Negative-Existence - BEHERIT "Engram" Red Vinyl LP

BEHERIT "Engram" Red Vinyl LP
[SVR012red]

~~$30.00~~ $18.00

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Artist: BEHERIT

Title: Engram

Format: LP

Country: Finland

Genre: Black Metal

Record Label: Svart Records

They say Rock’n’Roll is the Devil’s music? Behold the second coming of Beherit’s Oath of the Black Blood – this time around as an official, band-sanctioned release. It is a none too gentle breeze of rancid corpse-breath from the beginning of the second wave of black metal, as defined by Beherit, the Canadian Blasphemy and a whole bunch South-American maniacs. Tons of spikes, bulletbelts, ugly facepaint and a lot of unhealthy interests were the hallmarks of the genre.

Beherit hailed from the Arctic Circle, and led by the main man Holocausto they soon grew from the humble beginnings (that was fifteen years ago!) into a leading force of the early nineties Black Metal scene. Eccentric, outrageous and certainly ahead of their time, they finally mutated into something completely else, but at the time Oath of the Black Blood was recorded Beherit were still cheerfully churning out malignant filth which skipped introductions and went straight for your soul. Evil, pure and with no additives, delivered as a chaotic blast of chainsaw guitars, vocals sounding like the hiss of a thousand snakes and drums pounding relentlessly to the spectacle of the listener being torn apart by the black wind rushing out of the speakers.

The whole album was re-mastered for this release, although old-school purists may rest assured there is only so much you can do about a recording that was considered noisy and unhinged back at the time it was originally released unto the unsuspecting underground tape-trading circuit. Of course Oath of the Black Blood’s technical merits – or lack of them – are nothing to do with today’s standards, that is beside the point: this blast from the past should serve as a good reminder that there was a time when extreme metal was still delivered with passion bordering on insane, with little or no concern for the outside world.

Essential evil from the grim past. Discover the rotten roots of modern Black Metal.

Tracklisting:

1. Axiom Heroine 04:41
2. Destroyer of Thousand Worlds 03:05
3. All in Satan 03:33
4. Pagan Moon 07:16
5. Pimeyden Henki 04:45
6. Suck My Blood 04:27
7. Demon Advance 15:17
Total playing time 43:02

Sounds:

Review:

Written by Tepes_The_Unweeping [Metal Archives]

When it comes to Beherit, the term "fanboy" may very well be appropriate for me. I've loved every Beherit release I've ever laid ears on (even H418ov21.C), every release from Berherit side projects, projects only tangentially related to Beherit, and bands Nuclear Holocausto has merely mentioned in interviews with anything more positive than disdain. So you can guess how high my expectations where when I first caught wind of this completely unexpected comeback and to what fever pitch my excitement reached with the even more unexpectedly expedient release of this record. From the band's background and back catalogue, to Nuclear Holocausto's brilliant interview responses, to the art, to the total attitude of the band coming into this release there was no way I was expecting this to be anything other than totally amazing, an instant classic, and a bold redefining of our very understanding of Black Metal. I was expecting amazing, but what we got is amazing+. When I first pressed play, I sat stunned because I didn't know what I was listening to. I had really fucking difficult time wrapping my brain around the concept that my wildest expectations had been superseded in every way I had imagined and in ways I hadn't even considered. And it's not just me; I think this threw a lot of people for a loop. What I'm trying to say is that this is everything everyone was hoping for and more.

"Engram" consists of deceptively complex songs which are presented in a very straightforward fashion. These compositions quite audibly take cues from the giants of both first and second wave Black Metal. Bathory, Burzum, and Gorgoroth being the big mentions, as well as Beherit's own back catalogue. These citations are correct, however that's not to say any part of "Engram" is exactly in their style. Let me explain. As the foundational acts of every Metal genre have done, Beherit once again (for they have done so in the past) takes what came before them and have built upon it in ways that expand it beyond previous definitions. Call this Black Metal+ if you like. This time evolution has brought the primitive Black Metal violence and ambient music aural expressionism together in a way not entirely surprising considering the career of this band. Each song has a handful of darkly evocative and highly memorable, virus-like catchy riffs, a handful of variations on those riffs, and an almost absurdly fine tuned layering of lead and counter melodies. These layers are presented in several different forms; directly with keyboards and bass, and indirectly via that much vaunted influence of electronic/ambient music arrangement. Each song, including the straight forward blasters, contains a multiplicity of expressions so it's hard to fully grasp this record in one listening. I know I've listened to it over twenty times now and am still finding new facets just below the surface. There are a lot of little things, and background elements that meld seamlessly into the greater whole of this work to form a fully cohesive musical narrative. This album plays out much like an essay, or a science fiction short story, with these touches aspects forming the extra-earthly setting and permutations of plot that both form the background upon which the action takes place and logically connects the poignant dialogue and dramatic action of the immediately apparent body of sound. Another effective technique for constructing this work in said fashion, and one of the most interesting aspects of this record is the highly structured rhythm which uses the vocals as a rhythmic instrument in conjunction with the percussion and strings in a similar fashion to that on Gorgoroth's "Pentagram", thus leaving the guitar and other elements to lead the way in expressing the crux of its musical message. This is apparent both in the frantic and composed songs, and does a great deal to allow greater freedom of range within the music itself.

Special kudos go to the ordering of the songs themselves. Again, it is organized like a written work. In the same way an piece of literature needs an attention grabbing opening to get the reader interested, a strong thesis to keep that interest engaged, appropriately placed lulls in the action to build tension, and a satisfying conclusion that emerges logically from the information presented before it, so to does an album with a genuine and meaningful musical message to express need to be, and as such is this album arranged. The opener, "Axiom Heroine" has just the right torturous riff (and I must once again comment on how utterly soul crushingly dark and malevolent every riff on this record is) and moody cadence to draw the listener in, only becoming more chaotic and violent slowly. This mounting tension is built up through the song and into the next, coming to a crescendo and full release in the third track "All In Satan", allowing the fourth track "Pagan Moon" to being the process again and replicate its success to an even greater degree throughout the second half.

The last track deserves special mention and comment. "Demon Advance" is a world unto itself. The quick description is that it's a Metallized version of "Electric Doom Synthesis", but in reality this song goes beyond even the epic scope envisioned by that record. It's a sprawling masterpiece, spanning an emotional range untouched even by most of the greatest visionaries in Metal to date, a level of meditative introspection to equally obscure, and inviting one's full immersion into the world which it describes. All of this is delivered with an almost sing-songy, sardonic intonation. It is less of a ritual trance and more of a vision quest in a high technology setting. It's awesome.

There is a connectedness in this music, to its place in this world, in the world of Metal, and its place in time. In a way this could not have been released earlier than it was, or perhaps even much later. We all know what's been going on in Black Metal for a long time now, almost as long as it's been since there was an LP from Beherit, and we know the very depths of depravity (and not the good kind of depravity), to which practitioners of the genre both young and old have sunk. Beherit have come thundering from out of obscurity to reaffirm the superiority of the old ways of exploration and expression over the new ways of sycophantic imitation and self-adulation: to say what needed to be said when the need was most desperate. In all aspects, musical, spiritual, and in attitude, these Finns, no less, have returned to lead by example and hopefully guide a new generation of Metallers into a new Metallic renaissance and drive into extinction the repugnant, decaying, teeming masses of mediocrity who in every sense embody the spirit of false metal, thereby creating a scene where the airs of splendor and creativity once again thrive. At least I hope so; the opportunity is upon us.

This is just about perfect Metal and perfect music; an instant classic in every sense, and everything I'd hoped it would be and more. Recommended for every single Metalhead who believes in the integrity of the message of Metal music and the immortal spirit which drives it, this can have no rating other than 100%, and need I even bother saying BUY OR DIE? In the immortal words of Robert Heick, "Hail the new era black magic revolution! Get with it or get wasted by it!"

This product was added to our catalog on Wednesday 23 March, 2011.

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