Review of Orcustus - Demo 2002

This new corpse painted band hails from Bergen, Norway and plays old school antichristian black metal. Before I get into the music I’ll give you their credentials. I don’t want you thinking what the fuck, yet another throwback black metal band, so I’ll let you know that Orcustus, taking their name from Bard Faust’s old fanzine, features members past and present of Gorgoroth, Gehenna, Enslaved, Gaahlskagg, Borknagar, Desekrator, 122 Stab Wounds, Aura Noir, etc. And, Ivar Peersen produced the disc. Taipan originated the band and is joined by Dirge Rep, Infernus, and Tormentor. Dirge wrote the lyrics and Tormentor and Taipan wrote the music. Atmosphere is the key word, this disc oozes atmosphere, and all without keyboards. This is the controlled chaos of the best of old school black metal, lots of great riffs, ghoulish screams and a dominant rhythm for each song. This mcd contains three songs and tops out at about 16 minutes. The production is crude and definitely feels like early 80’s black metal production. Raw would be a step up, I find myself listening intently for lawnmowers. A careful listen gives you a fair understanding of their musical talents, and a wish for early Darkthrone style production values. I like Taipan’s vocals, very appropriate and well done, but the echo effect is a distraction. After a few listens the sound quality ceases to be an issue, and each instrument is distinguishable. The strangely uninspired title stands out because all three songs show off nice craftsmanship. The opening “Death Becomes You” could have been the album title as well, yet they call it a demo, and it was recorded in November 2002. Taipan and company should get a label soon.