Nastivity

First, you should know that this album sounds EXACTLY like the two original ones that were released previously, the sound isn't remastered so don't expect a great quality for "Nastivity".
This is just a collector object for Seth fans as I am.

I discovered Nastivity after the three previous albums "Les Blessures De L'Âme" which is a memorable piece of atmospheric BM, "The Excellence", is more brutal but composed with great melodies and a top singer. "Divine-X" is the worst album of the discography by Seth, tasteless keyboards and moreover a feeling of unachievement.

The first part is taken from the "Apocalytpic Desires" demo. As soon as the first notes are unleashed from "The Infinite Corridor" you can ask yourself if this band is really Seth. Honnestly this is raw BM at its utmost with a demo sound. Well the sound... awful, really but it's possible to identify some melodies thanks to the great work on guitars by Heimoth. Alsvid's drums are fast and brutal, and aren't hidden in the background which don't create the atmosphere like in the first album. Here the drums are omnipresent but its sound begins to be irritating after a few minutes. Then comes "The Black Weapon", the best song ever of this part. All along this first demo, Arkames vocals are high pitch shrieks (when I hear this voice, I just imagine Arkames dying), but in this song, these vocals fit perfectly and create a real feeling of hatred.
Oh I forgot an instrument: Faucon Noir's bass guitar. Well... I don't remember hearing it... (unless if you have a good stereo or headphones, but the bass follows the guitar lines to emphasize its).

Second part with "By Fire, Power Shall Be" EP: first song is a long version of "Until The End" which is the last song from "Apocalytpic Desires" and the style is completely different, more atmospheric and close to "Les Blessures De L'Âme" but without all its essence.
The only memorable song here is "The Forest Of The Damned", while you can forget about the two others. Here, the production is better even for bass, and Arkames has a better control of his voice but he lacks madness and emotion (althought some parts are really good, I prefer the sickness of the first demo). Songs are by twice longer in this part and are more attractive for someone who isn't too much in brutal or raw BM. Unfortunately the first album is better, no songs here deserve to be in "Les Blessures De L'Âme". This EP is a good hors d'oeuvre before the album.

To conclude: the first part of this album is raw, a bit boring because of the repetitive sound (probably due to the lack of sound quality) but this isn't Seth.
The second part is just in the vein of the first album but with clear mistakes which were resolved in "Les Blessures De L'Âme".
I would have liked to listen to these songs when they have been released for the first time, because after trying "real" Seth albums, they sound old even if the music is (very) good for a demo and a first EP. Few bands were able to unleash such music as Seth did in the past!

The booklet is average for a limited CD: 4 pictures, few lyrics and a little explanation about the band and the direction they took.

As written is the booklet: "Times have changed but the blackness of those dark days will forever remain..."