| Rossomahaar - Quaerite Lux In Tenebris... (7,5/10) - Russia - 2002 |
| Genre: Black Metal Label: Xtreem Music Playing time: 44:29 Band homepage: Rossomahaar Tracklist:
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ROSSOMAHAAR are a Black Metal band (that uses way too long and complicated song titles) consisting of some good musicians and noble songwriters. Unlike their fellow colleagues, the Russian foursome don’t go running around like primates in the woods or in a prison cell for that matter, to them the music matters the most. The music entices once you’ve gotten into the CD; the fundaments are Black Metal and Symphonic Metal but behind the basic structures you’ll find some slick technical playing from every instrument, which takes away the feeling of a traditional Black Metal album. The instrumental track “Sacred War” further emphasises on the atypical elements of a normal Black Metal album with its folksy melodies and funny atmospheres. The comparison with DIMMU BORGIR’s “Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia” is not really fitting (IMO) and much too big of a compliment. I don’t mean to imply that these guys don’t deserve praise because they do. This is a Black Metal playground but it doesn’t sound modern or industrial and soundwise I think the Russians are lacking some quality. The info also talks about some parallels shared with ROTTING CHRIST, which I honestly must say I don’t hear much of but the singing sure does recall Sakis in his evil mood. Drums are fast with many double bass rhythms and blastbeats but also have a fair share of traditional tempos, very tastefully arranged on every song. Riffs are well composed and technically proficient though many of them sound alike after a few spins, I think the bass lines are more fluid and interesting, it’s not too often you can hear the bass jumping on different musical grounds on a Black Metal album. One thing I would like to see beefed up in the sound are the keyboards, they’re somewhere in the mix and create some good atmospheres but the sound itself is too thin for my taste, that’s the way I am he he. The overall sound is overestimated me thinks, it’s good and goes hand in hand with the song material but it could’ve been better and it wouldn’t killed them to make the keyboards and drums a bit louder. Just before writing this review I was informed about their new CD “Regnum Somni”, so with the positive impression that “Quaerite Lux In Tenebris...” has made on me it looks like I will have to stay tuned for that one. (Online
More information: Tracklist: Yes, their musical direction still is a blistering version of Black Metal with some Death Metal influences, a good bunch of melodies, but overall heavy as hell. Just like their debut in 2001, on "Quaerite Lux In Tenebris…" (on the cover even written in Greek letters!) the gentlemen Lazar, Kniaz and Yanarrdakh unleash a furious and technically very proficient maelstrom of churning guitars, hammering drums and Lazar's demonic voice, packed into an excellent production courtesy of Moscow's CDM Records Studio, produced by Lazar and Kniaz themselves, congratulations to this! But again they do not make the mistake of just blasting through their songs, but they loosen them up by calmer breakdowns and generally varying tempos, from blastbeats over double bass to a regular mid paced beat, but more often than not ROSSOMAHAAR stands for high to blistering tempos with great intensity within the songs. The title track "Quaerite Lux In Tenebris (Exploring The External Worlds)" is a really excellent example for this, as we get absolutely everything that ROSSOMAHAAR have in their sound, neatly packed into one almost six minute song, very good one, also perfect to check this band out. The instrumental "Sacred War" then brings us a breather from the ferocity of the surrounding compositions, very well done, before "Crescent Moon (The Final Celebration)" lets all hell break loose again (a pretty variable hell, if I may add) and "Those Spectres Within (Eternal Is The Nothingness I've Emerged From)" once more proves to us that ROSSOMAHAAR are masters of well arranged and structured Black Metal. Compared with their debut, the Russians have added some heaviness on "Quaerite Lux In Tenebris…", but without neglecting structure and also melodies, so if you like your Melodic Black fast and furious, with keyboards really only accentuating, then the second release of ROSSOMAHAAR should pretty much be up your alley! Available at www.metal-cd.ru! (Online June 28, 2003) | |||||||||||||
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