XES Haereticum

Some things are very similar. Spaghetti and macaroni, for example. Or Huey, Dewey and Louie. Not to mention stupid nursery rhymes and songs of Sabathon. Finally, the same applies for the here reviewed "Xes Haereticum" and its predecessor. The sixth work of the black metal flagship from Belgium follows the same route. It pours out an aroma which is very similar to that of "Carnage in Worlds Beyond". Already the violently hammering opener shows that Enthroned saw no reason to modify their style. The guys focus instead on their core competency. So far, so good.

Generally speaking, the overall picture is gratifying and some tracks stand out. As indicated before, "Crimson Legions" marks a good start. "Dance of a Thousand Knives (Moksha Bhakti)" also knocks on the door of the black metal hall of fame. Yet my favourite is "Blacker than Black". Placed on number four, it stands in the bloodline of "Bloodline" (mega-pun!), the fourth song of "Carnage in Worlds Beyond". This means that it does not follow the most rabid approach, but already its mid-paced beginning with the adamant riffing reflects torture and suffering. Black metal, and I admit that this is not a new finding, has a lot of facets and does not always require high velocity.

Another parallel between this album and its predecessor is constituted by the fact that it also holds three bonus songs. Moreover, once again one of these tracks belongs to the best of the entire album. In other words, the programmatic "Satanic Metal Kult" enriches "Xes Haereticum" in the same manner as "The Septentrionnal Shrine" pushed "Carnage in Worlds Beyond" to a higher tier. Moreover, it spreads some early Kreator vibes. Contrariwise, this means that it does not have the slightly cryptic touch of some other tracks like "Seven Plagues, Seven Wraths (XES Revelation)", but its straight pattern offers the optimal playground for the constantly drilling riffs to leave an enormous impact. Speaking of "Seven Plagues, Seven Wraths (XES Revelation)", this tune contributes a few anthemic elements. Despite its seven minutes, it is not overly opulent. Instead, its prominent chorus shines with the contrast between the diabolical nagging of the lead singer and the clean background vocals. Only one little drop of bitterness is marring the impression; it seems as if the song could have been much greater.

"Vortex of Confusion", the other overlong track of "XES Haereticum", comes with a maiden-esque intro, but as soon as all hell breaks loose, the song does not differ from the more compact pieces. As a result, one gets provided with more or less hysterical vocals, coherent guitar lines and a solid amount of breaks, twists and turns. Enthroned still mix bitterness, hatred and relentlessness and this cocktail simply tastes good. Nevertheless, this work does not mark a new climax, because too many songs fail to break the chains of black metal conformity. This is no big deal, because the basically non-conform conformity of black metal is still amazing. However, the album leaves room for improvement. The absence of any kind of experiment makes the here presented heresy a little bit too stereotype and the number of fascinating riffs does not set a new record. As it is often the case, the sequel can not fully compete with the original.

Further similarities like the adequately aggressive production or the integration of a cover song in the bonus section could be listed, but I hope that the quintessence has become obvious. "XES Haereticum" owes its strength a tried and tested method. It does not suffer from major flaws and can be deemed as a good, but not outstanding effort that was penned without the intention to get in conflict with the guidelines of the genre. Invite Huey, Dewey and Louie to a metal session and give the full-length a chance, if you like to listen to typical, authentic and mostly straight black metal.

Enthroned are, along with Cirith Gorgor, one of those bands who surely deserved more luck and attention by the whole scene. While Marduk and Dark Funeral are considered almost rock stars, this band continued releasing very good albums, without giving a damn about the other bands.

Back in 2004 they release an album that surely could kick Marduk’s ass in that period, the album is called “Xes Haereticum”. After a violent, brutal album like “Carnage In Worlds Beyond” it was difficult to put out another effort like that. But Enthroned did it. This album is simply great, simply Enthroned style!! They survived to a small period of crisis, with “Armoured bestial Hell”, that anyway, in my opinion, it's NOT a bad album but they definitely returned stronger than ever with this one.
This is also the last album of the mythical singer Lord Sabathan, with his typical hellish, screamed voice. His screams are a trademark of Enthroned and they can be recognized among lots of bands.

Crimsom Legions opens this new effort and the first thing you can hear is the new drummer: amazing. He is fast as hell, technical and extremely good! The guitar lines are, as usual for Enthroned, very inspired in creating what I call “ A Violent Melody”, because they are violent black influenced and very creative at the same time. The long, slow solos over the main rhythm guitar sounds create a sinister, black, epic atmosphere. Great song!! The legion marches on!

The following Dance Of A Thousand Knives is one of the most violent tracks of the album with a great solo break in the middle…dark atmosphere from hell…unique. Night Stalker song is just amazing; so influenced by melody in the guitar sound with the non-stop blast beats.
Black than Black is a title that explains everything: in this case Enthroned, at the beginning, play very slowly and evil, but the excellent part comes from the fast break in the middle. I don’t know if there are still black metal bands able to create a pitch black atmosphere like this one.

Sabathan is still a great vocalist, especially in Hellgium Messiah song, where the most violent side of the band is shown, along with Demon’s Claw. Total brutality.
The most “epic black” side of the band can be found in Vortex Of Confusion song, with the guitar melodies alternated to furious black influences and blast beats.

The only instrumental song is A.M.S.G. where the instruments are not so clear. They wanted to create a small, occult break to stop for awhile the incredible violence of this album.
One of the best Enthroned's work. Highly recommended for those who want an inspired, various and fucking heavy black metal album.

DIE BY THE DEMON’S CLAW!!!!

Enthroned delivers a blasphemous, blackened storm of blasting beats that cruise along like a launched warhead. Their sinister brand of black metal is powered by a diabolical aura that is truly their own as the group issues a scathing, hate-filled attack on the unrelenting opener “Crimson Legions”.

Their overall sound stems from the purest type of blasting black metal, as Enthroned hit mach speed on “Dance Of A Thousand Knives”, it’s obvious that they are deadly serious about summoning total sonic annihilation. With so many different bands carrying the black metal banner these days, it can be difficult to be distinguished from the vast legions of demonic hordes issuing material of this type, but rest assured that the material you will hear on “Xes Haereticum” (figure it out) are of the truest nature.

Ferocity is redefined within these ten tracks, with the band blasting their way through tracks like “Blacker Than Black” and “Vortex Of Confusion” without remorse nor mercy. Punishing walls of guitars meld with subsonic, blazing rhythms in order to form a united front of pure evil on “Daemon’s Claw”.

Some may be put off by the harshness of Enthroned’s sound initially, but once you gain a familiarity with the group’s style, the production style makes a lot of sense. In the end, this is a good example of exactly what a black metal band should be in all contexts.