When I saw that these two bands were doing this 2 song split, my ears perked up. The early nineties are considered the golden years of Black Metal with so many bands emerging from the pits of hell to either reign or fall. nd these 2 bands don’t need an introduction because they are titans in their own rights.

Let’s start with the obvious, Greek legends, Varathron contribute a re-imagined version of a track from 1993 entitled “The Mystic Papyrus”. This is a mid-paced and atmospheric piece of Black Metal at first; the slow, Egyptian intro that ends around the fifty second mark, when the song finds a menacing stride marching like an army across an open steppe. At the two-minute mark there’s a brief, blasting salvo that goes for forty-seven glorious seconds before the pace is regained and the song ends with an epic solo.

German veterans Ungod, on the other hand, are pitch black, tremolo picking riffs and shrieking vocals. “Sinister Forms of Fallen Stars” is nasty, face pummeling, a ritualistic assault on the ears; uncompromising Black Metal served on a tarnished platter.

This is a short but flesh-ripping EP. Varathron and Ungod have both shown that the nineties are still alive, both are still very much active, hopefully with new albums on the way. Be aware, the nineties are alive, the past is alive! Pick this up and sentence your mind to death.

[Visit the band's website]

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