To Embrace the Corpses Bleeding

Inspired by a massacre of some 30,000 people by the so-called Dragon Prince ( I assume that's Vlad Dracul aka Vlad the Impaler) in Romania in 1460, this album happens to be the last full-length recording by Judas Iscariot. Perhaps knowing that it was going to be the act's last record, main man Akhenaton has made this a super-aggressive and hateful if a bit monotonous package. On this recording he is joined by drummer Cryptic Winter though to me, much of the drumming is so incredibly and consistently fast and manic that I find it hard to believe the skinbanger's efforts were not helped in some way by someone speeding up his parts in the studio or wherever they were recorded.

The first half of the album is mostly all fast straight-ahead minimal BM with Akhenaton's deep and leisurely-paced vocals brimming with venomous bile. "I Awoke to a Night of Pain and Carnage" is perhaps the most varied of the early pieces with a change of pace and rhythm; other songs tend to pass in a blur so it's easy to miss detail like chord and riff changes and you come away with the impression of music of extreme hate and hostility: this effect may well have been intended. The slight glitch near the start of "Where Eagles Cry and Vultures Laugh" could easily pass as a slight scratch on the disc and does not affect the track much at all.

Halfway through the album with "In the Valley of Death, I am their King", we start getting more melodic and distinctive music with a bit more atmosphere, depth and maybe some soulfulness, and Cryptic Winter finds himself with a bit more interesting stickwork to do. "Behold the Lamb of God Descending" follows Akhenaton's mid-paced singing fairly closely but during the instrumental breaks the pace zooms off into the territory where g-forces take effect so the track ends up going through a bewildering number of changes in speed. "Spectral Dance of the Macabre" is a real oddball piece, very close to sedate rock boogie in spite of its title and subject: of all the songs here, you'd expect this one to be a real whirlaway dervish. Then it's back to full-on crazed aggression and hatred with spurts of lead guitar wiggle on the outro piece "The Dead Burst Forth from Their Tombs".

For a swansong album, I wish this was longer with longer and slightly slower tracks especially in the first half, and a bit more keyboard ambience throughout as well. The early songs sound rather one-dimensional with each succeeding track seeming to go faster and faster, and all have much the same slightly blurred, sort of gloomy Central European / Carpathian Mountains forest atmosphere. Later songs show more variation in structure and execution, and suggest that if there'd been less emphasis on hatred, aggression and revenge, and maybe a bit given over to, say, sorrow or feeling the immensity of the massacre victims' suffering and need for justice, we could have had the basis for a really great album. As it is, this is not a bad recording but it's not one that enhances Judas Iscariot's reputation much.

Judas Iscariot has never ceased to amaze me. The typical, nihilistic feel is usually what trademarks Akhenaten for his style. I’m a huge fan of the melancholic darkness that you feel from his usual albums such as “Heaven in Flames” and “Dethroned, Conquered, and Forgotten.” This album, however, has a different feel. This album has a new style. It is a shame that Akhenaten ended before more albums like this one could be released. This is a style that truly shows musical dexterity.

The opening song begins with the usual intro that is to be expected from a black metal album. You hear the soft crashing of thunder and the patting of rain on the ground. Then, a louder thunder comes in. It is the thunder of black metal. The pounding of the drums and the high guitar riffs jerk you away from any feelings you might’ve felt earlier. It is clear that this album is one that will not let you stay in one mood for a long period of time. The riffs repeat over and over while Akhenaten chants his invocations of hatred. Right from the start, you can tell that the vocals are different. They have more fullness to them rather than the typical, high-pitched growling. There’s more of a feel within the music. The riffs change from time to time, but continue to make the same sounds in each pattern. Towards the end of the song, it changes the feeling completely. The drums are no longer blasting as if their lives would end. There is a steady tempo and more of a rhythm in the music. It’s something that you can easily relate to. This song shows the new style of Akhenaten.

The vocals are a lot more in tune with the music. The voice of Akhenaten manages to keep in tune with the anger and animosity of the music. These vocals aren’t the annoying ones that have no sense of timing, like Darkthrone, and aren’t taking up precious time by just coming in at random places. These vocals remind me of a seriously pissed-off Hitler. They shout out what they mean, and do not let up. If you have something to be said in your music, why not shout it out loud? Akhenaten, clearly, has no problem making his point be heard. During his other albums, his vocals sounded almost as if he didn’t want to do them. This album shows a difference in vocal variation.

The guitars are a lot more furious with what they do. They no longer hold the typical boring riffs. They almost seem to go off into their own world for awhile. This almost makes you forget that this is a black metal album. The traditional heavy metal feel reminds you of an older, darker, Iron Maiden. This allows for a more fun album.

The severe changes in the music allow for a greater album. It is a shame that Akhenaten quit after this album. If he would’ve started out with something like this, then his career would go more places. This is the last full length album of Judas Iscariot. This is a classic example of saving the best for last.

This is Judas Iscariot's 6th and final full-length album. This album is more aggressive than past albums, more in the style found on the EP Dethroned, Conquered and Forgotten. Akhenaten's voice sounds a lot different on here. More deeper, almost death metal like, to go with the more aggressive style. Cryptic Winter is again on drums on this recording.

The first song, I Awoke to a Night of Pain and Carnage is a Judas Iscariot classic! It has a Of Great Eternity riff to it only a bit more brutal. At around the 4 minute mark the song slows down a bit and a clean riff gets played behind Akhenaten's voice with some samples of raindrops and a woman screaming in the background until a second guitar kicks in. Nice riff and a cool part of the song. Another highlight of the album is In the Valley of Death, I Am Their King. This song is very epic sounding and is very good, almost Heaven in Flames good. The Dead Burst Forth From Their Tombs is the closer and Akhenaten's vocals sound amazing, very tortured and less death metal-ish. Check out that solo at 1:56. A very brutal way to end Judas Iscariot's most brutal release.

The final Judas Iscariot full-length is yet another classic recorded by Akhenaten. Not as good as Heaven in Flames or Thy Dying Light, but not many black metal albums can reach that level. This is a solid release from start to finish (yet again) and another album that you must own!

This is essentially Judas Iscariots final offering, as the only things he did after this were a few EP's and the Midnight Frost album, which only contained stuff from The Cold Earth Slept Below, his first full length. Akhenaten decided to call it quits in late 2003, due to the fact that he grew very tired of the scene and its trends and bands that only wanted the money, but also partially because he moved to Germany.

What we are treated to on this album is raw, hateful BM in the vein of Darkthrone, Burzum, and early Mayhem. The guitars are very minimalistic, mostly doing speed picked riffs, with 2 or 3 notes in a bar. Drumming is mostly hyper fast blasts, but there are breaks from the usual speed. Cryptic Winter did the drums on this, and he is very capable. Bass is pretty much non-existent, as with most BM. Vocals are harsh, raspy screams, maybe like something Nocturno Culto did on A Blaze..., but very original in their own right.

Along with the raw, ugly, hateful BM, this album also contains an incredible atmosphere. When I listen to this, I imagine in my mind being right in the middle of the battlefield, with warriors all around me falling. Sky high trees line the distance and a pale moon hovers above my head.

Pretty much every song on here is good, but the only song which I don't care for too much is Behold the Lamb of God Descending. I never did get into this song for some reason which I don't really know. Oh and in case you're wondering, the glitch at the beginning of Where Eagles Cry and Vultures Laugh was purposely kept there, so if you thought your copy was the only one, don't worry, all of ours are like that.

In conclusion: If you like raw, minimal, ugly, hateful BM, then this is definately for you. Hail Akhentaten!

This stands as the final doctrine of Judas Iscariot. Bowing out for similliar reasons as such cult acts as Maniac Butcher, which inevitably is based on the "Current developement of the so called scene" we are left with a damn fine recording.

Based on "The agony of 30,000 souls that perished on St. Bartholomews Night near Kronstadt, Romania in the year 1460 at the hands of the Dragon Prince" this album on concept alone this is a fairly unique, and very interesting album.

Kicking of with a very short clip of some rain and as thunder rips the guitars and drums drop wailing in. This first song and the second maintain a fairly consistant Judas sound of sheer hate followed by a screaming throat of blackness, which is for the most part an original voice. As these songs roll on by (pretty much fading into each other with little notice of a transition), you are begining to see that this album is in the same vein of previous efforts but the musicianship has improved much. From the riffing, to the overall song structure, and feel this is like a tightend up evolved JI, too bad its the last full length well ever get.

In the very begining of the fourth track theres a little clip, or something in the sound, which the inlay explains. Saying the error could have been corrected, but they choose to simply leave the recording as is, so I guess they just kept it true to elite standards of musicianship to appease the fans. I guess one very strong reason as to why this is as good as it is, is that yet agian JI have put forth an album of true oldschool Black Metal that is very much done with utter reverence towards keeping their old sound while still growing musically, and unsheathing new, and creative tunes, and when you have put out as many albums of good music one must get somewhere further over time.

This next track (the fifth), my pick as favorite, starts out with some mid paced guitar chords put to a killer keyboard sound, and riff. Droping off rather quickly when the vocals come in, its about here you start to see how well this album was mixed. When the keyboards return, playing the same riff, its draged out a bit with some cool drum fills, and then on to another riff which is also accompanied by keys untill the drums kick in with some blasting and the guitars begin to play a speed picked riff that is, well sounds, like a classic Judas riff. Fading out after some repetition of a few riffs.

At the risk of repeating my self ridiculously much I will end here.
Main point:
If you are a fan of hate filled grim black metal in its purist form then this is for you. If you worship underground oldschool Metal than get this, you wont be disappointed.