Heaven in Flames

Heaven in Flames is one of the ultimate black metal masterpieces, do not ever let anybody tell you anything else.

The thing with this album comes down to the concept of suspension of disbelief when it comes to black metal. Yeah, we all know the guys making this stuff are just regular metal dudes playing musical instruments, not much of a shocker there, but we also know that the dude who plays the lead in 2001: A Space Odyssey never actually went to space, John Wayne or Clint Eastwood never actually lived in the Wild West, and the guys doing pro-wrestling do not actually beat each other to a bloody pulp. It's not about that, it's not about the actors, the people behind it, who they might be or how regular they might be eating their pasta and ordering their pizza and going to the bathroom and scratching their butts and whatever else you want to imagine regular guys are doing.

It's the black metal suspension of disbelief, a concept that has been lost for a long time, at the very latest ever since that whole Kanwulf of Nargaroth exposé where some dude on the internet whined that he was like on a talk show and didn't actually release his first demo in 1991. Oh wow, big whoop, who cares. Everybody since that event has figured him or herself a private detective to Sherlock Holmes the fact out of black metal musicians that they are not actually demons invoking the return of Satan to Earth but that they are actually just guys with long hair who like loud music, and people are immensely proud of themselves of Sherlock Holmesing that. They are obviously missing the point of the genre.

When I listen to Judas Iscariot's Heaven in Flames, what I envision in my inner eye is Andrew Harris climbing up the world's tallest mountain with his collection of the works of Nietzsche, not modern reprints, either, but yellowed original prints made in an original Guttenberg printing press, and raising his arms at the heavens in protest at God, and thunder and lightning surrounding him, and his hands raised as he attempts to catch the lightning to strike it back into the heart of Jehova and watch him crumble and fall as his heart is struck. This is the mental image the music on this album creates and that you want to envision as you listen to it.

It strikes the perfect balance. It has the "grimness" of the Norwegian bands, that raw unfiltered sound that sounds like pure rage put into music, somewhere in between Darkthrone's Under A Funeral Moon and the more involved (and underrated) Total Death, but mixed into that is another keyboard layer that, while lightyears away from making it anything near "symphonic", adds another piece of depth of atmosphere to the whole thing that moves it from the primal rage of early Norwegian black metal to far darker territories, to something far more sinister and ill-intentioned and malicious. This album doesn't just sound like aimless hatred, it sounds like hatred with a very specific target in mind, and we all know what that target is.

And again, as I have mentioned before, if you are like some random death metal dude who just wants to dismiss all black metal as some regular metal dudes just playing instruments and you categorically refuse to go into the black metal suspension of disbelief, you are not going to hear this album as anything other than roughly played riffs over roughly played drums for its entire duration. But if you're willing to accept that John Wayne is a cowboy and William Shatner is captain of a starship and Bret the Hitman Hart beat the shit out of Shawn Michaels, because you know, sometimes you know what people tell you is not real, it's fiction, but there is nothing wrong with fiction, but you wanna accept it anyway because there is absolutely nothing wrong about fiction, then, well, check out this album. Because Heaven in Flames, literally, Akhenaten sounds like the dark philosopher on top of a lonely mountain ready to destroy God. Andrew Harris may not seem that way if you meet him in real life, but Akhenaten on this album is absolutely and undeniably that guy, if you are ready to believe in it. He sells it perfectly, and you need to listen to him, he does everything exactly right to convince you that what you are listening to here is one of the most evil and irreverent albums you have ever heard.

This is definitely an album that I've been waiting to review. Judas Iscariot is a former project of Akhenaten, and I'll be reviewing Heaven in Flames which is now twenty years old as of this writing. It's also one of the best examples of black metal from the United States. It's not hipster or anything like that, it's raw black metal that pummels you into the ground.

Heaven in Flames pummels you with seven tracks on here. There's three highlights that this album has that I'll give mention to. The opening track "An Eternal Kingdom of Fire" sets the template for this album, with it being a mix of Norwegian black metal and atmospheric black metal. The choirs are not tedious as they're used sparsely. "Before a Circle of Darkness" is more in line with raw black metal, with some sick shredding thrown into the mix. The drumming on here stands out for being more aggressive than most tracks on Heaven in Flames. "From Hateful Visions" sounds like it influenced the black 'n' roll genre in a way with it's groovy aesthetic being unusual for a song in a raw black metal album.

Even the production sounds raw, yet dynamic at the same time. It feels like Heaven in Flames took some inspiration from Immortal's Pure Holocaust. In a genre that loves being a victim of the loudness war, this album stands out. The performance of Akhenaten is top notch as he ended up recording a rather well crafted piece of art. Akhenaten's drums are generally relaxing by black metal standards. The guitar play feels cold, yet atmospheric, with the riffs on tracks like "Gaze Upon Heaven in Flames" being reminiscent of the aforementioned Pure Holocaust. Akhenaten's vocals can best be described as if Abbath was fronting Darkthrone, which I've noticed on "Eternal Bliss... Eternal Death". Akhenaten's vocals fit perfectly well with his instrument performances. There's definitely no weak spots on here.

This is not a weak album at all. This is Judas Iscariot's most praised album in the metal community. The States is probably better known for hipster black metal bands like Deafheaven or Liturgy. However, before you even had those bands, Judas Iscariot showed the world that America can actually make authentic black metal records. Heaven in Flames is true to that statement, releasing in the year 1999, it offered fans of black metal a quality album that most Norwegian black metal bands were lacking of at the time. Even twenty years since its release, you should definitely pick up Heaven in Flames as it's highly recommended.

Once again, Judas Iscariot's sound and general direction changes somewhat when applied to the writing of a full-length record - just another turn in Akhenaten's slow evolution towards (or crystallization of) what he surely considers a 'pure' or 'true' sound. With each release, it seems, this band has evolved... but never in a really drastic manner, never in a fashion that would make Akhenaten lose his way. Going back and listening to these now makes it obvious to me just how he was working towards a sound that encapsulated and combined at least two different strains of black metal stylistics: the somewhat-slow, moody, atmospheric form of Graveland and/or Burzum's inspiration with the raw, stripped-down, aggressive blasts of Darkthrone. In many places on this record, the Graveland influence really shows through... both in terms of the repetitive riffs used to build basic structures in the fleshing out of long songs, and the way in which tonally abstract and/or evocatively obscure melodies are combined with more straightforward sections in order to change moods within the space of one song - from contemplative solitude and melancholy to a grim bitterness, a hollow anger, an outlashing of wronged pride. The vocals, harsh barks and imprecations torn from a lacerated throat, display the kind of agonized phrasing and timbre that could only come from listening to Darken's tortured moaning. The drumming is, for the most part (when its speed isn't taken down to a basic beat during the somnolent, ambient 'slow' sections) pure trance snare/kick/high-hat blasting, a constant undergirding pulse, in the grand tradition of 'Transilvanian Hunger'. There are also the keyboards to think of... their dark underpinnings, choral washes, and stately swelling appearance behind the guitars remind me of the Polish bands, or, especially in the second song 'Gaze Upon Heaven in Flames', the American band Demoncy.

But I don't want to get carried away with the comparisons... that's just a shortcut.

Throughout this album there are several well-placed and eloquent segments of minor chord strumming and dissonant riffing (Akhenaten really is seeking to build on the legacy that Darkthrone and Burzum left behind with their use of dissonance, and he puts those ideas to good use in creating 'alienating' melodies) that create an ominous, despair-cursed, almost sickened atmosphere... as if the music, flowing forth from a jaded, suicidal soul, carries within it a species of contagion... truly some of Judas Iscariot's darkest riffs are on this record, and the way that the main melodies in the songs are written, chained together in marching, short-step rhythms, makes them blend perfectly into the keyboard tones... all of this, working together, creates some extremely compelling and imaginative soundscapes, atmospheres to lose yourself in.

One of the first things that becomes evident after one's first few listenings when examining this album is its withdrawal and 'holding back' or hesitancy from immediacy. This is not an 'easy' record, it isn't the kind of music that reveals all of its secrets right away, and it both calls for and desperately needs a number of spins before it's melodicism and personal language open up... it tends to construct its own meaning, so to speak, with each listening building upon the ideas that former 'screenings' had inspired. For example, it took at least five listenings before I began to associate certain imagery or daydreams with the melodies used in the first song, 'An Eternal Kingdom of Fire', and subsequent samplings only added to the mindscapes that were created by this time - their density, color, range, their 'importance' to me, personally. Whereas 'Dethroned...' is active and immediate because of its raw fury and unbridled violence, this album's messages are somewhat 'hidden', more mysterious and shadowed. Seen chronologically backwards, as I have been forced to do based on the fact that I am just now really getting into this band's music, it seems like this entire work is a repository of the emotions that later led to Dethroned's unleashing of outright hatred. Where that later opus is unrestrained and overt, this album is more subdued, sadder, tinged with the Autumn colors of dejection instead of the black and white of wrath. Part of black metal's true appeal is the way its aesthetics can combine the accents of forlornness (usually seen as passive) with a blinding rage, and so create an all-inclusive, mesmerizing, ritualized expression of many of man's 'darker' emotions. Nevertheless, what I'm trying to say here is that this record's offerings are mainly evocative instead of active, it tends to induce a dreamy mood in me, a morbid languor, an oneiric weariness - and now that I have listened to it a number of times, I have an entire black widow's web of images and ideas to call into play when I put it into my stereo. Entrance to this one particular kingdom of Judas Iscariot is won through persistence and a sensitivity to suggestion.

The second song, again, which is beautifully put together and quite simple in construction (although not in its emotional effects) seems to really be the archetype for the first half of this album - it drowns one's mind in an impenetrable darkness, and combines constantly cycling, spinning, whirlwind treble riffs with long murky sections of deeper, more abstract guitar work (giving the keyboards room to come in and fill the listening space with their overriding themes)... through all of this, however, all of these changes, a grim feeling of isolation, despair, and hopelessness pervades the microtones used, and the one image that constantly comes to me when I listen to the opening half of this album (the first four songs) is that of a crumbling, forgotten medieval landscape... a world of ash and frost, a sky filled with gray mist, the blackened earth below me as I look out over a hillside upon a city being devoured by pale flames... the red sun sets through columns of smoke, the night descends, and the whole world seems still, as if holding its breath.

The fifth song, 'From Hateful Visions', is entirely successful in lifting this gloominess, this black brooding... its bright, sparkling arpeggios in the initial few minutes seems like a breath of fresh air, a cool breeze over my forehead... here the riffing style used completely changes, and Akhenaten switches from a shoe-gazing bleakness into an uplifting, clean, effervescent series of echoing melodies that rotate and wave in their high-register splendor... interesting.

Of course, right after this we have a return to the dark, you could say, with the traditionally-sculpted 'Spill the Blood of the Lamb' (this song was reprised on 'Dethroned, Conquered and Forgotten'), which once again brings out the 'Under a Funeral Moon' feeling in one's soul, although the usual drawn-out, shifting tremelo-picked melodies are mixed in with a stranger riff (first appearance at 0:45) that trills and kicks itself through some old death metal references, although it has been converted to a black format.

At last, the album comes to a close with a little instrumental piece, the coup de grace, a study of one lonely little electric guitar melody (sounding like a requiem, an exhausted memento mori) and its path towards or through the night forest of variation and dissolution.... I have never heard Akhenaten release anything that can top the depression hiding behind this three minute segment... truly a worthy finish for such a monstrous collection of dark art.

What is there left to say? Find this record immediately, support this band, this man, and his (and our) crusade to keep pure unadulterated black metal alive and well.

UA

Erebus Magazine
http://erebuszine.blogspot.com

When Akhenaten recorded this unholy piece of music in December 1998, he created not only his best album so far, but also by far one of the best USBM albums ever emerged from the underground. “Darkness” and “pure hate” are the first words that come to mind when listening to “Heaven In Flames”. I seldomly heard an album that is so full of hate and despair, that it can make you fall in deepest depression even on a bright summerday.

The songs are raw yet melodic (for the bands standards) and carry a depressing, nihilistic atmosphere with them. Songs like “An Eternal Kingdom of Fire“ and „Gaze Upon Heaven In Flames” clearly benefit from the subtle melodies. In general, the music can be compared with older material of Darkthrone and Burzum without copying them. But it will certainly appeal to anyone who likes these. Akhenaten's vocals are grim and raspy, but comprehensible enough to understand what the songs are about. The production fits perfectly to the music, it's harsh but all the instruments can be heard well.

The keyboards are used very sparse and wisely, they never water down the sound, but can rather be seen as a tool for helping creating the atmosphere.

“Before A Circle Of Darkness” is a special song for me: the mainriff sounds so tortured and leaves a feel of emptiness behind, it's certainly the most depressing one on the album.

“Spill The Blood Of The Lamb” is a fast and relentless song, and another favourite for me. There exists a re-recorded version of it on the “Dethroned, Conquered And Forgotten”-EP which is even faster and more aggressive than the original one.

The last track is an instrumental piece, it's a worthy closer that gets along with guitars and keyboards only. Don't listen to this album when you're in a bad mood, it will drag you down and show you the most negative aspects of existence.

It would be difficult to pinpoint a prouder tradition in the pantheon of heavy metal music than that of misinterpretation; incalculable triumphs and tragedies have arisen from such a constant, from Mayhem's youthful forays into failed Venom worship (which, of course, emerged as something greater) to a quadrillion neo-thrash acts who tend to miss the point of the style in a peculiarly egregious manner. Some amount of frustration at this is in the very least understandable; I'm sure there's many who argue that with a more streamlined and cogent form of development, heavy metal might be a more dignified or weighty musical genre. Making things so much more direct, though, I surmise might remove much of the more garish charm which is at once so deeply rejected and embraced by the listening population.

Few artistic endeavors might be so worthwhile and yet so deeply misunderstood as Akhenaten's pet project Judas Iscariot, who, it could be argued (after Vikernes' work) rather typified the raw, one-man 'bedroom' style of black metal whose imitators have generated so much scorn over the past years. Vikernes pioneered it and legitimized it (before such legitimization was even necessary, certainly), but Judas Iscariot's particularly raw, technically questionable expurse of black metal undoubtedly raises eyebrows from those who feel that technical and compositional flair should at the very least hover around Euronymous or above. Vikernes crafted simple yet engaging music, and Ahkenaten does much the same, but in a decidedly more crude and ornery manner, overdriving the latent grimness of black metal in pursuit of a sort of simple artistry which is, surprisingly enough, mostly attained, taking a rather artificial perspective on evil and darkness and managing to reinterpret it (ironically, perhaps through misunderstanding) into an elegant and romantic breed of black metal many have attempted but few have succeeded to genuinely adopt as their own.

Judas Iscariot's music is at its heart based on the juxtaposition of somewhat adolescent, primitive musical ideas with romantic and expressive philosophical ideals; Ahkenatan conjures forth simple and archaic guitar melodies through a haze of cloudy production and simultaneously dominant and understated synthesizer melodies generally created through a choral setting. Riffs, though few in number, are always striking and given life through the choral backing and excellent pacing derived from alternating fast and slow passages; individual riffs are slowed down or sped up over a bed of conversely almost-too-fast or lurchingly slow drumming (very obviously human-made and inconsistent enough to give warmth but steady enough to provide necessary drive ala 'Battles In The North'); the techniques employed, simple as they are, are always effective and never cease to enrapture the listener in the grim yet lush soundscape Ahkenaten manages to both painstakingly and impulsively craft. 'Heaven In Flames' is an album of duality; single riffs seem to have taken an endless amount of refinement yet the songs overall appear off-hand and seemingly improvised at times, as though the sole member went into the studio with general ideas and nothing more, adding and subtracting musical elements on the fly as the heart and mind dictates.

Opening track 'An Eternal Kingdom Of Fire' both typifies and epitomizes the dominant style of the album: a torrent of overplayed thrash beats and articulate tremolo riffing storm in, alternating in the 'Transilvanian Hunger' mold with Attila-meets-Culto drone snarl vocals announcing themselves indelicately before an abrupt drop into solo guitar and keys announces a sudden but not wholly illogical change of pace. The choral keys, though simply harmonizing with root notes of riffs for the most part, are integral to the nature of the music, granting it a dignified and thoughtful flair that might otherwise be absent. Instrumental errors are somewhat frequent; a missed beat on drums or a scramble to properly shape a chord on guitar are not uncommon, but rather than damage the overall integrity of the music, they add to the spontaneity that tends to define 'Heaven In Flames'.

The misunderstanding of this album and Ahkenaten's work as a whole, though, is not necessarily a factor of misattributing certain musical elements to the band or even simply lacking the ability to accurately replicate its sound. The crux of the matter, where most bedroom black metal bands fail while this one (though 'bedroom' might be a needlessly divisive term) succeeds is that in distilling Judas Iscariot's sound into a basic module of elements, other bands lose the idiosyncracies that make this music so endlessly fascinating. A band might make an album full of 'An Eternal Kingdom Of Fire's, but will miss the point by flattening the band's sound into just that track, shuffling aside the strange, vocally dominant 'Eternal Bliss... Eternal Death' or strange garage rock track 'From Hateful Visions' in favor of something more comfortable and less unique.

Albums that are great are often said to be more than the sum of their parts, and while I feel this is an appraisement given a bit too freely in today's musical community, 'Heaven In Flames' is one of the ultimate examples of such an idiom. It's not simply the basic combination of elements that make this work such an achievement; it's their ultimate compositional elegance in combination with the natural style and flair of Ahkenaten which make this such an ultimately relevant and worthwhile work. It would be easy to judge this piece as simply another black metal album due to its lack of outwardly bizarre elements or unusual fusions with other styles or genres, but to do so is to ultimately miss the point: 'Heaven In Flames', though a wholly and purely black metal album, still stands far apart from the pack and stands far above imitators as a testament to the strength of the genre at its height.

Judas Iscariot strays from the sound they have built up until this album for a more safe and soothing sound. But, this album is too mellow, and it’s more on the melodic side than the raw side, which is where I think this album takes its biggest hit. The keyboards are not epic, and in my opinion, they just get in the way. It is not a very effective way to use keyboards, especially when they are the most basic melodies you’ll ever hear on a black metal album. I’m not against melody in black metal by any means, but I just think Akhenaten shouldn’t have done this style. I much rather prefer the efforts before this such as the debut “The Cold Earth Slept Below” and “Distant in Solitary Night” or even the latest album “To Embrace the Corpses Bleeding”. I think those albums all have a certain character to them that “Heaven in Flames” just fails to create for itself. Akhenaten’s vocals are a plus though. His voice is different on this album, a more hateful, loud, and aggressive version of the vocals heard on “The Cold Earth Slept Below”. “From Hateful Visions” is the standout track here, as Judas Iscariot really does something unique and uses a different style of riffing that most bands would never think of using.

The outro "An Ancient Starry Sky" is just an instrumental with dual guitars and actually manages to create a pretty satisfying atmosphere, but if you’re like me and you listen to albums in entirety, you’ll have to sit through almost 35 minutes of repetitiveness and boredom to get to it. I have no idea why anyone would give this a perfect 100 rating. It isn’t a complete travesty, and it is written by a well-known black metal group, but it isn’t a perfect fucking album!

Anyways, even with the outro and “From Hateful Visions”, it still isn’t enough to salvage this album, and should be put at the bottom of JI’s discography. Anyway, this is not mandatory at all, but it should please big fans of Judas Iscariot.

"Heaven in Flames" was my first encounter with the American Black metal outfit "Judas Iscariot". I've dug deeper into Judas Iscariot's discography later, but did not find a better release than "Heaven in Flames" yet. I was hooked on it quite easily, since it's fairly accessible for a raw Black metal album. Actually, I don't consider "Heaven in Flames" to be a raw album. The production is definitely on the rawer side, but all instruments can be heard well and the music itself is definitely quite melodic.

The album starts out with "An Eternal Kingdom of Fire" which has great main guitar riffs, driven by simple tremolo picking with another tremolo melody playing around them. This definitely helps the sound to become more organic and atmospheric. Akhenaten's vocals are fairly typical and average for the Black metal genre, but do their job well. The drumming is at times sloppy and many people seem to have a problem with that, but for this reviewer it only adds to the flair of this album.

Most of the songs here follow the same pattern; fast riffing, some blastbeats and slight touches of excellent keyboard work. Only two songs are an exception to the rule, one of them being the album's highlight: "From Hateful Visions" - The song is mid-paced throughout and features an almost alternative-sounding main riff and no tremolo picked melodies or blastbeats can be found here. The aforementioned mainriff consists of a few single notes only, but these are instantly memorable and create a very sorrowful atmosphere, which is even more overwhelming than the rest of the album.

The other exception is "An Ancient Starry Sky" which sounds like a better produced lost Burzum song around the "Filosofem" era. No drumming, just brooding, repetitive guitar riffs, which serve as a nice outro to a very good album.

Akhenaten's lyrics are quite varied too. Sometimes they tend to cross the border to unoriginal and bland Christ-bashing, but mostly he manages to write about religion and nihilistic themes in a quite poetic and well-thought-out way. Mind you, I didn't understand all the lyrics, but most words can be grasped after a few listens, since Akhenaten's words, even though he's shrieking, are mostly quite audible to the ear.

Overall, "Heaven in Flames" is a strong album and definitely recommended to those who like their traditional Black metal spiced up with some melody.

Regular folks will probably think this album is pretty much all grim, fast and raw cold primitive black metal in the style of classic Norwegian acts like Darkthrone and Burzum but after hearing it a number of times I find there's actually a good balance between the essential BM minimalism (fast to mid-paced beats, driving blizzard guitars) and the more listener-friendly elements (memorable riffs and melodies) with touches of keyboard work that help to create a melancholy feel and give a fuller sound. The songs turn out to be more or less distinctive and self-contained but there is also a unit in the whole set due mainly to the world-weary and understated growling vocal style adopted by JI main man Akhenaton, more spoken than sung or screamed, giving him the impression of a somewhat remote poet-philosopher meditating on the destruction of institutional religion and the fiery apocalyptic visions he experiences.

All the songs are well-written and produced but some stand out more than others. "Gaze Upon Heaven In Flames" has deep sweeping riffs and an urgent rhythm; the joins within the song are not perfect and the pace almost falters a bit when one section nearly fails to connect with the next but the atmosphere is very severe and the approach is brutal and relentless. "An Eternal Kingdom of Fire" varies in pace and has mournful ambient keyboards that contrast with the anger and hatred in the rest of the music. "Eternal ... Eternal Death" has a sedate pace, an interesting middle section that changes key a few times and a coda with very stately, almost epic rhythms. The jauntiest and most accessible music is to be found on "From Hateful Visions" which seems a bit odd - with a title like that, you expect some really cold and hostile keyboard-generated blizzard ambience and incredibly fast guitars! - but the singing is suitably mocking throughout as though Akhenaton himself has recognised the odd pairing of lyrics and music, and decided to increase the tension further.

Generally I find the first half of the album has better music than the second half; the earlier songs have memorable riffs and melodies and a very bleak and implacable atmosphere while later tracks seem to lose a bit of the early momentum. The all-instrumental outro "An Ancient Starry Sky" regains the early bleakness, the keyboards adding a sinister majesty befitting the fall of a mighty angel that occurred long ago. Akhenaton's vocal technique and the way he uses various elements like melody, guitar flourishes and synthesiser tones for dramatic and atmospheric effect, and to emphasise or contrast with the black metal roar make this album worthy of your attention.

"Heaven In Flames" is the fifth offering from America's Judas Iscariot and what an offering it is. Born out of depression and hatred, Judas Iscariot continues to blow the minds of Black Metal fans far and wide. Disappointingly this album only last just under forty minutes, but nevertheless it manages to fulfil the needs of the listener once again.

By now Akhenaten is beginning to slowly evolve Judas Iscariot into what he sees as a "True" sounding band. With each album Judas Iscariot seems to have evolved not only in sound, but in themes also. Again, this album is somewhat typical of Black Metal bands. Its an emotive journey which is at times quite slow and as always highly atmospheric. Inspiration quite obviously comes from the ambient and stylish Burzum and the old traditional aggressive Darkthrone. The music itself often portrays connotations of solitude and downright aggression, but concentrated in a different way than before. "Heaven In Flames" is often a melancholic ride through grim icy landscapes or desolate and baron wasteland destroyed by the hands of man. The vocals are typical of Akhenaten, long drawn out growls and often Darken inspired barks. Drumming is mainly focused on snare and high-hat blasting, but does alternate and change to a more slow and transcending rhythm.

The music here is accessible and accomplished. Minor chord strumming and riffing play an important part in creating and adding upon atmospheres. Quite often this release is simply beautiful. It's melancholic feel and atmospheric nature is beautifully arranged and appealing to the ear, but on cannot shy away from the depressive and hateful undertow to the music and especially the vocals. Some songs actually sound quite orchestral and medieval due to the use of keyboards in creating a specific type of backdrop to songs.

This is a dark and depressing album, certainly a must have for all fans of Burzum, Darkthrone and Graveland. Highlights include; From Hateful Visions, An Eternal Kingdom Of Fire and Eternal Bliss...Eternal Death.

Wow I never thought Judas Iscariot would top the greatness of Thy Dying Light, but did with this release Heaven in Flames. This is Akhenaten at his best. As with all Judas Iscariot albums, Akhenaten adds something new. This time with very tastefully done ambient keyboard pieces in the background. Heaven in Flames is also the most melodic of the Judas Iscariot discography and has an amazing atmosphere throughout. The drumming is calmed down a bit but still sounds very fitting. Akhenaten's vocals are at their tortured best.

Tough to pick out stand-out tracks as every song is near perfect so I'll just go over a few. The album starts with An Eternal Kingdom of Fire which is very Burzum sounding. When this song slows down a very well done ambience takes over. This song is top notch with great riffs and is one of Akhenaten's best written songs. Before a Circle of Darkness has more amazing riffage from Akhenaten. The main riff that starts at 0:47 really sucks you in. That is some killer stuff! From Hateful Visions is my favorite song on the album. The riff at 3:09 might be the greatest riff Akhenaten ever wrote. The album ends with An Ancient Starry Night which is an instrumental very much like Thy Dying Light, and Desolate Darkness from Thy Dying Light only with some synths. Great ending to a fantastic album.

This is the best Judas Iscariot album, even better than Thy Dying Light and that's saying a lot, and one of my favorite black metal albums ever! From start to finish, all 7 songs, are perfectly written black metal classics! This is American black metal at it's finest and one of the few albums I would give a 100% rating to! You must own this!

Wow...fuck anyone who says American Black Metal isn't any good. Judas Iscariot has been proving naysayers wrong since 1993, and "Heaven in Flames", their fifth full-length album, carries that tradition forth towards the 21st century. On the surface not too much has changed - still present is the primitive, dry, but still clean, cold, and crisp production, the straightforward drumming, the incredible guitar tone and fast, melancholy riffing, and of course Akhenaten's own grim-croak vocals. Nevertheless, I personally find "Heaven in Flames" to be the most unique-sounding of all of JI's work to date, and the difference is in the song writing. There's just something grim and grandiose to the songs on this album that I can't put my finger on. Much like on JI's previous album "Distant in Solitary Night", the dynamics don't vary much through the whole album, but while DiSN could get tedious in parts, on "Heaven in Flames" the lack of dynamic shift is a strength, in much the same way as Darkthrone's "Transilvanian Hunger". The way Akhenaten writes most of the riffs on this album help underline that as well - the atmosphere created through this album is stark and grim, and it stays consistent through the album but still without getting tedious (IMO). He also adds keyboards in a couple of the songs here, but they are VERY tastefully used - they're sparse, fairly low in the mix, and not active, really serving as just more of a backdrop for the guitar melodies to play against.

Even knowing what to expect from Judas Iscariot didn't prepare me for the grim, atmospheric black metal assault that is "Heaven in Flames". I personally think Akhenaten has outdone himself, using his own standard musical elements to create something that is new and unique, and so I give this album an unqualified thumbs-up.

(Originally published at LARM (c) 2000)