Review Summary: Pantheon I have seemingly neglected the easy route in black metal, trying to incorporate more melody and accessibility than most of their counterparts.
Black metal is a somewhat bizarre sub-genre of metal, with antics ranging from the ridiculous band photos and corpsepaint, to arson and even murder. This is what turns some people away from the genre, however some bands try to steer away from these typicalities of black metal and focus solely on the music that they create.
This is where Pantheon I come in. Hailing from Oslo, Norway, their line-up consists of five members - two of which were formerly in the more famous band 1349;
Andrè Kvebek (ex-1349) - Vocals/guitar
John Espen Sagstad - Guitar
Tor Risdal Stavenes (ex-1349) - Bass
Dan Theobald - Drums
Live Julianne Kostøl - Cello
While listening to this album, I was quite surprised that it wasn't as heavy or brutal that it could have been. This doesn't necessarily equate to a bad thing, however, since what it lacks in brutality it makes up for in melody. Melody appears to be the main premise of the music - sure there are the typical blast beats and harsh vocals, but there is a nice balance between melody and heaviness. Another thing that surprised me about the album was how well produced it was, especially for a black metal album. Pretty much everything can be heard loud and clear on the album, which is a definite improvement on the quality of the songs on their previous album, Atrocity Divine.
The vocals on this album are 98% harsh, with a few small 'cameos' from clean vocals. The harsher vocals were well done; although Kvebek doesn't have the greatest range, he has a solid sound which is very clear and easy to understand. His clean vocals aren't too bad either (for example, on 'Coming To An End'), even if they are a little bit strange and different. It's difficult to make comparisons between his voice and others in the genre (since I'm not the most seasoned black metal fan I guess), but the best I can come up with is a more shouty Ihsahn. You can make your own minds up.
The guitars are equally as solid, with some catchy melodies, and some brutal riffs to boot. The only problem with the guitars is that they could definitely be more technical. There is definitely potential here but the band don't seem to realise it fully. Technicality aside, for the most part the guitar playing is solid and catchy, resembling Primordial's 'To The Nameless Dead' at times.
Bass never seems to get a showing in black metal and there is pretty much no exception here, however it's nice to see the band give Stavenes the chance to make himself heard. It's just a shame that he doesn't capitalise on these opportunities by showing off the skill that he probably has. He is often drowned out and doesn't feature enough in the music to really be fully credited.
The drumming on the other hand, is intense. Theobald has some sick speed and stamina, as shown on 'Origin Of Sin' and 'Cyanide Storm' respectively. He also has technicality to boot, and can shift seamlessly from bashing the hell out of his kit to a more subdued melody. Theobald's drumming is the most prominent part of the music that the band has to offer, and it's also great (for me) to see that he's British!
Cello in black metal was always going to be a hit and miss thing in my opinion. At times the cello features in a suitable role, harmonising the music and also providing a wicked solo in the outro of 'My Curse'. At other times, however, it just feels out of place, and even sounds like bad feedback at times (especially on Shedim), and while there is potential, it again just isn't fully realised, which is truly a shame since the use of a cello in black metal is rare.
Minor problems aside, this is still a solid album with definite potential. Pantheon I have seemingly neglected the easy route in black metal, trying to incorporate more melody and accessibility than most of their counterparts. Some black metalheads may be turned off by this, but this is undoubtedly true black metal at heart with a view to doing something a little bit differently, and should definitely be listened to before it's judged.
Recommended tracks:
Cyanide Storm
Where Angels Burn
My Curse
Final Score:
4/5
