Crushing Some Belgian Scum

Kanwulf, sorry, "Mr. Ash" is how he wants to be adressed nowadays, is being adressed with names as rat, clown, hypocrite, scum among other things. There used to be a time however, where the name Kanwulf was held in high regard, not even that long ago. Back in those days, this live-EP was recorded, in Aartreike, 16 march 2002. Where his rare live-shows any good then? Did he already throw kisses at the crowds? Did he already dedicate songs to some drummers in the audience? A review in the name of clarity.

During the first few seconds it already becomes clear that the sound-quality is average to poor (okay, not much else is to be expected of such releases). Vocals and drums come trough clearly, altough guitars are being pushed to the background. Nevertheless the quality is good enough to be able to recognise the songs as Black Metal ist Krieg, which serves as the opening-track of this album.

There is barely any atmosphere (usually one of the arguments that makes people buy live-albums), there is some chanting to be heard at the switch of pace during Black Metal ist Krieg coming from a (too?) enthusiastic crowd, but the ambience before and after the songs has been cut away without mercy for some reason, which can be seen as a serious disadvantage.

The following song, 'Possessed by Black fucking Metal', opens with a -believe it or not- pissed-sounding Kanwulf ('A lot of people from here are idiots!'), after which the guitars are finally clearly audible. The sound-quality has been taken up a notch, which does the -quite average- song enough justice.

The following songs ('I burn for you' and 'Vom Traum die Menschheit zu Töten') don't offer anything worth mentioning. Again, the crowd has been cut away, which makes these numbers sound as their album-versions, with a lesser quality, so you wouldn't miss anything special by not buying this album. If you'd manage to get ahold of it of course, since this is Nargaroth's last release that hasn't been spread en masse. Unless you get a kick out of limited-editions, this album won't make your collection grow in value.

This will be the first, and the only time I will ever say this, but, Kanwulf. Shut the fuck up. Seriously. The first song here, Black Metal Ist Krieg, the vocals just drown everything out, except for the blasting drumming. The guitar on this song is awesome, and Kanwulf's just screaming out above everything. A disappointment from my favourite black metal musician. The slower section doesn't really improve it either, as Kanwulf is still screaming away, and the drums are still pounding above the guitar.

Possessed By Black Fucking Metal was an excellent choice for a song to play live, simply because of the ending of the song. The crowd joining in with the 'black fucking metal!' part, definately excellent. It also seems on this song, that either Kanwulf's vocals have been toned down, or the guitar has been brought up, as it's more comprehensible than it was on the first track. Also, at the start of this track, is that Kanwulf actually speaking? Amazing.

I Burn For You sounds better than the album version, because of the thickness of the guitar tone. Although, not sound as hateful. Again on this song, Kanwulf's vocals are too high up, and seem to drown everything out again. Luckily, though, there aren't a lot of vocals on this song, so quite often you get to actually hear the riffs being played.

Vom Traum Die Menschheit Zu Toten is also well reproduced live, with the crowd 'Oi-ing' along with the starting riff. Well, one crowd member anyway, that's the spirit! The depressing riffing of this song is well-portrayed, and the riffs now seem to stand up with Kanwulf's screaming, again. Although, not enough to be an excellent live version of the song.

This is certainly something to pick up if you're a Nargaroth fan, as it's a well done live album, although a little short, seeing as it's only an EP. But, the band really puts the feeling through in their music, especially on the depressing riffs, lowering you slowly into depravity, even moreso than the album versions, because of the live guitar tone eating your senses.

Black Metal live albums are something of a rarity, especially when we consider the more raw side of Black Metal (I can only think of Krieg, Kult Ov Azazel and Godless North at the moment), so this immediately makes "Crushing Some Belgian Scum" a welcomed release. Another thing about such albums that bugs me is the fact that they tend to be damn short (e.g.: "Live Legacy" or "Emperial Live Ceremony")... this vinyl is no exception, but since it comes as an EP I have no problems with it.
As the title suggests, this release captures excerpts of a gig which the band played in Belgium in 2002, with a highly interesting line-up: along with Kanwulf (vocals) and his faithful comrade Charoon (guitar) we have the likes of Akhenaten (Judas Iscariot / Weltmacht) on bass and Asbath (Darkestrah) on drums.
This premise makes the whole thing really exciting for a fan like me... yet, I do have complaints. No, it's not just the length, I can be comfortable with EPs as long as the material is good. It's just that this could have been mindblowing, but manages to be "only" great (and still it's miles above the avreage quality of most of today's wannabe "tr00" elitists).

The track by track rundown aloows me to get my disappointments off my chest right away. The EP (and the whole concert, I believe) kicks off with a brief excerpt from the "Herbstleyd" intro, then... "BLACK METAL IST KRIEG!!"
Great choice to open the show, but the first half of the song is disastrous. First, it's slower than the studio version, but that would be excusable anyway if at least we could hear the RIFFS. No, we don't! We get a load of static, Kanwulf's overloud screams and inconstant blastbeats, and all I can barely report is that the band tuned their instruments a step down (something they never did on record). Things get better when the song slows down, but the guitar is still barely recognizeable. Basically, if you've heard the Bitterfeld bootleg version you've heard this one too, which is not good - what would we be buying official releases instead of crappy audience recordings for, then?
Luckily, things get better after this (and once you get used to the sound, everything becomes clearer). There's still a price to pay, though... THE FADES BETWEEN SONGS!!! Aaarrgh, we already had to have this cut onto two sides, why couldn't they just leave the crowd noises between a song and the other?

Ok, enough with the negative sides. Everything else on "Crushing Some Belgian Scum" is at it should be. No, it doesn't mean you'll get an overpolished live recording from now on - after all it's a Black Metal gig, prsumably held in a small venue -, but everything runs way smoother.
"Possessed by Black Fucking Metal" works perfectly in a live environment; this time Charoon's guitar and Akhenaten's powerful distorted bass get the space they deserve, and Asbath's drumming is a lot more coherent. We can also hear some people in the crowd screaming "Black fucking Metal!!" during the last part, which really adds to the atmosphere - in the end what's the point of owning a live record if it sounds just like a studio recording?
"I Burn For You" slows down the pace and manages to sound way heavier than its studio counterpart, thanks to a very solid performance from the whole band and a generally thicker sound (the version recorded on "Black Metal Ist Krieg" was extremely underproduced).
The EP finishes with the only song from "Herbstleyd", namely "Vom Traum die Menschheit zu Töten", a great choice in many ways: it is the only song without keyboards from the debut (so the lack of a keyboard player in the line-up can't hurt it), it represents the more atmospheric approach of that album very well and provides a solemn grand finale for the record. Being a huge "Herbstleyd" fan, its inclusion can't fail to make me glad.

So... is this little treat worth getting? Definitely yes if you're a fan of the band and underground Black Metal in general. The shortcomings of the sound are enough to keep everyone else away, I believe. It stands, however, as a significant document and a manifestation of gratitude and respect towards long time band followers, something I have to appreciate. Good job.