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Enthroned > Carnage in Worlds Beyond > 2004, CD, Napalm Records (Reissue) > Reviews
Enthroned - Carnage in Worlds Beyond

First topic: Brutality - 83%

Felix 1666, September 28th, 2016

Doubtlessly, Enthroned is one of these band names that electrify me. In my humble opinion, their debut belongs to the best non-Scandinavian black metal albums of the mid-nineties. The following full-lengths did not keep what the "Prophecies of Pagan Fires" had promised. Nevertheless, my fascination for the band remained unbroken. Luckily, "Carnage in Worlds Beyond" rewarded my persistence.

Enthroned have eliminated the noisy elements of "The Apocalypse Manifesto" and "Armoured Bestial Hell". Instead, the album appears as a triumph of sinister malignancy and the result gives an insight into the pitch-black souls of the musicians. By the way, I have chosen the word "musicians" with caution, because the hellish gang still has a knack for melodies. Of course, this album does not hold harmonious lines in abundance. The formation sets the right priorities. Brutality is the first topic on its agenda. However, the rare melodies are absolutely thrilling. The ingenious "Bloodline", one of the best numbers that the band has written so far, offers the prime example. It holds one of these rare black metal melodies that combine bizarre, fragile, merciless and ominous elements to a magical overall impression. "Spawn from the Abyss" does not lack of melody as well, but it creates a different atmosphere. Its beginning conveys a more majestic feeling. Nevertheless, this song also presents violent sequences that show the morbid beauty of destructive power. The Belgians, and this is certainly not up for discussion, are familiar with the whole spectrum of the devilish sub genre.

The rabid approach of Enthroned results in a very repulsive and hostile aura, regardless of the individual songs. Even the cover version on the sixth position stands shoulder to shoulder with their own compositions. Inter alia the nagging lead vocals serve as a connecting element. Only the more or less diabolic intermezzo "Land of Demonic Fears" interrupts the massacre. But the guns do not fall silent for a long time. Enthroned reopen the fire after 90 seconds of calmness and their machine guns run as precise as a Swiss clockwork. But fortunately, they are much louder. The production leaves no doubt that the band members associate the term black metal with intransigence, severity and vehemence. I do not intend to bore anybody with details, just one remark. The album does not have this slightly dotty touch that characterise some early Norwegian works like "Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism" or "Svartalvheim". Nevertheless, the mix has nothing in common with any form of sterility. From my point of view, this is a very suitable sound for a black metal raid.

I may not forget to mention the last regular track of the dark horde's fifth effort. "Graced by Evil Blood" shows a kind of "Satanic class consciousness" and presents the sub genre in all its ceremonial glory. Rather slowly flowing, the song shines with a morbid combination of currishness and solemnity. The outro does not add a significant value to the full-length, but the bonus section kills with a massive triple strike. In particular the hammering "The Septentrionnal Shrine" demonstrates that Enthroned seem to hate their fans. Otherwise they would have taken this song on the regular edition as well. Anyway, a certain quantum of hatred is needed if one wants to pen a strong black metal album. "Carnage in Worlds Beyond" can tell the listener a thing or two about that.

they play fast - 70%

Noktorn, January 2nd, 2011

Enthroned has never been a band hailed for their originality or creativity in face of a black metal scene content to repeat the styles of old- hell, I bet they think that's just fine. Nor are they heralded for their technical prowess, unusual songwriting standards, or even lyricism. No, Enthroned is about as straightforward as black metal can possibly get, and 'Carnage In Worlds Beyond' is straightforward even for them. What you get here: black metal cut fully from the Dark Funeral or Marduk mold, perhaps with just a tinge more melody, but otherwise unchanged. So I guess in the end it all comes down to execution.

As for that: yeah, it's pretty good. Enthroned plays black metal for those who think that 'Diabolis Interium' was too experimental and have sought to rectify the lack of blasting, tremolo riffs, and ranting screeches in black metal single-handedly. Basically every song on this album (and well every Enthroned song ever) can be summed up with the following: blast, shriek, fast riff, double bass passage, slightly slower riff, vary these elements until you get to about five minutes and then move on to the next track. The riffs are quality: demonic and speedy in (yet again) the Dark Funeral vein, and the vocals are appropriately goblinlike if a bit weak for my taste. The drumming is an impressive display of speed and stamina, handily keeping up with the string section though not doing anything to accentuate the music. As I said, straightforward music for straightforward people.

I couldn't really mention peaks or valleys in this album as Enthroned's songwriting process is so industrialized at this point that such phrases hardly have meaning to them- they just grind through track after track of traditional, Satanic black metal with little concern for modern trends or ideals in the genre. Frankly, I can't damn or praise them for such an ethos; the band does what they do pretty well if unremarkably and nothing is going to change that. Being perhaps the most stalwart band in the Belgian black metal scene, I give them credit for hammering out album after album over the course of their now 18 year career, and I can't even recommend they change the formula up; it's been working well so far, so why bother?

If you like your black metal fast, screechy, and traditional, you might as well pick this (or any other Enthroned album) up at your earliest convenience. It will absolutely not teach you anything or take you to musical places you haven't been before, but it's a pretty good rendition of those places by guys who clearly have an indordinate love for the style. In the end, I suppose that's all I can really ask for.

A Carnage... - 93%

CHRISTI_NS_ANITY8, October 3rd, 2007

This Enthroned album came directly after what has been considered by the critics as the weak album in their long career, Armoured Bestial Hell. Even if that album wasn’t so bad, this new one is far better and surely brings again Enthroned to the top. The line up has changed a bit, with a new drummer that came directly from the great symphonic black metal band Seth and, at the command, we have always the mythical frontman Sabathan with his great screams from hell.

Already from the opening track we can hear the new group’s progression, made of excellent production (but sometimes the drum is a bit lower in volume than the other instruments) and the new inspiration that brought the group to compose new great songs. “Boundless Demonication” after a small intro, is fast as hell with the restless drums and fast guitars. The great riffs are heavily influenced by the thrash, but of course more obscure and evil.

The blast beats are very well done and there are a lot of tempo changes. The mid paced riffs are so evocative and epic, supported by the great melodic guitar lines. A trademark in the group. Sabathan is terrific as usual at the vocals…scary like no one other. “Infernal Flesh Massacre” is a title that explains everything. This is one of the most violent songs here but the great thing is that Enthroned never lose the melodic lines even if the song is terrible heavy. That’s great, because it’s a sign of maturity and of a new inspiration for them.

The riffs are fucking great and they create a wall of huge proportions. The lead guitar lines, with this hellish production, sometimes brought me to the memory The Apocalypse Manifesto; another great album. But now let’s come back to this one with the songs “Spawn From The Abyss” and “Bloodline”. These songs are in my opinion the best ones in this album. They are not very fast, especially at the beginning, but with a great melody (the solo at the beginning of the second one is AWESOME). In these two songs there is a good mix of mid paced riffs, blast beats, up tempo and melody…perfect.

With “Jehova Desecration” again we reach the top in speed and brutality. More or less two minutes of blast beats and great guitar work. “Radeance Of Mordacity” is fucking great with the thrashy riff put in overture and the great solo in the middle. “Grace By Evil Blood” follows more or less the same patterns of the slowest songs that I cited before, with the obscure touch and some clean chorus, while the instrumental title track ends this album.

With this effort Enthroned returned to inspiration and to a great music level, continued with the awesome Xes Haereticum album. Recommended to any fan of this music and of this band, a bit overlooked but so good!

Carnage In Carnal Worlds - 82%

Tzeench, August 25th, 2007

A vast improvement for Enthroned since their previously embarrassing mockery LP ‘Armoured Bestial Hell,’ the Belgian Blackened Horde have made a more wise decision of getting back to basics, returning to their roots as on their first two masterpieces ‘Prophecies…’ and ‘Skullthrone…’

Gone are the insanely idiotic thrash/speed metal-y riffs and vibes and the even worse sound byte effects, except for a few newer ones that sometimes help enhance the intros on some of these tracks. The guitars leads/solos are improved again with much better integration with the rhythm lines. The drumming is also kicked up a major notch with the new recruitment of Alsvid from French black metal band Seth –a much better, passionate and faster machine gunner than Namroth Blackthorn.

The opening track, ‘Boundless Demonication,’ wastes no time in getting the dark, demonic ball rolling on this LP. Fast, bright, furious and nearly restless in its speed and precision. Just as it makes its most abrupt ending, don’t get to comfortable resting, because the next track, ‘Infernal Flesh Massacre,’ comes blaring in with a spike-soled boot kick straight to your face before you even get to breathe – another fast blaster with the most unrelenting violence yet, with only one small short top for Sabbathan to unleash a blood-curdling screech to the flame-clad sky.

After that abrupt end, THEN you get a chance to breathe. “Spawn From the Abyss” is a slightly more “epic” mid-to-fast-paced passage of impending doom with a most operatically grandiose riffs opening and ending the song respectively and some very tricky, fast drum rudiments in the opening, that if you’re a drummer, will really give you a workout for your chops, thanks again to the rhythmic superiority of Alsvid’s precision.

The feeling of this album is much more warlike and raw compared to ‘Prophecies’ and ‘Skullthrone’ with a painting of more extra red blood and bullets to match the black limestone ruins. However, as much as this album is a vast improvement, it isn’t “phenomenal,” but it is “great.” There are still some wrinkles that have yet to be ironed out.

The fourth track “Bloodline” sounds a tad repetitive, almost like a rehashing of “Boundless” and “Spawn,” almost like a “Spawn Part II,” this where the lyrics tend to weaken a fair bit.

Tracks 5 & 6, “Jehovah Desecration” and “Diabolic Force” are rather the lowest points on the album as the lyrics are rather contrived, boring, lame and incoherent, along with a rushed, hurried feeling. These two tracks are pure filler, nothing more. It would have been wise to have made the bonus track, “The Septentrionnal Shrine” replace at least one of the tracks. This shows an area that Enthroned still have room for vast improvements for returning to their original roots of musicality.

The track “Land of Demonic Fears,” a somewhat grey track of part interlude of frightening atmosphere and part extra filler is a gap of transition between the last banal two tracks and the next best two songs. The lyrics are rather basic and unintelligent, but the whispering ambience and small sprinklings of guitar string harmonics help add to the atmosphere. A certain calm before the storm, like the album art of being in the deserted rocky mountain peak before the altar doorway, where the light of the sky is all a rusted red colour, and a somber calm breeze runs through the dusty, ashen ground.

Just then, a much better blaze of fire comes in. “Radiance of Mordacity,” this is one of the best highlights of the album, representing all the vast brutality and visceral fury of war in Enthroned. Tighter than ever, this song is the anthem of black metal in the form of an Armageddon war atop a rocky ravine.

Speaking of which, that is the album art, which I think most best suits and represents both the theme of the overall album as well as an honest representation of Enthroned. I can practically picture myself observing the entire band performing (both musically and ritually) atop the very rocky path on the front cover in all rust-red-auburn light, just edging on the altar doorway into another hidden realm, chanting their songs while wings demons soar around them in unison. A much better piece of artwork compared to the complacent and redundant artwork of ‘Amoured Bestial Hell.’

The closing song, “Graced By Evil Blood,” is a rather longer, more epic closer with a few thrash-like elements thrown in, especially at the very end fading out. However, the introduction lyrics by Sabbathan in a whispered voice are rather cheesy and mawkish. I think all of us more discerning black metalists could do well without lyrics like “…anno Sathanas 1666.” Nonetheless, the rest of the lyrical prose reveals a profound story of a sadistically dark Occult mistress in the Renaissance age, satisfying the acts of perversity and sadomasochism before making a sacrifice to demons – a well-played conclusion without being to cheesy throughout the rest of the song, except for the aforementioned intro.

The bonus tracks on the dig- pack release are some slightly better moments that probably would’ve benefited the album significantly. “The Septentrionnal Shrine” is another great death-like/thrash-like mélange of “Arg Astrum” anti-Christian violence with a few really catchy break-shuffles. As mentioned earlier, I really think this track should have been on the main album instead of being a bonus track.

Along with another impressive cover of Impaled Nazarene’s “The Horny and the Horned” and a far more improved re-recording of their own song “Genocide” from ‘The Apocalypse Manifesto’ LP, it is a great relief as an Enthroned fan that these Belgian’s haven’t totally lost their blackened balls or their Satanic spines and are rediscovering a more honest approach of their sound, aesthetic and ideals. This is very much a more positive improvement, but nevertheless, there is much more work to be done.

I recommend, nonetheless, for those with an appetite for evil, blasphemy, violence and war.

Highlight tracks: “Boundless Demonication,” “Infernal Flesh Massacre,” “Spawn From the Abyss,” “Radiance of Mordacity,” “Graced By Evil Blood,” “The Septentrionnal Shrine (*),” “Genocide 2002,” (the re-recorded version).

Absolute Carnage! - 99%

Sargon_The_Terrible, July 29th, 2007

I've been an Enthroned fan for many, many years now, but despite my affection for them, I will not stand up and say that albums like "Towards The Skullthrone Of Satan" or "Regie Sathanas" are the best that Black Metal can offer. Which is why "Carnage In Worlds Beyond" is such a treat, as here we have one of my fave bands really pushing themselves and in fact producing Black Metal that is about as good as it gets.

This is just a monster album. Enthroned always crammed a lot of riffs into a song, they just were not always the best riffs. They went for quantity over quality, and it made such fun albums as "Skullthrone" second-rate, no matter how much I liked them. But this…whoa. "Carnage" still packs in the riffs, but here they are all awesome, and as a result the CD is a nonstop barrage of high speed Black Metal slayage. This album right here is better than anything Marduk have ever done, and smokes most of Satyricon's output right off the page. This is Enthroned, so you know it's gonna be all fast, and it is, but here and there the guys will slow down for a bar or two to add punch or wring out a cool, doomish riff before they throw it back in gear and blast away.

There's not much to say about this album, really, as if you know Enthroned's style none of this will come as any surprise. This album is no change in style, it is just miles better than anything else they have ever recorded, and better-produced to boot. If someone asked me to pick a handful of albums to exemplify modern Black Metal, this is probably one of the albums I would pick. Enthroned have never changed, and probably never will, and so I suppose they are as close to 'mainstream' as Black Metal has, but here they cranked everything up a notch and really ripped the shit out of it. Highly Recommended.

Disappointment - 65%

dmerritt, June 2nd, 2003

Carnage in Worlds Beyond starts off promisingly with 'Boundless Demonication' and 'Infernal Flesh Massacre', well-composed songs in which melody is integral and done uniquely, not in typical Dissection-clone fashion. Perhaps marred by Sabathan's 'vocals', which sound as if they are emulating from the stretched husk of some pour soul being tortured on the rack, the opening numbers are powerful introductions to what should have been a more powerful album. Although the drumming and guitar leadwork are vastly improved, the riffs have lost some ingenuity in favor, it would seem, of more simplistic heaviness. The vast atmosphere of previous efforts, including Towards the Skullthrone of Satan, has been abandoned, and the current product is harsher and less textured. Enthroned's strength has always been in consistent melodious structures highlighted by ambient guitar passages and penetrating vocals. The vocals on this release are no more penetrating then they are excessively abrasive and distracting.

By the time 'Bloodline' rolled around, I had aquainted myself with the new Enthroned sound, and was pleased with the increased intensity and speed. 'Jehova Desecration' was also enjoyable in its Absu-like thrashiness. However, both tracks suffer from underdevelopment. They are too short and fail to evolve to their potential.

Although there are some brief highlights, the album does not really pick up until 'Radiance of Mordacity', a three-and-a-half minute bloodbath, complete with vocals that actually fit in with the music and crystal-clear leads and riff-work. Unfortunately, the song, like many others, is undermined by its brevity.

'Graced by Evil Blood' is the best the album has to offer, showcasing the talents of drummer Alsvid, who basically puts on a clinic throughout this ordinary effort.

Album highlights include 'Infernal Flesh Massacre', 'Bloodline', 'Radiance of Modacity', and 'Graced by Evil Blood.'