| Carpe Tenebrum “Majestic Nothingness” Head Not Found , 1996 Lord Pale : Carpe Tenebrum is the brain child Ariadne Donnelaith of The Third And The Mortal . Featuring Nagash ( Dimmu Borgir/Covenant/The Kovenant ) on vocals and Astennu ( Dimmu Borgir/Covenant ) playing all the music . Majestic Nothingness is avantgarde blackmetal with the emphasis on melody and not speed . Keyboards are often used to highlight the music , as opposed to the full integration synth that bands like Dimmu Borgir display and Astennu's guitar work is methodical breaking into a short solos that complement the music well without getting carried away . The drumming pelts along at a nice pace but hardly ever reaches blast beat speed , with a fair amount of double kicks for effect offering a nice amount of variation . Nagash sings similar to he does on Covenant’s “Nexus Polaris” providing plenty of character to that aspect of the songs with female vocals and spoken passages provided by Ariadne ( who writes all the lyrics ) . Astennu also provides some backing vocals in the form of chants and clear singing to enhance Nagash’s snatting . Overall a very strong album which is complemented by the artwork highlighting the atmosphere of the music . Recommended for fans of Dimmu Borgir or Covenant . Favourite Tracks - Temptress Luna ; Opus Requiem ; Drain The Labyrinth Mark - 8.5/10 Carpe Tenebrum “Mirrored Hate Painting” Hammerheart , 1999 Lord Pale : Mirrored Hate Painting follows a similar path to its predecessor only some of the melody has given way to speed and agression ,with heavier guitar work and quicker drumming . 'MHP' initially sounds different to Majestic Nothingness thanks to the production ( done in Abyss studios ) and the darker sound of the keyboards ( similar to those found on Dimmu Borgir’s “Enthrone Darkness Triumphant” ) which are more abundant this time around . Astennu also contributes to the lyrics giving them a less organic fantasy feel opting instead for a more futuristic direction . Gone are the clear backing vocals , in their place are some spoken introductions to the songs by Ariadne with a distortion on them similar to the spoken intros to some of the songs on Carcass’ “Necrotism Descanting The Insalubrious” . One Draw back to this album is it can begin to sound a little samey after a while due to its tempo and less varied vocal delivery . The album is faster overall than “Majestic Nothingness” but still retains the same feel . Once again the artwork conjures a similar feel to the music does making for an interesting overall package . 7 songs and one musical lasting just over 39 mins , I preferred the last album , but this is still a solid release . Favourite Tracks - The Abyss’s Mystic Haze ; Ludus ; Lured Like You Thought Mark - 7/10 |
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