In Total Contempt

In 2004, Pest gave the global black metal scene a true godsend with a sensational EP. It was sensational in two respects. Firstly, because of its superior quality compared to the outputs of other hordes. On the other hand, it also stood out in the internal comparison. Both "Desecration", the album before the EP, and "In Total Contempt" cannot hold a candle to this star of the plague catalogue.

Where the EP scores with dignified viciousness, "In Total Contempt" relies on mangy biting. Music and production are oriented as before on "Desecration" on the work of Darkthrone. The low fidelity gives the eight tracks a strikingly misanthropic note. The clear rejection of the usual sound patterns is known to be an invention of Fenriz and Nocturno Culto, but it also enjoys some popularity in Sweden. However, an oddball sound is not only an announcement to the scene. The renunciation of a wall of sound also poses greater challenges for the musicians. Their material has to be good enough to cope with a copiously washed-out, detail-swallowing production. Here, however, I have doubts about Pest.

The two protagonists step on the gas, they throw a good dose of villainy into the mix and they don't let anyone get in their way. “Thrones Ablaze” is a successful introduction with its stomping and rumbling guitars and the next tracks are cut from the same cloth. They reflect a hostile attitude, not only because of the constantly throaty vocals. Moreover, they do not lack vehemence, but unfortunately there is not very much that keeps sticking in the brain. “A Vengeance Rising” marks the first song that breaks out of the scheme. It adds some slow-moving parts with droning, almost sick sounding guitars. Yet generally speaking, the song-writing does not surprise with a massive number of different ideas. The basic compositional formula remains the same during the entire playtime of nearly 40 minutes. It’s not an insubstantial, feeble or powerless approach and single parts of the tracks are truly impressive. Nevertheless, the album leaves room for improvement in terms of cruel catchiness, diversity and excellence in riffing. Tunes like “Slaves of Celestial Bounds” or “Dreams of Life Seem Morbid” present sturdy, pretty raw black metal, but they cannot challenge the classics of the genre.

All in all, “In Total Contempt” is neither a milestone nor a fake. It lacks individuality to a certain extent, but enthusiasm is not missing. However, the Pest song you must have is not released on this album. Did I already mention that the band has a larger-than-life EP in its discography?

Albums like this always give me a headache and dilemma. From one hand I like them and enjoy listening to them, I have them in my collection on vinyl and don’t even consider selling or trading them for something better… They’re good and solid enough for me. But from the other hand when I listen to bands like Pest I just cannot stop thinking that this is just a second rate black metal band, a typical Darkthrone clone / worship (choose what you want) and stylistically albums like “Desecration” and “In Total Contempt” don’t bring anything new, fresh and memorable to the well used black metal formula. And this a problem, especially when you write a review of such albums… Because you quite like the music, but that unoriginality aspect and sort of typical, easy to foresee playing on the edge of mediocrity cannot be overlooked. I do realize though that there will be many black metal maniacs, who don’t really care, as long as there’s cold feeling, harshness, primitiveness and this evilness and for them anything what sounds like Darkthrone is just great. Yeah… but objectively speaking such albums will always be just followers, not the leaders and

“In Total Contempt” doesn’t distinguish from the majority of similar black metal records with anything exceptional. When listening to this album I almost have a feeling like I know most of these riffs or songs already from the other bands and even the vocals sound damn typical. Again, I am not saying that unoriginality is something wrong, as originality is not a key factor for me, which makes a killer record. But it gets annoying after a while, when you listen just a bunch of not really spectacular and almost easily forgettable, kind of mediocre really songs and when you keep thinking that whatever Pest did on “In Total Contempt” it is just not as good as the classic Darkthrone records and not only them, because there are several similar Darkthrone worshippers, which are kind of better than Pest – like Armagedda, Craft or Urgehal. The most annoying thing about “In Total Contempt” is I guess the fact that it lacks songs, which would really stand above and be a worthy, truly memorable classics. Instead we get eight typical, average tracks which offer nothing but the same old formula, without any truly awesome riffs, arrangements or anything what would make “In Total Contempt” to be special. I am not saying that this album is totally worthless, because it definitely is not. What’s even weirder is that despite all these complains of mine I still am able to listen to it without any problems and I like Pest as the band… “In Total Contempt” is not the best, but also not the worst black metal record, it is somewhere in the middle I guess, so this is why it doesn’t disturb me, I can enjoy it once every five years or something. I think I can say that I like the production of this album, also such songs as “Thrones Ablaze”, “A Vengeance Rising” are really cool, but then such “Beyond Redemption” or “Cold Stare” bore me a little. So, there’s always something which is not perfect. And more so, I think that at the time of its release I liked this album more than nowadays, today I guess I am more picky and demanding. Anyway, I still can recommend “In Total Contempt” to the truly dedicated and fanatical pure black metal cult maniacs, other can check some other, better, records. I am somewhere in between these two groups.
Standout tracks: hmmm, sorry, are there any?
Final rate: 65/100

Yes, this is a Darkthrone copycat. Imagine the music on the early Darkthrone works and add the production of later releases. There are some differences though, and not very advantageous ones.

First, these songs are just not good enough. None of them will ever make it to be black metal ’hits’ like Natassja In Eternal Sleep or Skald Av Satans Sol. Second, I lack the atmosphere of old DT releases. Maybe it’s the too clear production. Don’t get me wrong, I hate k00lt tapes with deliberately wasted production; I’m not a fan of bathroom black metal. But this music requires a raw (this doesn’t mean shitty) production. By the way I don’t hear (as others) that ‘Swedish influence’. This is entirely Norwegian BM except the production. Third: the overall speed is sometimes really insane – faster than what is usual in Darkthrone.

I have no complaint about the musicians, since they are quite good to black metal standards. Necro deserves a mentioning for his vocals which I really like. It’s harsh and powerful, maybe even better than Darkthrone’s – not that orcish muttering so common to BM releases which is not at all ‘evil’ (but funny, at best.) And I hear the bass, which is almost peculiar to this kind of black metal.

There are some nice moments throughout this record. A Vengeance Rising is rises above (ha-ha) the average level of the album. It’s more memorable than the others, might manage to be present on the B-side of a Darkthrone release. Slaves of Celestial Bounds has a slow, emotional beginning which reminds me of their Dauðafærð EP. Into Deep Black Halls also has a melodic touch, and the beginning reminds me of Satyricon’s Dawn of a New Age.

Too many ‘reminds me’-s? Yeah, this is not an original band. Which is not a problem in itself. The problem is that the music is only slightly above mediocre. There are thousands of bands which are not original either but at least they write memorable songs. This is good only for background music. I do enjoy it while working, but I never feel the urge ‘huh, how good it would be to hear some In Total Contempt again!’
This is a disappointing release because to musicians have the talent to make first-order black metal. Their Dauðafærð EP is very different from this! That was a song with emotion, with atmosphere, with their own ideas and with a production which fit the music. Pity they switched back to this kind of generic black metal.

I waited a long time to listen this album and finnally I could hear it. I think that Pest are the best "true" black metal band today around Europe, and "In Total Contempt" is the last confirmation.
After the chilling "Daudafaerd", which was a 20 minutes long, depressive and slow song, they came back with a work that is more similar to "Desecration" than their last ep. This is more fast and aggressive, however they didn't abandon misanthropic mid-tempos but just fuond a mixture of these two aspects of black metal. And the result kills! The best elements of their previous works here are re-taken and improved.
The sound is raw as usual but a little more powerful and there are more influences from German thrash metal of the 80es (listen to solos in "Cold Stare" and "Into Deep Black Halls").
The skill of Pest consists in the riff-writing, simple and effective in the vein of old Darkthrone but very inspired and personal; in one word: GREAT!. Necro's vocal screams are a trademark: he vomits tons of hatred with a rage that you won't find easily in many nowadays black metal bands.
All the songs of this release are very well composed and performed and to choose some it'is difficult , but I love in particular "Dreams of Life Seem Morbid" (that reminds me "Thorns From Underneath", one of my favorite Pest songs ever).
However, believe me, there is not a song weaker than the others.
I can't stop listening this album and I highly reccomend it to everybody who loves old-school raw black metal. Somebody could say that Pest are just one of the thousands Darkthrone clones: surely they aren't innovative, however in my opinion a black metal band is not forced to create something new, it has to give hateful and acid feeling in a personal way to the listener. If you think so, buy "In Total Contempt": it will be for you a heavy drug!!!!