VS: A Battle of Blasphemy
Since the creation and popularity of metal, there have been countless debates amongst fans, critics and artists about which band or album is better than another. From the old debate of Megadeth vs. Metallica, Iron Maiden vs. Judas Priest, and so on. Was Master of Puppets better than Rust in Peace? Was this era of the band better than the current? Its a fascinating thing to discuss. To not only get people’s opinions or thoughts on a band or album, but to why they think one is better than the other. And that’s where the idea of VS came from. Each month, I will look at two iconic or legendary albums from two metal bands and see which one, in my opinion, is the better album. Hoping to also inspire people to re-listen to these albums that maybe they haven’t heard in awhile, blinded by nostalgia, and/or give their thoughts on if they agree with me or disagree with me and why.
For this edition, we are dawning our corpse paint, screaming to our dark lord Satan and making churches nervous and checking their insurance policies. As we are tackling the infamous genre of black metal. A genre that rose in popularity and infamy during it’s second wave in the 90’s, the genre has become a cornerstone in the extreme metal scene. With it’s occult imagery, blasphemic lyrics and recognizable goblin shrieking vocals. Today, I am focusing on two bands that were potentially two of the most influential bands in the second wave of black metal. Some would even say two of the “Big 4” of black metal. Bands that left their influence on the scene from their offstage actions, their iconic imagery and album artwork, and music that would lay the groundwork for a lasting legacy in not only Norwegian black metal, but black metal as a whole.
First, we have the infamous band Mayhem with their 1994 debut De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. Meaning “The Mysteries of The Lord Satan”, this record has been cited as one of the most influential records in the genre. With its music mainly being played by the two band members, guitarist Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth and drummer Jan Axel “Hellhammer” Blomberg. The band hired two people to join the band to record the band’s debut, vocalist Attila Csihar, who replaced original vocalist Per "Dead" Ohlin who committed suicide in 1991 before the recording of the album. The band also added bassist Varg “Count Grishnackh” Vikernes. Vikernes bass playing credit was removed on behalf of the family of Euronymous after Vikernes was convicted of brutally murdering Euronymous in 1993. What makes this album standout among the cavalcade of releases during that time? Why is this cited by many critics and fans as the “quintessential black metal release”?
The album opens with “Funeral Fog”. Opening with buzzsaw sounding tremolo guitar and driving blast beats with light bass playing in the background. The album showcases the cliché black metal sound of a demo/rough mix sounding production style. The vocals of Csihar, who is one of the most unique vocalists in black metal even today, delivers such a wide and eclectic range throughout this song. Ranging from weird goblin vocal interpretations, fused with a Dave Mustaine from Megadeth snarl, while also including Tibetan throat singing in the delivery throughout. Drums punch in the mix when the tom fills hit, and overall is almost the blueprint of what black metal is and would sound like.
Following that track is my favorite track from the band “Freezing Moon”. Booming drums on the toms start the song with ominous and brooding guitars. Building a demonic, atmospheric tone, combined with a simple, slow drum section through the intro. The vocals finally kick in at two-minutes, where Csihar’s vocals are mixed better than the album opener. Showcasing his dynamic voice much better. Also continuing with a more diverse vocal range and creativity along to the macabre of the music. The song even includes a guitar solo by Euronymous shredding through a mountain of distortion and feedback. An iconic track in the black metal genre and when you listen to it, you can hear why it was so influential to the genre.
Tracks like “Pagan Fears” & “Cursed To Eternity” continue the band’s pummeling take on black metal. Drums shine and are plentiful pn the record. With consistent blast beats, and echoing drum fills, aided by the reverbed guitars of Euronymous, the band began to realize they were on to something special with this release. All the way to the album’s title track and album closer. This was a defining record, in not only black metal, but metal as a whole. I wonder what could have been if original vocalist Dead was still in the band. Mainly because his vocals were a signature of the band at the time until his death. Also, if Euronymous was still alive, and if this lineup could have continued, what they would have sounded like. The world may never know.
In this opposite corner, we have one of the longest running black metal bands from that scene, fellow Norwegians Darkthrone with their second album, 1992’s A Blaze in The Northern Sky. This record would be the band’s first foray into black metal. Changing from the death metal-heavy sound of their 1991 debut Soulside Journey. The band, Ted “Nocturno Culto” Skjellum and Gylve “Fenriz” Nagell, is still going strong, and have changed metal genres since this release up to their current and 20th album released last year, It Beckons Us All…. With A Blaze in The Northern Sky, the band would continue their interpretation of black metal with this release and the next two releases. Dubbed by fans and musical historians as “The Unholy Trilogy”. With 1993’s Under A Funeral Moon & 1994’s Transylvanian Hunger. With these releases, these records helped fuse and create the black metal sound we know today. Even helping cement the sound of the second wave of black metal and further helping push other variants like raw black metal and even blackened thrash.
Opening with “Kathaarian Life Code”, a ten-and-a-half-minute journey of the unholiest. The song starts with ambience and atmosphere, chanting, booming drum parts and snarling vocal bits by Nocturno Culto. A vocal delivery that almost sounds like he is being choked while snarling, before the music kicks in. The blast beat proto-black metal sound, with tremolo guitar playing hitting the listener hard. Breaking the ambience and atmosphere. With vocals in a cavernous amount of reverb, the anguish and shrieking in the vocals. Delivering the traditional black metal sound that is a trademark and is an audio adventure throughout all ten minutes worth.
The next track, and my favorite track off the record, is “In the Shadow of The Horns”. This song is the DEFINITION of lo-fi production and I love it. Vocals and guitars are drenched in reverb with over-saturated distorted guitars, combined with some actual chugging at the 1:50 mark, is a nice mix-up. Guitar playing is prominent on the track, with the drums toned down in the mix. Compared to the previous song. The song also has a reminiscent sound of Venom, one of the prominent figures in the first wave of black metal, can be heard throughout certain parts of the album. The song ends with an interesting, almost avant-garde move by adding clean/acoustic guitars and synths over the blast beats and distorted guitar section. Adding a dungeon synth like quality to the track, before closing the track out in traditional black metal style.
Songs like “Where Cold Winds Blow” continue the stereotypical black metal aesthetics, and showcase more of the raw production. The album’s title track has a strong opening with driving guitars and impressive fast-paced drumming from Fenriz. Continued traits of Venom are showcased again. The album closes with the song “The Pagan Winter” which has guitars covered in reverb & delay that add to the slower, mid-tempo track in the middle before speeding back up to match the vocals with shrieking and gutturals that are enhanced by the reverb. Closing out the record with that demonic feel that the band was aiming for. Showcasing why they are one of the torchbearers of the second wave of black metal, along with the genre itself.
Mayhem’s late vocalist Per "Dead" Ohlin, whose lyrics appeared on the band’s debut
After listening to both records, summoning Satan and pouring water over the ashes of the burned-down church, which band had the better record? For this matchup, I would declare Mayhem’s debut De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas as the winner of this matchup. This album has so much influence on the black metal scene. A faster paced and chaotic album. I can hear the legacy of the record, the eerieness knowing what would happen following the release of the album and the infamy it would befall the band. Strong, abrasive guitars and insane drumming, it truly is a classic record in extreme metal and a record you must hear at least once. My only gripe with the record is I love Attila Csihar’s vocals on a lot of his other projects like his work with Sunn O))) & Tormentor, but I think his vocals on this debut could have been more refined. As well as the delivery could have been executed better in certain parts on the record. Darkthrone still is an amazing band, and this record and Transylvanian Hunger are in my top 5 of go-to black metal albums. Their discography, and genre-juggling, is an impressive act of musicianship and diversity. They are still a band to check out for black metal and deserves all the credit they get for being an influence in the black metal scene. Both bands are true “kvlt” black metal and worth a deep-dive into their discography to see the evolution of both bands. From the genre-hopping that Darkthrone would do on releases later in their discography, to the industrial, avant-garde elements Mayhem would do on their follow-up record with new vocalist Maniac.
