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Blackdeath > Bottomless Armageddon > Reviews
Blackdeath - Bottomless Armageddon

Upwards and onwards - 80%

BM_DM, December 18th, 2007

There are motifs in the third full-length Blackdeath (Rus) release, 'Bottomless Armageddon,' that you may initially imagine denote the band as no more than early Darkthrone-worshippers. The guitar tone and song structures are cases in point: the former is typically reverb-drenched, sharp and thin, whilst the latter often revolves around sequences of riffs, with little or no repetition. Opening track 'Baphomet' would be a typical example.

Areas where the similarities end are the pleasantly fuzzy and clearly audible bass and the vocals, which are higher pitched and more rasping than the trademark Fenriz / Nocturno Culto croak. The 'spoken rasp' passage towards the end of the third track, 'The falling of gold Jerusalem', is supported by a halting bass line and nothing else. It is an interesting devince, jarring -- in a good way -- and serving to refocus the listener's attention on the rest of the track.

'Bottomless Armageddon' features other elements that set Blackdeath (Rus) apart. The synchronised bass and guitar line underpinning the simply-picked riff in 'Under the spell of the black moors' reminded me of similar passages in King Crimson's 'Red'. This three minute track drones on without a great deal of development, but is pleasingly hypnotic. In particular, I enjoyed the fact that its lack of complexity is a thoughtful counterpoint on the composers' part to the barrage of twisting riffs in the track immediately preceding it.

Blackdeath don't stint on the 'metal' on this release. The fourth track, 'Dominus dusk hammer', sees the guitar, bass and drums coalesce around the 1:30 mark for a nice head-banging break before splitting up to go their separate ways. However, it's not all good news. The curious 'three blind mice' motif which is repeated several times towards the end of 'Seven towers of Satan' is disappointingly bland after some of the exotic riffing that the listener has been treated to in the first two thirds of the release. It should be noted that, atmospheric though it is, the final track ('Apocalyptic dream') is really just an outro, with a little guitar work over wind sound effects. Other bands have called releases of similar duration EPs, but no matter.

Darkthrone have clearly served as a template for Blackdeath (Rus). However, this release is not merely the slavish reproduction of a blueprint, but more in the manner of a Wittgensteinian ladder: a means of ascent to a plateau upon which the band has created something distinctively their own.