Damnation

I picked up this obscurity (at least I imagine it is) from a used bin after actually seeing a vinyl copy. I figure anyone with the balls to put out a vinyl disc is at least worth a shot. Luckily, as it turns out they’ve got the skills to back it up.
This is a highly enjoyable black metal disc that, while staying true to that genre’s general tenets of simplicity and rawness, also includes some distinctly melo-death riffing. The general aesthetic is as expected, meaning non-complex riffing and melodies with basic drumwork that never gets distracting, and rasped vocals. As for what’s actually coming out of the vocalist’s mouth, it’s anyone’s guess. The lyrics are not in English (my guess is that they’re in the band’s native Czech), and the insert provides nothing more than a drawing of some dude sodomizing a goat. Humorous, perhaps, but not overly informative.
What’s pleasantly surprising about this record is that, despite the general aesthetic mentioned, what the listener doesn’t have to suffer through is one more band blatantly ripping off the riffs of Burzum and/or Darkthrone. There are some Transilvanian Hunger-esque sections of racing drums (heavy on the cymbals) and shifting chords, but you never get the idea that you’ve heard it all before. Tempos vary nicely, and much of the riffing is actually reminiscent of Sacramentum, and in some cases, perhaps oddly, even very early In Flames. There is a definite folkiness.
One other thing that helps to define the disc is the production. While not stellar by any means, it’s appropriate, and is notably bassier and thicker than the norm in this genre. In other words, there’s none of that thin, trebly, Under a Funeral Moon sound. The fact that the vocals stay somewhat low as far as rasping goes helps add to this thickness in tone.
All in all, no one is reinventing the wheel here, but the band have put out a highly competent disc that should be enjoyed by anyone who prefers black metal without the aid of a symphony orchestra, and even most fans of melo-death looking for something a bit darker.