| Gehenna 'Malice' Cacophonous, 1996 Tyrant: Gehenna's third album Malice sits comfortably within the realms of symphonic blackmetal that its two predecessors displayed. Where Gehenna vary from other synth based blackmetal like Dimmu Borgir is their compositions. The songs are driven primarily by up tempo and rocky riffs, unique rasping vocals ( that are a little low in the mix ), and a genuinely creepy atmosphere. The riffs on display here are more 'metal' and less tinny than most blackmetal bands and blazing eerie leads crawl over them like a sickly beast. Sarcana’s keyboards are also interesting and effective, providing subtle and pompous atmosphere without intruding upon the music. Tempos vary from the slow and doomy, to the traditional blastbeat Nordic spheres creating a sound that is immediately distinguishable as Gehenna's. Lyrical topics vary between the normal blackmetal propaganda like Satanism and suffering but on 'Ad Arma Ad Arma' things take an intriguing turn. Lyrically about war and nuclear devastation, the song then takes a turn in the middle going into an ambient section with samples with radio calls 'Red Alert ...' and other disturbing sounds before re entering with a slower cold riff to fade out. Gehenna are one of the breed of blackmetallers not content to follow the traditional arts of the genre instead expanding on the art form with their own signature style. Favourite Tracks - She Who Loves The Flames , Before The Seventh Moon , Made To Suffer Mark – 8.5/10 Gehenna ‘Admiron Black’ Moonfog, 1998 Tyrant: Gehenna meets Morbid Angel. Admiron Black is similar to its predecessor ‘Malice in that the twin guitars still chug out some heavy riffs and solos, but has a obvious death metal influence blended into it. The Morbid Angel reference can immediately be heard on tracks such as ‘Deadlights’ and ‘Admiron Black’, used to great effect providing a heavier more aggressive feel. The synth is less elaborately gothic and more eerie and sick sounding providing a perfect backdrop for tracks like ‘Eater Of The Dead’. The whole feel of the album is more modern, even the artwork depicting a semi naked woman in a suicide/kill pose with an armed male. The drumming has improved, it is now faster ( like the rest of the music in general ) and includes a lot more double kicks thanks to new drummer Blod. The lyrics now exclusively focus on war, Satanism, genocide and extinction having now fully removed their gothic roots. The vocals are the usual blackmetal style rasps with the occasional deathy growls although thankfully this time, are more prominent in the mix. I love the sound and feel of this album, its totally brutal and creates a very grimly bleak atmosphere. All the material here is well crafted and memorable in the typical Gehenna fashion to create a great modern black/death hybrid album. Favourite Tracks - The Killing Kind ; Eater Of The Dead ; Admiron Black Mark - 8.5/10 Gehenna 'Murder' Moonfog, 2000 Tyrant: Gehenna return with an album that takes the raw extremity of Admiron Black and magnifies it ten fold with a scathing dirty production. Murder has abandoned most of Gehenna’s blackmetal roots and replaced it with a heavier more traditionally structured thrash/deathmetal approach. With typically venomous vocals, production and cover art, there is no way Murder is going to break into the mainstream but the new style seems to be aiming for a more accessible market. The death/black/thrash influences are immediate and unescapable which may turn some long time fans off even those who liked Admiron Black. Unfortunately the material on Murder is far less impressive than that I would usually expect from the Norwegians and recent line up turbulence may be to blame. In fact the standout track here is ‘The Crucified One’ already available ( with a better production ) on the Moonfog 2000 sampler cd. A couple of other tracks make a mild impression but for the most part the album gets lost in its muddy production and repetitive simple song structures. Favourite Tracks - The Crucified One, Murder, To The Grave Mark - 6/10 Gehenna ‘WW’ Moonfog, 2005 Tyrant: Gehenna’s long overdue follow up to 2000’s disappointing Murder sees the return of vocalist Dolgar and a step back in the direction of blackmetal, not the symphonic blackmetal of Malice or the hybrid aggressive Admiron Black, but grim and primitive blackmetal ala Darkthrone. The atmosphere on WW ( World War ) is bleak and the music stripped back to the basics ( no dynamic leads or symphonic keyboards ) with just thick heavy guitars, the pummelling of Frost’s ( Satyricon ) percussion, and the droning of Dolgar’s unhallowed voice. It’s definitely a step in the right direction for the Norwegians but the band are at their best when they have a little more flair and energy in their compositions. Given their has been a substantial break since the release of Murder and WW the band were able to rewrite some of the albums original lyrics to fit in with the albums theme of war ( which was decided on later ), consequently leaving us to wonder what tracks like the inappropriately titled ‘Werewolf’ would have been like. Thankfully WW still features the bands trademark doomy sound in its slower sections and feels more like a Gehenna record should… cold. Favourite Tracks - Pallbearer ; Silence The Earth ; Flames Of The Pit Mark – 7/10 |
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