there, then it’s there, but it did nothing for me.
‘Under the Sign of Hell’ is one of three albums that greatly represent black metal, in my opinion of course. If someone who never has heard of black metal asked me for a CD that showed them what black metal was, this album would be one that I would give them. Sure it may scare them away, but if it does, then it may not have been for them in the first place. ‘Gorgoroth’ has written solid albums, but it is this one that outshines them all. Will they ever write an album better than this one? I say no, but one could always hope.

One of the premier bands of late second or early third wave black metal, Gorgoroth have undoubtedly carved out a reputation as fearsome force of dead reckoning and reckless debasement to all pedestrians of the right hand path. Should you be a traveler who walks in the other direction, you will happen upon a marker on the road to wrong and may find yourself standing Under the Sign of Hell. May your ears peel like the forbidden fruit as you savor the great black metal to be heard on this album.

Yes fellow wanderer, black metal of greatness is at a premium in this day of metal gone wrong and age of MySpace. Under the Sign of Hell is an album I pop in with fondness in my quest for what can only be deemed as "ye olden country black metal" and these are frontiers for seekers of heathen quest where the meek will be shown no quarter nor a dime for the suffering.

This is an album that puts forth Gorgoroth's signature of sick banshee drumming, furious Arabian scales and sonic tremolos by guitarist Infernus. The bass on here serves as a carpet of crisp molten accompaniment. That is all I can tell you about the musical nature of this wonderment. This is very much a calling card in Gorgoroth's illustrious career. Everything after, sounded like they were striving to outdo Under the Sign.

Gorgoroth got rid of Pest and had the Gaahl to replace him. How dare they trade a vocalist for a frontman/poet who sounds like a pale imitation because Pest's vocals offset a sort of folk-ish rawness on the recording. Every song on here, his shrieks are that of an indignant troll clenching Rapunzel's hair in sodomy with great pagan fury. Indeed, the atmosphere is a wicked and unforgiving element. As a matter of fact, there is one eerie touch to this album that Gorgoroth patents on Under the Sign of Hell: the noxious sound of the intervals between songs that feels like a cold and stale air of a dungeon. And I am not being hyperbolic either. I once listened to this album while falling asleep and after the song Devil is Calling, ended, I experienced a sickly tingle start to creep into my throat soon followed by what is best described as a wolfish feedback sound found in the other songs but more protracted. It was a deadly anticipation for a hidden evil track that would send me straight to hell but thankfully didn't. So, Under the Sign for me is not only an evil album in sound but one of the first that I can say was actually palpable in feel as well. If that isn't what black metal should be, then I don't know what is.

After you have been to 'Hell' and back and read all of the signs along the way, there really is no turning back. This is essential listening after you have turned. The songs you will hear color your perception with the warlike solids of black and white. You look at the album cover and it agrees with everything you heard. What I heard was true and unadulterated Norwegian black metal for not the faint of heart. If blood was pumped making this album, it turned black.

"Under the Sign of Hell" was my first foray into Gorgoroth, and I have to admit, I don't know why it took me so long to check this band out.

The first thing that really captivated me about "Under the Sign of Hell" was just how straight to the jugular it is. There aren't big epic stringed intros or big layered bridges. It's not that I don't like those things, but I do like it when bands concern themselves with intensity. "Under the Sign of Hell" clocks in at just over thirty minutes, and is a driving relentless force. Once it starts it never really lets up. Plus, about half of the tracks start off with an immediate bang, giving the album a brutal never-ending quality (as some tracks seem to almost seamlessly bleed into each other).

Pest's vocals were another stand out thing for me. They're very raw, and high pitched to boot; both of which I prefer in my black metal vocals. Additionally, Pest will occasionally throw in some clean vocals ("Profetens Åpenbaring" for instance), which I found to be quite effective. I especially thought that the clean vocals toward the end of “Blood Stains the Circle” where interesting. The quality of the vocals are rather poor (as he, to me at least, sings out of key). But what they lack in quality, they surely make up for in raw power; for some reason they just work.

The guitars are solid. They don't wow me, but they do drive the album (and the album’s drive is one of its most important aspects). They're what you'd probably expect from a reputable black metal outfit: dissonant riffs, tremolo picking, an all-around high-end assault on the ears. Most of the riffs are fast paced, though there are [rare] times when Infernus plays slower parts (1:10-2:32 of "Ødeleggelse og Undergang" being a prime example of this). When they do occur, Infernus makes sure to make the riff is as discordant, as harsh, and as evil-sounding as possible. These slower parts, through contrast, also help accentuate the driving nature of the disc. Another thing I liked was the solo in "The Rite of Infernal Invocation", around the 1:33 mark. I didn’t like the solo because I thought it was necessarily impressive; I liked it more or less because it was there at all (if that makes any sense). As far as I can remember it's the only solo on the whole album. It helps give the song (and I suppose, arguably, the album as a whole) a little flair, even if it is short and sweet.

The drums were more of the same thing. Solid enough to continue the album's overall drive and tempo. I would have thought that Grim’s drumming to consist of mostly blast beats, but on the contrary, most of the drumming is mid-paced and keeps Gorgoroth's guitar-focused sound driving without being distracting (though to be clear, there are still a fair amount of blast-beats present on the album). On a production note, I like how audible the drums are within the mix. The toms and cymbals are very clear (which is not always the case for metal). While on the subject of production, “Under the Sign of Hell” has an odd raw sound. All of the instrument/vocals sound pretty clear, yet there’s just this overwhelming feeling of poor production hovering overhead (almost as if it were a live recording). I don’t think this it effected the album positive or negatively, but since it does fit the black metal aesthetic, and I felt it was worth mentioning.

The stand out track (for me) is "Profetens Åpenbaring". It essentially encompasses the sound of “Under the Sign of Hell” all on one track. Clocking in at 5:05, it is easily the longest track on the album as well. We get a slow ambient intro, both clean and shrieked vocals (not to mention a super heavy metal “HEEEYY!”), some ultra discordant riffs (3:52), and except for the intro and a second or two before the aforementioned riff, the song is constant and ruthless.

In the end, I think it's the constant barrage of passionate intensity that makes "Under the Sign of Hell" such a good album. Sure, there are several factors that, when added together, give the album this quality, but I see “Under the Sign of Hell” as one of those album that equals more than the sum of its parts. It may not be my favorite black album ever, but you could easily do a lot worse.

This is a Gorgoroth release I have more than a little trouble really getting into; for some reason it feels more primitive than the previous two albums, despite being musically and technically more complex in many ways. In yet another step away from 'Pentagram', this feels even more 'conventionally black metal' than 'Antichrist', as well as incorporating a greater level of thrash influence into what was originally an almost uncomfortably pure strain of BM. Perhaps it's not just my thing, but it's somewhat irritating to be able to see the artistry and interesting elements of a release but not be able to connect with them fully.

For instance, first legendary track 'Revelation Of Doom'; brutal, punishing percussion under a cascading array of thrashy black metal riffs and immensely hateful vocals from Pest, one of the most utterly misanthropic and chaotic black metal tracks I've ever heard... and yet I'm unable to connect with it on some fundamental level. Perhaps part of it is the production which obscures the riffs under a constant pounding of torturous snare, or perhaps there's just a sort of dissonance comparing this openly brutal, one-note music with the more artistic and subtle works of the past, but either way, I can enjoy it on an abstract level but not 'take it in', or so to speak. It goes like that with the rest of the album (though it is a bit more palatable with drums not quite so domineering in the scheme of the overall sound). Despite the music being good, the gap is not bridged between listener and recording.

The riffing seems peculiarly raw and off time on this recording, perhaps due to the greater thrash influence on this recording versus the rather binary black metal riffs of the previous albums. I like this a lot on an aesthetic level; it's excruciatingly raw, not so much in sound quality but in writing and playing; I genuinely get the feel that each member was specifically attempting to punish the audience while writing and recording these monstrosities which can barely be called songs. But again, that appreciation comes from a distance, and I'm unable to assemble these noisy little Satanic anthems into something greater in my mind. Maybe I'm thinking about it too hard, but 'Pentagram' and 'Antichrist' seemed to encourage the listener to dive into the dark, cold atmosphere while 'Under The Sign Of Hell' seems to rebuff such attempts. It's truly brutal and cruel music, but it lacks something in the way of atmosphere and accessibility for me.

Really, I chalk this up to being one of those albums that simply doesn't click for me in the way it does for others. I can't really dissuade someone else from giving this album a try; most find it very compelling and a fantastic entry in Gorgoroth's catalog. I'd be lying if I said it was a great album, though, because if it is, I simply can't hear it.

When I first got into Gorgoroth, they had just released their 2006 effort, Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam. The Gaahl/Infernus/King lineup had been there for the past couple of releases and I was not too familiar with the older works of this band. Heck, I didn't even know Gaahl only sang on one track of 'Destroyer', my personal favorite Gorgoroth album to date. All I was really familiar with was Gaahls vocals, which I love, and loved even back then, as well as the guitar work [something about the tones on the past three albums has really stood out to me], and the mood that is set by these dark pieces of art.

After a while I decided to look into the older works of Gorgoroth: Antichrist, Pentagram, and this one, which has stood out to me the most. I thought to myself that since Gaahl was not in the picture, and that these were much older works of Gorgoroth, it was very likely that I could listen to them and think them to be shit.

I was wrong. Not nearly as polished or 'brutal', if you will, as their more recent output, I still consider this album to be a Gorgoroth best, right next to Destroyer. Lower quality production, higher and more shrill vocals, drums that seem distant yet still punishing, and much more atmosphere make this album an all around enjoyable black metal experience.

The vocals were the big thing with me, so lets start with them. I mentioned before that Gaahl's vocals were something I loved. Probably still my favorite aspect of Gorgoroth. However, with Pest singing on this release, the vocals are still really good. Some of the higher pitched black vocals can really annoy me at times, but I really enjoy what Pest has going on here. Not too high or shrill, but still high and shrill nonetheless, and he manages to work his anger and hatred into them. These are high quality black metal vox. The only vocal aspect of the album I did not like was the female 'Aaahhs' on Funeral Procession. It just sounds like someone's mom singing in the shower. They don't really add a whole lot. If you want good choir vocals, male and female, look at Behemoth's 'Grom'.

The drumming was also really cool. On the first track, I thought to myself, 'What the hell? It sounds like someone hitting a metal trash can', but this doesn't last for the whole album and I began to take note of how fast and just plain good the drumming is. Of course, he slows it down when need be, but there isn't a whole lot of slowing down on this album anyway. The drums aren't too up front in the mix and sound a little distant as I mentioned before, but I think it adds quite a bit to the atmosphere.

The overall atmosphere of the album is really enjoyable, and almost trance-inducing at times for me, even during the fast parts. The lower production quality (as compared to newer Gorgoroth releases) may add to this. Sometimes a black metal album can realy take me places and get the imagination going, and this album does the trick.

This album had it's place as my favorite Gorgoroth record until later, when I looked into Destroyer, which is now my personal favorite. Despite this, only when listening to 'Under the Sign of Hell' do I sit back and think 'MAN I love black metal!'.

There are many ways to describe this album. You could say it's the most savage album laid to disc, blasphemy in a half an hour, straight up ticket to hell, unholy perversion of all that's good, or, simply, the most effective black metal album.

As far as Under the Sign of Hell's legacy in history, it's one of the greats, up there with De Mysteriis, Storm of the Light's Bane, and In The Nightside Eclipse as genre-defining CLASSICS. However, Gorgoroth separate themselves from the pack in taking satanism to a new level. An individual song-by-song review would be ineffective, as this is a perverted ritual unto itself. Everything about it reeks of black evil, and every word screamed by Pest spits venom and bile into your face, and every beat drummed by Grim a pounding convulsion straight from the heart of hell. This is BLACK METAL like it's supposed to be made, there's nothing wrong with ANY song on Under the Sign of Hell, this is doing black metal the RIGHT WAY. Look no farther than this, because this defines satanic black metal blasphemy at its best. The atmosphere is very filthy and raw, and succeeds at being brutal and haggard where Darkthrone failed, creating an intimidatingly ugly atmosphere with maniacal drumbeats where Grim sounds like he's destroying the kit, melodic yet funereal and grim riffs pounding along with the heavily hammered drums. Bass acts counter to guitar, managing to stand out in the mix, all the while Pest screams with all his might. There is simply nothing more to ask for if you like your blasphemy raw and unhindered.

This album, for me at least, marks the end of Gorgoroth's glory days. This album and the two that came before it are, by a large margin, the band's more well-known and respected albums, and for good reason. This album stands out from those three as being a bit different. However, it stands on its own as one of the best black metal albums I've ever heard. I assure you you will never hear anything quite like this...this is what black metal is truly about.

This album is just pure hell, that's the only way I can describe it. From the hard-hitting intro of Revelation of Doom to the last notes of The Devil is Calling, you'll feel like you were thrust into hell and stayed there until the album ends. Every member of the band contributed to what makes this album so great.

This is the band's only album with drummer Grim and vocalist Pest. Grim doesn't do anything technically outstanding. What he does do is beat the listener into submission with unrelenting drumming from beginning to end (especially beginning...) his approach to this album was exactly what it needed to be. Pest is one of the best vocalists I have ever heard. He has a shrill shriek that tears your ears apart. Like Grim, the way pest goes about performing on this album is where he really shines. He's not bullshitting here...you can hear the passion going into the vocals. For an example, listen to the latter half of Blood Stains the Circle. The ending of Revelation of Doom is also a worthy mention. Surprisingly enough, you can very often understand what Pest is saying. More often than many other black metal vocalists anyway. Infernus does an amazing job as always. The riffs are brutal and hellish throughout. You can also find alot of melody (see Funeral Procession.) As you'd expect after all of the above, the music itself is generally fast and hard hitting. Though it sometimes takes a back seat to slower songs like Funeral Procession and The Devil is Calling. This adds some variation to the album without letting go of its grasp on you. It is consistantly effective throughout.

You owe it to yourself to listen to this album if you're a black metal fan. Albums like this do not come around often. This embodies what this genre was meant to be...evil in music form.

It is usually assumed the Gorgoroth never worked really as hard on any album as they've worked on the legendary "Pentagram", it might be true or false, but who cares as long as the band keeps giving us solid albums like "Under The Sign Of Hell". The sound which this album contains is million times better than whatever you'll hear from the new black metal bands these days and even the old and established black metal bands cannot sound like this today because most of them have deviated from their roots and have moved towards modernity and the modern black metal sound is no way near the sound which the bands from the second wave of black metal contained.

The vocals on the entire album are perfect, Pest's (vocalist) screams are full of passion, variations, energy & hatred. Those of you who consider Judas Iscariot to be epic, you'll be blown away by the talent of Infernus (Guitars/bass), the riffs are extremely fast and unpredictable and they create such an epic sound when combined with the ravishingly brutal drumming of Grim (Drummer) that has been disappeared a long time ago. Another quality that adds to the sound on this album is that the bass does not disappear among the extremely dominating guitars and drums and this enhances the beauty of the sound. Atmosphere is that quality that Infernus always wants to add to his music, the atmosphere has been immaculately created on this album in such a quantity that you won't be able to complain about it in anyway what so ever, let me give you a hint that there's more atmosphere than that is present in Darkthrone albums.

Except song no. 5 "Postludium", every song in this album is complete in its own sense and is legendary overall. Heaviness, simplicity, brutality, great musicianship and outstanding vocals are a few words that describe this album perfectly.

I was a fan of Gorgoroth since the beginning. I mean, I liked the band, not in a hardcore way, I don't think I would even have paid for a show. It was a bit to cacophonic and not tight enough for my own likings, evil is a meaning and noisy music without concept is not evil because it has no meaning. But this...oh my god this...

Where do I begin? Under The Sign of Hell is Gorgoroth's peak and what Gorgoroth always should've sounded like. I don't know if it's the fact that Infernus was teaming up with Pest and Ares instead of Gaahl and King Ov Hell for this album that made it so different, but holy shit, I felt like I was just whacked by a subway wagon and driven straight into hell...it's like an Infernus-fest with Pest on vocal command.

First of all the music. Infernus has all the place he disearves. He runs the show with his guitar. The riffs are long, agressive and not overly complicated , neither overly simple. The guitar sounds very trashy as one of my co-reviewers has pointed out the sound is distorted and has that dirt feeling to it. It's kind of light, without being fluffy, it just feels a tad military. It keeps the listener marching on to the beat of destruction. The guitar of Infernus is the general, I could discourse as much as I want on the drums & bass, but they just follow the orders, they go where Infernus wants them...and thank baphomet for that. Also , another part that I liked were the trashy guitar leaks at the beginning and the end of every song which gave some kind of a cave-like feeling to the album, as if it was recorded on the edge of another world.

Another interesting part of the musical aspect of this album is the electronical approach, as small and parcimonious as it is, it's there and employed very well. The Rite Of Infernal Invocation has a nice long eerie noise-like outro which almost sounds menacing to the listener. Menacing people from ten years back, by the medium of air vibration recorded on cd, that's quite an exploit. Postlidium is another atmospherical song which gives that crazy feeling to the album. Pest's voice in a few songs is also digitally hampered, which creates more evil atmosphere.

As far as the vocal goes. The lyrics are a tad different than the usual Nietzsche preaching, a bit more generic(which where they lost a point here), but Pest's delievery saves the day as, in my opinion his vocal performence is a lot better than Gaahl's even if by black metal standards Gaahl isn't bad. Pest is just that good.

I reviewed this album after the news of Gorgoroth split up, just to remind myself than Infernus on his own might not be a bad thing for extreme music!

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Cold...hellish...destructive...and ultimately frightening...

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...BLACK METAL!

1996 was obviously a BIG year for Black Metal. The first wave had come and gone, and a plethora of pissed off Norwegian and Swedish kids had sunk their demon fangs into the scene for a good number of years. The Big Four of Norwegian BM (EMPEROR, IMMORTAL, DARKTHRONE, and MAYHEM) set the stage for a LOT of newcomers eager to dip their dainty li'l toes into the Burning Lake to shine and show the Christian horde that they still had plenty to fear. While a good number were substandard, or out-right sucked balls, a few showed good enough potential to stick around the scene, get signed, and release albums. One such band was GORGOROTH.

Regardless of the misanthropic and criminal turn the band has undergone in recent years, the music more than speaks for all the jail time they face(d). "Pentagram" was grim, albeit drawing heavy DARKTHRONE/BATHORY influences..."Antichrist" was brutal, though taking only baby steps in the right direction...but it wasn't until "Under the Sign of Hell" stormed the Earth like a swarm of locusts did GORGOROTH spawn forth a multitude of demonic forces hell-bent on burning every house of worship the world over. Musically, of course...if they can or cannot do so physically, that has yet to be seen.

Within the first few seconds of "Revelation of Doom", the band bursts forth in a dark rage not seen since the explosive first riffs of EMPEROR's "Into the Infinity of Thoughts", and the same pace keeps up for the rest of the song and into Track no. 2, "Krig". Blistering guitar riffs rip through pulsing bass rhythms and chaotic drumwork courtesy of ol' demon drummer boy Grim (RIP). Vocal-wise, Pest displayed possibly the sickest and most inhuman vocal work on ANY black metal album during the second wave. Though rendering the lyrics 90-95% incomprehensable, his voice alone can give you chills. The biggest perk off this album, as opposed to many of their substandard peers, is that the song-writing is actually INTELLIGENT and THOUGHT OUT! Who'da thunk it for Black Metal?? If not seen within the speedfests of "Ødeleggelse Og Undergang" and the aformentioned "Revelation of Doom", to the cold and chilling "Funeral Procession", Mr. Infernus crafts a deadly dark mixture of intensity and melody that many Black Metal bands cannot combine (they either go for one or the other, not often to glorious results). Even the rather creepy ambient piece "Postludium" is worth noting, citing nightmarish imagery and atmosphere.

However, despite all its high points, there are a couple low points one notices after repeated listenings, though not many that would warrent the CD worthless, thankfully. First of all, the album itself only runs about 39 minutes, which, unfortunately, flies right by in the whirlwind haze the album is known for. As well, "The Devil is Calling" isn't quite a good closer. It's a half-way decent song, but more akin to industrial than Black Metal, and doesn't seem to fit the scheme of things as well as the rest of the album. But that's why Satan invented the Stop Button.

So, to recap...cold...hellish...destructive...and ultimately frightening...elements many other second/third-tier Black Metal bands WISH they could initiate, but seem to fail to do so. "Under the Sign of Hell", however, is evil in its unpurest form. Ave Satanas, indeed.

This album is a solid black metal release, the perfect bridge between early and modern Gorgoroth. Unlike Pentagram, it moves away from Bathory-inspired and chromatic guitar riffs, and moves more towards the modern style of riffing Gorgoroth has used on their recent albums.

Under the Sign is simply a great album in itself, however, regardless of said significances. "Revelation of Doom" starts with an insane guitar riff accompanied by a metallic-sounding blastbeat that can't be forgotten due to its dissonance and intensity. The first track leads into the sonic assault that doesn't stop until the end of "Profetens Åpenbaring", a somewhat odd song starting with pagan singing. This shows Gorgoroth's first delving into other genres: folk elements are present.

My main criticism of the album is what occurs after "Profetens Åpenbaring" and on several parts of the album, which is sustained silence with strange wind noises and odd semi-natural sounds. Although it does set the mood for the music, and it does set up the next song (for example, when "Postludlum" kicks in it about knocks you off your feet), the noise between some tracks is sometimes strange and out of place.

"The Rite of Infernal Invocation" shows Gorgoroth's improving and evolving style. The same amazing melodic elements as displayed on the last track of Pentagram are used here, but with an improved sound and structure. There are only eight actual songs on the album, but the overall quality is very high, and the experimentation still fits quite well with the music.

Lately Gorgoroth has been in the news quite frequently whether it was their concert in Poland involving sheep heads on stakes, blood covering the stage and 4 nude men and woman that were crucified on the stage, in which the entire band was nearly arrested for, Gaahl’s 18 month prison sentence for “performing satanic rituals and torture lasting for several hours on” a 41 year old man or more recently their show in San Salvador where a special task force had to be brought in after riots broke out during the gig and their music is no less blasphemous or evil than thier acts.

“Under the Sign of Hell” is viewed as Gorgoroth's ‘masterpiece’ by many Gorgoroth fans and for good reasons. The album contains countless riffs that are simply amazing compared to riffs presented by man other black metal bands, “Revelation of Doom” which opens the album shows this, the opening guitar riff is fast and very dark which is perfect for black metal and the riffs only pick up from here. The melodic guitar work in “Funeral Procession” “Profetenes Åpenbaring” and “Blood Stains the Circle” (to name a few) help set this release apart from most black metal releases. Infernus, who plays guitar for the band, also played the bass on all but one song but the bass is nothing special, it fits in with the music well and it gets its job done.

Grim’s drumming on this release could not be better, it has that classic thunka-thunka sound that works perfectly with the music. Some say that Frost was Gorgoroth's best drummer but I diverge from this opinion, as I believe that no one topped Grim’s performance on this album, it is a shame that he left after it was recorded. The albums strongest point is the vocal performance given by Pest, who is believed to have been Gorgoroth's best singer by many. Pest displays the classic black metal singing, which is more of a shrieking, but also adds a little variety to the album with his clean singing, which is very much like the singing done by Fenriz in Isengard, on songs like “Funeral Procession” and “Profetenes Åpenbaring.”

Combined with the line-up on “Under the Sign of Hell” (which has yet to be topped by the band) and the excellent production that makes this album as cold and dark as it is, contributes to helping this album to be the bands best work. Stand out tracks include “Funeral Procession” “Profetenes Åpenbaring” and “Revelation of Doom” which have also become Gorgoroth classics. Great Black Metal album.

With their third full-length, Gorgoroth took a significantly different apporach to their music, as well as another step forward in terms of songwriting. "Under The Sign Of Hell" is a very adapt title for an album whose sound seems to indeed have been forged in the darkest depths of the underworld, as well as its mysterious cover foreshadows that everything here is strictly in black and white (with a strong predominance of the former, of course).
The songs are still fairly short, and the riffs can still be described as trademark Gorgoroth, but the rendition is a lot more aggressive and the sound (so clear and full on the previous albums, in contrast with so many other Blacm Metal releases) is very abrasive and much more raw. This time the guitars and bass are also tuned one step down, at leats on most of the songs, which is another new feature for the band's sound.
This result definitely owes something to the new line-up that partecipated on this album. Apart from Infernus, still handling the guitars and some bass parts, this album features the likes of Grim (R.I.P.) of Immortal and Borknagar fame, whose barbaric beats fit the new character of the music (more aggression, less groove) very well, as well as Pest (of Obtained Enslavement, who had already partecipated on "Antichrist) on vocals and Ares (of Aeternus) as a guest on bass.

As the album begins, "Revelation of Doom" wastes no time in assaulting the listener with razor sharp riffs and merciless beats, soon paired by Pest's trademark shrill, acid screams. The sound differences between this album and the previous ones are brutally obvious, as everything in here (including the vocals, which in contrast to "Pentagram" and "Antichrist" are kept way loud in the mix) sounds distorted and overloud. The drums have a rather bad quality (the snare almost sounds like someone knowcking on a door), but they will becomes better on the rest of the album. The song itself is a very fast attack backed by fast and powerful drumming, and despite its short length has enough room for some tempo changes (including a kind of "marching" interlude which oddly reminds of "Child in Time"). Enough to describe the characteristics of the album, and to scare most listeners away for good.
"Krig" is next, and is basically more of the same although the guitars and bass built a more melodic background which creates a nice conrast with Grim's relentless blastbeats and Pest's inhuman screams. His aggressive banshee-like voice fits the band's new sound very well.
"Funeral Procession" slows down the pace and lets Infernus unleash some highly melodic and sorrowful guitar parts. Grim is impressive with his double bass drumming, while Pest tries a falsetto chanting in one point. The song has an unpredictable ceeleration at the end, and closes on yet another sad riff.
the sound of blowing wind precedes the barely audible guitar introduction of "Profetens Åpenbaring", and goes on for about a minute before the proper song starts. The feeling of this one is similar to "Funeral Procession", but this time the mid-tempo goes on from the beginning to the end, with the variation relying solely on the riffs and their dynamics. Pest thrpws in his clean vocals, which have a kind of solemn, recitative tone to them, and fit the more melodic passages to a great effect.
"Postludium" is next, and is a weird interlude built upon a backwards phrase sung by Pest played at different speeds.

"Ødeleggelse og Undergang" brings the fast pace back into the picture, although the riffs are menacing more than aggressive, especially in the middle section where the pace goes down.
The last drum roll of the song mixes with the beginning of "Blood Stains the Circle", another fast number with a very strong percussive feature that give it an almost tribal feel. Pest's vocals are amazing here, as lacerates his larynx with a kind of "melodic" scream which is definitely the highlisght of the song.
More speed comes in the form of "The Rite of Infernal Invocation", a blizzards of really fast riffing backed by precise drumming and more possessed screams from Pest. At the end of the song a kind of rumbling noise comes in and goes on for about three minutes before the last song, "The Devil is Calling", begins... weird and rather pointless, as most people (including me) just go for the skip button when the music ends.
So, "The Devil is Calling"... the slowest track of the album, and the most melodic one too. Grim somehow manages to hold back hsi need to thrash the hell out of his kit and provides a slow but rock solid background for the great riffs that make up this grand finale.

"Under The Sign Of Hell" completes the trilogy of the first Gorgoroth era on a high note, and introduces new elements in their sound. A recommended listen if you like raw Black Metal, and a mandatory purchase if you're a fan of the band. It's well worth it.