_ _______ _ ...:... _ _______ _ ___ / .:::::::::::. \ ___ | / .. (:::::::::::::) .. \ | | . .:::::.`:::::::::::'.:::::. . | | .::.. `:::.::':::`::.:::' ..::. | _ _______ | .::' ::::':::::`:::: `::. | _______ _ \\ | | :: `' ::':`:: `' :: | | // \ | | `:. .::' . `::. .:' | | / . | | .::::::..::::' ... `::::..::::::. | | . | | `:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' | | .... | | `:' `::::: :: :: :::::' `:' | | .... | ' | : `. ': :: :: :: :: :` .' : | ` | |.....: . .......: :: :: :: :: : ...... . : ....| . ...................: : :: :: :: :: : : ................. . _____________:_____________ _____________:_____________ _ ___\` __ /_\` _______/_\` __ _/_\` /___ _ // __ / (/ ___/ (/ _ (/ /_______/\ _ _ /_________ ___________ ______/\ _ ______________/\__/_ _ \\\\\_________\__/\_________\__/\_____/\_____/\____________/f3!/// - -\-\-----------\__/----------\__/-------\_____/---------------/-/- - - -------------------: : :. ..:: :: . :------------------ - : : :......: :: :` ': :: : .....: : : ___ _ | | : ` ' : | | _ ___ _\---------- : | -------- : B E R C : -------- | : ----------/_ /_\ . : . ..:.. ..:.. . : . /_\ /// . . : : . . \\\ /: :\ /:: Artist :: Vampire ::\ :: Album :: Vampire :: :: Year :: 2020 :: :: __ _ _ __ :: -:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:- :: \ / :: :: . Genre :: Metal Source :: CDDA . :: :: Label :: Black Metal Store R.date :: 16.12.2021 :: _::__ Cat.nr. :: BMS005 Size :: 77,6 MB __::_ ::// \\:: ::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\:: :: :: /: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\ ..: Bitrate :: avg. 277kbps : . . Quality :: 44,1kHz/Joint-Stereo . . . Website :: __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: 01. Sleeper in the Deep 02:17 :: :: 02. Orexis 02:40 :: :: 03. Howl from the Coffin 04:01 :: :: 04. At Midnight I'll Possess Your Corpse 02:43 :: :: 05. Ungodly Warlock 03:50 :: :: 06. The Bestial Abyss 05:41 :: :: 07. Black Deserts 02:57 :: :: 08. Jaws of the Unknown 02:50 :: :: 09. The Fen 04:46 :: :: 10. Cellar Grave Vampire 03:08 :: :: 11. Under the Grudge 04:09 :: :: ------- :: .. >> 39:02 min .. __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: :: :: Vampire are a Swedish old school death metal act, but a :: :: rather interesting one, at that. While their peers are :: :: generally focused on reviving the HM-2 driven brutality :: :: found on Carnage, Entombed, & Dismember albums, Vampire :: :: take things a step further, drawing the listener back to :: :: 1987, where "Scream Bloody Gore" & "Under the Sign of the :: :: Black Mark" proved the benchmark for what would later be :: :: seen as death & black metal (respectively). And it works :: :: very well, indeed! The band manages to unleash some very :: :: wicked and brutal riffs, with vocalist Hand of Doom's :: :: growls bearing a striking resemblance to death metal's :: :: father himself - Chuck Schuldiner. At the same time, :: :: however, one would be a fool to think that this is "just :: :: another worship act", solely intent on conjuring the ghost :: :: of 80's death metal. There's a very particular vibe & :: :: atmosphere behind this release, what one might call a "folk :: :: horror" atmosphere, which brings to mind the forest by :: :: nightfall, which is reflected in the dark, horror-themed :: :: lyrics which aren't afraid to use such tropes as "old :: :: abandoned houses deep in the woods" & "the unholy evil :: :: book". Classic horror characters also make an :: :: appearance...ghouls, warlocks, demons, octopuses, and :: :: believe it or not (brace yourself...), fucking vampires. :: :: :: :: It's all rather awesome. I was intrigued right from the :: :: get-go, but after having a few months to allow the album to :: :: fully sink in, I've grown to really love this album. The :: :: production excels both in clarity and atmosphere, allowing :: :: each instrument to be equally powerful, but giving them a :: :: very strong and organic sense (which is saying a lot for a :: :: death metal album in 2014), a sense of "life" (or death?). :: :: The guitars have a very strong, old-school feel to them, :: :: and the vocals are very gritty and raw (not a long-shot :: :: from the Obliteration vocalist's growls). I might complain :: :: that there is just a bit too much reverb on them, but at :: :: times I feel that this actually helps the album's overall :: :: atmosphere of mystery and darkness. :: :: :: :: Musically, the listener will be reminded of early Death & :: :: early Bathory, along with the likes of "Altars..."-era :: :: Morbid Angel. That is, very thrashy, brutal music that is :: :: also exceptionally evil (and surprisingly catchy). "Ungodly :: :: Warlock" has a very, very memorable and catchy chorus, :: :: while others like "The Fen" and "Under the Grudge" show :: :: some truly exceptional riff-work, with the latter being one :: :: of the best on the entire album. At some moments, the :: :: listener will be reminded of "Slowly We Rot"-era Obituary :: :: ("Howl from the Coffin") or the work of Celtic Frost ("Jaws :: :: of the Unknown", which even has Tom's infamous "OOOMPH!" at :: :: one point), but through all of this, the band manages to :: :: keep a core sound intact, and more than anyone they sound :: :: like VAMPIRE. :: :: :: :: The band's utilization of atmosphere is also something to :: :: be taken note of. If you have any doubts, check out "The :: :: Bestial Abyss", which features a surprisingly melodic outro :: :: that is one of the most emotional outros I've heard all :: :: year. "The Fen" begins with a full-band folk hoedown before :: :: the band breaks into one of the most powerful riffs this :: :: album has to offer. And perhaps most notable, is the eerie :: :: piano outro that sends off the album's most memorable (and :: :: closing) track, "Under the Grudge". The piano piece in and :: :: of itself is haunting enough, without the eerie whispers :: :: that can be discerned behind it. While small and short, on :: :: the grander scale I think the inclusion of these little :: :: pieces has managed to help Vampire stand out from their :: :: peers. Combined with the mysterious lyrical content, as :: :: well as the more subtle production (and let's not forget :: :: the album cover!). :: :: :: :: . _ _ . :: \: :. \\ ___________ . ___________ // .: :/ __\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2021 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__ \\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO/// \ :: :\-\___________\_ ___ / _ _/___________/-/: :: / :: | . . _ _ _/ __/ . \_ _ _ . . | :: : :::::::: | | \\\\\/ _______\____|\ \///// | | :::::::: : :: | | -\-\/____/-------------\____\/-/- | | :: :: | | \ :|: / | | :: : : | . ` ::: ' . | : : . . | : ::: : | . . | :::....:::....::: | : ::::::::::::::::: : . :::''``:::''``::: . : ::: : . ::: . .:. :