This album is the first release from the legendary Dissection. One of the corner stones of modern melodic extreme metal, this album absolutely delivers in the form of thrilling leads and harmonies yet with a more brutal approach to the music. Released in 1993 on No Fashion records, the lineup is
Jon Nödtveidt : Vocals, electric and acoustic guitars
John Zwetsloot : Electric and classical guitars
Peter Palmdahl : Bass
Ole Öhman : Drums
Tracklisting
Black Horizons
The Somberlain
Crimson Towers
A Land Forlorn
Heaven's Damnation
Frozen
Into Infinite Obscurity
In The Cold Winds Of Nowhere
The Grief Prophecy / Shadows Over A Lost Kingdom
Mistress Of The Bleeding Sorrow
Feathers Fell
This album perfectly represents the saying "Float like a butterfly, Sting like a Bee." The way the guitars of Nodtveidt and Zwetsloot intertwine to make intricate harmonies and brutal tremelo picking riffs makes this album something highly untouched. The drumming here is perfect for such an album, not as technical as 'Storm of the Light's Bane' but is in no need to be.
The vocals throughout the album are harsh but yet perfect for the melodic feel of this album.
With songs like The Somberlain and In the Cold winds of Nowhere the band shows off their ability to play melodic music while not losing the atmosphere that Dissection is now known for. Even the rare Dissection solo is present in 'In the Cold Winds of Nowhere.'
With songs like Frozen and Black Horizons Dissection breaks down their music from epic and melodic to extremely heavy with no pause to take prisoners. They show absolutely no mercy with this attack of melody and slower, heavy atmosphere. This album does not leave anything to be speculated about, the leads here are all wound into the songs with extreme care for such an extreme album.
Dissection uses every talent each member of this band has in the songs Crimson Towers, Into Infinite Obscurity and Feathers Fell. These tracks consist of John Zwetsloot playing classical guitar, and if i do say so my self (and i will because it is my review), he does it excellently.
Do not be fooled, this album, while it is similiar to 'Storm of the Light's Bane' is alot different. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing. This being Dissections first album, the chemistry between the band is not in full bloom yet. The guitars blend with wonder together, as they do on the later 'Storm of the Light's Bane' but the drumming is more raw and simplistic, with less fills and less intense double bass action. It's your simple extreme metal drumming, there are no drum patterns specifically molded around riffs as there are on 'Storm of the Light's Bane.'
What we get with this release, is the first look at a more raw version of Dissection, exposing a more brutal, more guitar oriented version of one of the founders of Melodic Black metal. Jons vocals here are much more raw and unpolished than on 'Storm of the Light's Bane', this along with the more raw production give this album an atmosphere that really gets the blood pumping, the atmosphere from this album is summed up basically by the album cover. A blue type of Darkness.
Recomended Tracks
Black Horizons
The Somberlain
Frozen
In the cold winds of nowhere
And any of the classical songs mentioned in the review, they are short but a good listen nonetheless.
Overall, 4/5. An awesome foundation for the fathers of Melodic Black metal.
R.I.P. Jon
