The collaboration begun on the previous album continues, with Fiebig and Kribbe and Yxmarder all helping with the music and Yxmarder contributing lyrics to five songs. The musicianship is once again top notch, with excellent guitar leads throughout and many memorable riffs and drumming that almost never is simply carrying the beat. The arrangements are getting more complex and the speed of the music no longer dictates the direction and flow of the music. Lorenzo Mariani paints a familiar scene, a bloody trail upon the snow from the doorway of a church. We all know the slaughter in the name of the church throughout history and many people still praise it, so whether you read this as christian blood spilled in retribution as I’m sure it was intended, rip a wound that will never heal, or as pagan blood spilled in the name of salvation by the armies of Christ it is a powerful image admirably painted by Lorenzo.

Four songs in Swedish, four in English, all between four and five minutes in length. From the opening music box lullaby to the closing words, “self chosen ending of life, praise suicide”, we get 40 minutes from the voice of hate, now called by his true name, Naahz. His presentation has been steadily improoving and he now clearly holds his own among his peers. Harsh and angry are of course prerequisites, enunciation is an added bonus, as is his ability to vary his delivery without losing the harshness (Praise Suicide) and at times almost sing (Illdjarn), no simple shouting here. Some words, “with a smile upon my cold blue lips I draw my last breath and fade away” by Naahz and “in birth the wicked dwell, in a human hell, ashes of the original sin lies therein, and each one born will be a regent in an age of the horn” by Yxmarder. Naahz’s voice on “Solitude” is awesome, didn’t think this song could ever work without Messiah. Musically the playing is near perfect. Definately in keeping with the original in atmosphere and intensity. Nine songs of high energy fast pace black metal with a harsh edge from this Swedish corpsepainted trio that have quickly climbed to the top of the heap. There is no question this album is one of the best of the year, in no small part thanks to excellent production by Mieszko Talarczyk, Blodsrit’s best sound yet. Blodsrit has joined the ranks of those that require no music screening before buying, and for me that is a very small club.

Once again these Spanish pagan black metal warriors have produced epic and majestic songs. Nazak’s vocals are a bit more enunciated but just as harsh. The overall pace is slower with fast passages, or more often, fast drumming with slow guitars. They have surpassed Graveland in simple artistry, particularly with Frozen Wind’s superlative drumming. Many bands try to write long songs, few pull it off as well. With Berserk the key ingredient is keep it unencumbered, the music is simple superficially with some complexity under the surface. Never does the music get lost in distortions and it is quite easy to pick out each instrument and concentrate on it.

The first time I listened to this disk, I thought some flutes or something similar would be interesting, and then “De Este A Oeste” started. The guitars are the central instrument, with minimal flute, but it is a very effective break it the heart of the album. Forjstorm, write more like this. “Gaze at the Sky” features a more vikingesque vocal style that fits the mood of the song. “Astapa’s Ashes” is about a massacre by the Roman army in which the townspeople put up a heavy resistance that has never been forgotten. The title track talks of hanging the heads of the conquered from their horse’s neck after embalming them with cedar oil. “Blood Of The Gods” proclaims “death is an honor in the Celtiberian land. The tour through the centuries, we’ll never forget our roots.” that sentiment is the basis of the whole album, Fight for your land and never surrender. If Berserk is not the preeminent Spanish black metal band today, they will be tomorrow. Another disc full of great war hymns.

This is primitive black that shows just how ridiculously pathetic so many ‘primitive’ bands really are. The individual instruments are easily separated in your ears and the playing is precise. This is like reliving the early years of black metal but with real production values. The mastering was done by Dan Swanö, excellent job, book Unisound for the next one. Drumming is a vast improvement over their last album. The drums dominate the mix as well, was this a conscious decision? On Supreme Misanthropy the guitars dominated in the mix, overpowering the drum machine. This time new drummer Fiebig is given the reigns. I appreciate the bass guitar clearly distinguishable in the mix. The song structure is no longer choppy, it is always changing and flows very well. Also, there is pure aggression, mostly missing last time. Blodsrit upstage most everyone with their brand of early 90’s black metal, technically precise without ever being complicated or overly redundant. No frills, no showboating musically, though they are resplendent in their spikes, studs and full corpsepaint. No keyboards, lots of memorable riffs, and fast and faster are the two dominant speeds.

After a few dozen listens the past few weeks, I find myself anticipating the music, a few seconds ahead, in my mind. Nazgul is still the principal songwriter though Saphanoz helps on three songs and Yxmarder on one song. This collaboration is a strength they should exploit in the future. Nazgul has surrounded himself with talent, relinquishing the lead guitar role to Yxmarder and finding Fiebig to replace the drum machine, the search paid off. There is nothing primitive about this drummer’s abilities. These two guys, plus Saphanoz on bass, have pushed Blodsrit to the top of the current wave of black metal. Lyrically, antichristian themes reign supreme. “Dying Breed” exclaims that Jesus is “drooling blood whilst saying prayers.” “Rape of Vestial Purity” says “thy prayers will forever stay unheard” and “Glorious Rise Of The Flames” declares that “all beauty will be found in death.” Picking out a few favorite songs is challenging, but I’ll go with “I Sorg, För Syndens Saknad” and “The Glorious Rise Of The Flames” From 2001’s Secrets Unveiled ep, “Secrets Unveiled” and “Rulers Of The Desolate Lands” make the transferal to this disk, both of which are worthy of inclusion. One half the way through the calendar year, but Ocularis Infernum is all but assured a place in the top ten at year end. Hail to Nazgul, and thanks for the disc.

The album starts with “Through the fog,” a short moody atmospheric intro that sets the stage well. Vocals are deep and clearly growled, making following along on the lyric sheet mostly unnecessary. Occasional moaned and shrieked vocals and chanted backgrounds that may not even be words, just sounds, round out the vocal delivery. Synthesizers carry the other instruments but are actually mostly in the background. Vocal harmonies flow with the keys and the rhythm section keeps it simple and straightforward, which the rest of the music plays off of. All the songs have a hidden complexity. On the surface are uncomplicated riffs and underneath are layers of subtle melodies and chunkier riffs. The ritualistic feel is strengthened by the chanted backing vocals which make me think of ancient religious ceremonies where everyone gets lost in the chanted tones and drum beats to become one with god.

When Gregorian chant became commercially popular back in 1994 I thought black metal was suited to the same tradition,and so did Fenriz, especially pagan black. Berserk’s music is perfect to work one into a frenzy preparing for battle, but it also can mesmerize you much like listening to Muslims continually chant Allah until the word becomes meaningless and it is just an emotional response to the sounds. Add traditional black intensity to this and one powerful album is the result. Memorable songs: “Forest of souls in the wolf’s land” which proclaims “unity is the only way towards victory” of restoring ancient laws and customs. “Ravens fly -Black Horizons” is about liberation, stating “later generations will thank us.” Also memorable are “Forgotten kingdoms” and “The Great Celtiberia.”

There is even a literary connection, with special hails going to (among others) Crom (god of Robert E Howard’s Conan) and Drizzt (dark elf of R. A. Salvatore) This album was due out in 2001 on Chanteloup Creations but the French government closed them down before that happened. Luckily Oaken Shield jumped in. The music was written between April 99 and July 00, hopefully that means they were hard at work on the next album while waiting for this one to be released. Fittingly, the album ends with a scream of triumph.

They call this “undaground musical terrorism.” What it is is an atmospheric, dissonant epic necro-opera. All tracks fit together in a mostly cohesive whole and build from one to another, showing at least a passing familiarity with classical composition. A movie soundtrack this is not, and ambient noise is very minimal. Musically we have ultra simple hypnotic black with many layers upon layers, giving a thick, dense feel, like being lost in the dark. I really have no clue as to the hidden meaning, if in fact there is one, but I find the disc enjoyable enough to garner full listening attention each time I play it. There are many long pauses ending/beginning chapters, usually followed by abrupt continuations of the previous sound, but for some reason it is not bothersome. The occasional low rumblings during the pauses are an odd touch, but when they blast full volume back in, the intensity is heightened. The many atmospheric passages serve as interludes from the blastbeats. Chapter five even slows down into doom passages with simple slow guitars, an absence of melody and lots of background reverberations.

Many bands have albums full of songs you can not tell apart, this is a forty minute song broken into six pieces, somewhat arbitrary it seems, to make manageable pieces, because times when it seems a likely break for a track it is not and other times you don’t realize that you have moved on to the next track. Apparently their next album is to be called Dialogue With The Stars. With that title I’ll wait and see, but in the meantime, I listen to this one from time to time.

Early Abigor comes to mind. The music is slow paced but not plodding, with occasionally quickened pace, and vocals typical of the Swedish bands. His vocal delivery is not overly varied, but conveys emotion well. Check out “Likbal” to hear clean vocals, proving that with different vocals, say Vintersorg’s older style viking clean vocals, and the same music it works too. Some songs wander a bit too long and some end rather abruptly, but overall a fine effort. A huge progression from the previous effort. What is missing is the aggression of brutal death that many bands are adding today. Having said that, it is really not missed, it’s absence is actually a strength. This is certainly by no means goth, but it has a Finnish melodic black feel in places. I am glad there are still some out there interested in early 90’s black, even better to find a band that has such a firm grasp on the style. Forget death and goth attributes for a more modern sound.

For many one man bands the drumming is the weak point. Here the drumming is not a problem, it neither detracts or adds, but a real drummer would be a welcome addition. I had already been enjoying this disc for some time when asked to review it, and when I looked on their website, to my surprise, I learned of a follow up release, promo only, called Secrets Unveiled. That secret; new member Fiebig on drums. I’m not sure why the decision to not release this disc to the general public, since to my ears they are already advanced enough to no longer need demos. With new bass player Saphanoz, Blodsrit is now a three piece, and already hard at work on a new album, tentatively called The Rape of Vestal Purity. Watch out for this fast rising horde. These Swedes deserve more attention.