Israthoum - Black Poison And Shared Wounds
Have you gone green? Have you gone organic? Well Israthoum bring you exactly that organic palette on Black Poison and Shared Wounds. Originally hailing from Portugal, but later moved in 1998 to The Netherlands. Maybe that's why it took a blacken'd turn. The cover speaks wonders for the feel of the album. It has that swirling, spiral drone to it. Constantly going down and down until it levels out into the next song.
The album starts off with Necromancer's Fugue, which immediately drags you in with gritty guitars, raw vocals and rolling double bass. The guitars have that raw crunch and still retains great clarity for all the chords. They give you a good mix of mid tempo and fast paced riffs throughout each song. There is swinging groove even in the fast sections which makes the texture fluid. A Birthmark of Unexistence highlights their tasty use of guitar harmonies. They direct you where to go in the music and add lots of melody. The drums switch up enough to keep the tracks fresh. No overuse of blasting here, which is always refreshing. This recording is so organic it almost sounds like they recorded it all at once. I do appreciate the natural feel of the album but some sections with the drums go a bit off meter. This takes away from the driving force behind the music and distracts you a little. The vocals are a despairing yell. It's a nice change up from the usual screeching of black metal vocals. Sounds like he's calling for help but no one ever comes. Yet his intensity never dies down. One of the most powerful songs on the album is The Unraveling Traveler. Starts out with a very rot n roll style section. Then it just runs you into the ground until your nose stars rubbing against concrete. Swaying riffs and jolting sections of furocity.
This is a very solid record. Although there aren't many things here that make it stand apart. The vocals stand out the most because not many black metal bands use the yelling style. If you're looking for something to mellow out to and enjoy then this album is for you. After this release I look very much forward to the next one. Progression is more important than output.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/embed/20WudAWaTpI[/embed]
The album starts off with Necromancer's Fugue, which immediately drags you in with gritty guitars, raw vocals and rolling double bass. The guitars have that raw crunch and still retains great clarity for all the chords. They give you a good mix of mid tempo and fast paced riffs throughout each song. There is swinging groove even in the fast sections which makes the texture fluid. A Birthmark of Unexistence highlights their tasty use of guitar harmonies. They direct you where to go in the music and add lots of melody. The drums switch up enough to keep the tracks fresh. No overuse of blasting here, which is always refreshing. This recording is so organic it almost sounds like they recorded it all at once. I do appreciate the natural feel of the album but some sections with the drums go a bit off meter. This takes away from the driving force behind the music and distracts you a little. The vocals are a despairing yell. It's a nice change up from the usual screeching of black metal vocals. Sounds like he's calling for help but no one ever comes. Yet his intensity never dies down. One of the most powerful songs on the album is The Unraveling Traveler. Starts out with a very rot n roll style section. Then it just runs you into the ground until your nose stars rubbing against concrete. Swaying riffs and jolting sections of furocity.
This is a very solid record. Although there aren't many things here that make it stand apart. The vocals stand out the most because not many black metal bands use the yelling style. If you're looking for something to mellow out to and enjoy then this album is for you. After this release I look very much forward to the next one. Progression is more important than output.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/embed/20WudAWaTpI[/embed]
- Necromancer's Fugue
- The Unravelling Traveller
- The Presence, The Baying
- Burning The Sephiroth
- Devil Bacchus
- A Birthmark Of Unexistence
- Procession Of Demented
- Eradication Psalm
Label: http://www.daemonworship.org
Reviewer: Hollow Lung
Jan 9, 2013
Jan 9, 2013
Next review:
Chariots Of The Gods - Tides Of War
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