|
A modern, unique Black Metal and Thrash Metal effort.-
|
| The Konsortium: The Konsortium |
Black Metal, Thrash Metal
Agonia Records
July 18th, 2011
- Gasmask Prince - 3:36
- Lik Ulven - 5:53
- Under the Black Flag - 4:27
- Decomposers - 5:39
- Knokkeklang - 5:01
- Slagens Barn - 3:39
- Onwards! Onwards! - 3:16
- Tesla - 5:15
|
| Links |
| Review Information |
Release length: 36:46
Review posted on July 18th, 2011
- |
|
| | Overall Score: 9.5/10 |
  |
|
|
| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
The Konsortium (2011)
|
| Split(s): |
Surrealists (2010)
|
| Demo(s): |
Preproduction '08 (2008)
|
|
| - |
| Review |
The Konsortium is a mixture of Black Metal and Thrash Metal, and one of the more recent [at the time of this review] bands to be signed to Agonia Records. The band formed back in 2003, though they did not actually record anything new until five years later in 2008 when they issued their first demo. The group was picked up for a split release on Temple of Darkness Records in 2010, then and for 2011 bring fans of the band and style in general their debut self-titled offering. But, this isn't your traditional underground Black/Thrash album in any real sense of it, leaving behind many of the traditional dirtier Satanic bands signed to underground acts like Hells Headbangers. Instead, The Konsortium is an effort that feels modern and nicely blends various Black Metal style in with a more aggressive Thrash Metal approach to almost breathe in a new life to this quickly inflating style.
Even the production to The Konsortium sounds impressive. The group leaves behind the raw, "kvlt" ideas, and instead trades up for a more modern quality that will bring up shades of modern Black Metal hybrid acts like Belphegor and Behemoth, except just without as rich a sound as their latest efforts have put out, still giving it that underground edge to it. The guitars sound razor sharp and the bass sounds bludgeoning with greatly varied drumming patterns that match up with the random praise filled chanting vocals and sinister Black Metal vocals that are commanding laced with guttural vocals against a much faster sound from the guitars and bass that slice away at the listener with blast beats hammering away or machine gun double bass kicks pounding at the listener's skull. All of this really adds to the unique approach that the band has as they are able to seemlessly transfer from one approach to another and maintain a general atmosphere to the song, traditionally a sinister sounding vibe, and becoming something this style really needed to wake up the fans growing tired of bands not really doing anything new or refreshing to the style.
"Gasmask Prince" does a fantastic job of welcoming the listener into this world. The music is crisp, clear, and razor sharp, blending together a venomous angression from the Black Metal foundation and the Thrash Metal speed and even background falsetto wails and screams. The song is just pure energy from start to finish with intense music that comes at the listener at a blistering pace that can sometimes slow down and throw a little technical transitioning work in against subtle, rhaspy chanting-like vocals with my energy and poison backing them up. Of course this track also introduces the clean singing that comes off more like chanting against the slower pace, but this track utilizing some vocal distortion on them that other tracks don't, which actually feels more of a let down then anything that actually adds to the track. It's the next track, "Lik Ulven" that the clean vocals actually come in without any distortion like "Gasmask Prince" has, and given the more intense ritual-sounding Black Metal foundation, it works much better for the song and really casts the quality into a sense that the song is more built and performed in worship of something one perhaps should not praise.
The general pace of the album doesn't really stay as fast paced and furious as "Gasmask Prince" or "Lik Ulven". However, those tracks do set up a bit of a slight gothic opera-type atmosphere, something that even seems to show though a bit in the band's own photograph, but is executed at times in the most chaotic form possible for traditional Black Metal. The album shows the band's dexterity at times through by producing some slower material, such as "Decomposers", which takes on a bit of a chugging style like early Dimmu Borgir and even later Immortal, but the clean vocals still retain that dark opera vibe that was established through the maddening music at the start of the album. The track's ritualistic pace and performance is enough to put the listener in a trance and find their head banging along to the enchanting rhythm The Konsortium presents on this five and a half minute plus song. There's also a good number of changes to the music, though the general pace doesn't always changes, allowing slightly altered chords, drum beats, even the clean singing against the chanting rhaspy vocals is here. The closing of the song, however, slams into a much faster track that builds up more with a stressful climax to keep the listener at the edge of the seat.
The rest of the album varies between a faster and mid pace. The song "Onwards! Onwards!" becomes one of the most unique tracks to the album though, having more of a catchier sound to the music then an aggression, angry approach or atmosphere. This really shows the variety that the band can bring to the recording, and so does "Knokkeklang". This makes for another great track on here, but more centered around a traditional Black Metal sound that relies more on intensity from the drums during the heavier moments, a some catchier music that introduces a Thrash drum style that feels a bit Crossover and will make even the most seasons Black Metal fans wants to start moshing or dancing to these bridges. The effort ends perfectly with "Tesla", one of the longer tracks of the release that, like many others, is focused solely on intensity and aggression through a strong Black Metal focal point with a heay Thrash foundation. The closing to the track involves some background effects and clean singing that even feels like the opera-based performances in the background of the music even come to a full conclusion, closing the album in a manner that will greatly satisfy the listener, and solidify the entire experience.
There isn't anything to complain about on this recording. The band does an excellent job of mixing things up and standing out against the legions of other underground Black/Thrash Metal acts. The overall sound is intense, the music often sounds ritualistic with enough intensity to rip your face off with authority. Each track offers up a unique experience that any fan of the styles will thoroughly enjoy. With this being the band's debut album, it's comforting to know the band is able to pull together such a strong and tight album wtih the only real gripe being the vocal distortion on the first track of the release. The Konsortium come out of the gate guns blazing with fantastic Metal on their self-titled debut. If you haven't heard of this band before, then now is definitely the time to check them out. With strong tracks like "Gasmask Prince", "Onwards! Onwards!" and "Tesla", it's hard to fight the urge to just hit that repeat button and let the album loop as long as if can.
|
| - |
|
Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Agonia Records.
| Submit to Social Networks |
|
|
|
|
