Subterranean Empire (With Us Omniscient Monarch)

From what I could find out on them, Megiddo made the headlines when singer Agalarieth litteraly lit his beard on fire during a fire-spitting pyro number onstage. Needless to say this must've set the stage for the perfect clichés: a band with a fire-spitting singer, black metal war paint, spiked armbands... This has to attract attention when you're on the local news.

Musically this band seems to take their musical cues from the norwegian Black Metal scene, mainly Emperor & Dimmu Borgir. Considering this was written and polished over three years, you can hear this band has worked hard to deliver something worth listening to, something that is both a tribute to their "mentors" and a progression. There is an ample use of the double-bass drum, punctuating most of the songs, although that's not all there is. You have richly developped melodies & intermezzos during the songs, which despite sounding like they come from some cheap keyboards, still hypnotize you, enfold you in the atmosphere they ooze. The guitars are a Black Metal/Thrash Metal hybrid sound, as you can hear the sound blending effortlessly through the riffing and the drumming. Strong rythmic riffs support buzzsaw-like melodies, with the bass high enough in the mix that you can appreciate the way it completes the rest of the music. The more brutal parts are very reminiscent of early Emperor, whereas the more melodic passages sound like they could've fitted on any Dimmu Borgir album, without copying them though, instead choosing to take those styles as a starting point and progressing from there. Vocal-wise the singer sounds possessed, although having a very nice voice, which again makes me wonder what it'd be like if Shagrath could actually pull off Ihsahn's melodic high-pitched notes. Along with this, our burnt-beard friend has a bit of Legion in him, as sometimes he'll try -- and actually succeed -- in conveying an actually singable melody -- listen to Marduk's Dreams Of Blood & Iron, to see what I mean -- but you can hear that although not forcing his voice, he's pretty close to that sort of melodic yet tyrannical growl.

The european Black Metal bands should really think about taking some of those more underground bands (Megiddo, Spell Forest, etc) on tour as their opening act; they are professional, original and engaging in their way of approaching their craft. Yes, Megiddo and the others do what was done before them, but they give it a unique touch , making it their own style as they evolve within it. I can't really say much more seeing as I have yet to find their last ep. All I can say is as follows: if you find this album, try it and you might be pleasantly surprised. You be the judge.