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Brazilian black metal finds a voice in Despot’s Synagogue of the Antichrist demo from last year. I must admit that this demo captures the essence of the Scandinavian sound quite nicely, pretty much to a tee, in fact.

The raw ‘necro’ sound is here, but is has just a touch of polish to make it passable for both parties of black metal fandom. Sure, it’s typical and completely part of the overall demographic that makes up that sound, but sometimes even the latest jumpers-on can come up with a winner and Despot utilizes the influence of the masters to produce two quality songs that aren’t exactly the ‘coldest’ offerings I’ve heard, but they hold up against some of the contemporaries of the genre. What I do like is long before the song gets old and beats a riff to death the songs move along to the next effort, making it an even flow and just enough to whet the appetite accordingly. The vocals are very basic black metal, so nothing really flips a quarter there, but it’s good for what it is in its basest form.

All in all, not a bad effort where most of this music falls apart from the wagon being overloaded with bodies vying for a piece of history that will never come.
Agartha, Despot, Looking Down & Starve
June 25, 2011
CHRIS
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Agartha - V Demo
Nashville brings us Agartha, an ambient one-man metal project that I deem more black metal than this ‘post-black’ tag going around now because, frankly, I refuse to use it until it’s absolutely spot-on tag worthy. While these demos are certainly along the lines of such a tagline, it’s not all-encompassing so I leave it to your individual persuasions.

Okay, right off the bat this is one of the better intros to a song I’ve heard in some time. It’s sorrowed and deep without all of the contrived designs usually adorned all over a piece of music. It reminds me of Brandon Lee’s character sitting on the roof playing his guitar in The Crow, but don’t let such a comparison throw you; this music is just and very well-crafted. Once the song hits your ears it’s an unmistakable sojourn into a vast underworld of cold and brilliant wonderment. It’s not ‘black’ for the sake of black; rather it delves into the recesses of shadowy hiding places and digs out your fears and trepidations. “Eleven Shadows of Ahasuerus” is a piece of music that doesn’t cause feelings of dread, hence the post-black tag might well settle among the dust here. It has a positive feel amidst a torrent of dismalness, which is pretty rare to capture in one sitting. With “Council of God” we have a follow-up to its predecessor track in regards to overall somber feel while not finding comfort in depressive or downtrodden emotions. It’s a relatively ‘happy’ mix of two worlds that, in theory, should never marry. However, opposites attract so when it works, don’t question it. 

I’ve read that Adam Phillips, the man behind the vision here, began this venture as a ‘musical and philosophical outlet’, and let me tell you this band is of high mental prowess. The music here is not basic black metal with some abhorrent keyboards thrown over or under for filler noise. Every piece of music here is part and parcel with the next time change, meshing perfectly with the atmosphere created. Adam, fine effort, my friend. I look forward to hearing the full-length soon (currently available via their bandcamp page).
Despot - Synagogue of the Antichrist
Release Date:  2010
Label: Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1.  From Beyond the Jordan  2.  The Eleventh King        
-     Total playing time: 11:41
Release Date:  March 1, 2011
Label: Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1.  The Cry of Aggni  2.  Eleven Shadows of Ahasuerus 
3.  Council of God (Genesis 1:26)     -    Total playing time: 17:15
DEMO version is no longer available but DOWNLOAD the full-length V from the band's bandcamp page (click on link above).
Starve finds its way to my battered desk via the Netherlands and issues a sludge/doom effort that defines some totally disfigured metal music. I must say I’m not a huge fan of this genre, but I really like the groove this band is dealing out in massive chord assaults.

The vocal is throaty, disgruntled barking that is clear and doesn’t appear forced or phoned in; it’s a natural sort of delivery that fits the sludge role perfectly. When combined with some powering riffing and really good drumming, the swampy, murky feel to the tracks is really illuminating, to say the least. Even for an old fart like me that isn’t huge into this movement, the music sticks in your craw for some time after, especially the riff in “Preachers without Faith”, which is about as close to a Blue Cheer/Sabbath-on-‘ludes feel as it gets. There’s really some classic stuff on here that has a whole new spin for the modern era, and since the band has its first full-length out now, they may want to consider sending us a copy because I’d gladly like to hear what the band has moved on to in a larger form.

If you dig you sludge about as filthy as a West Virginia watering hole in August, then this is for you, so get dirty and enjoy!    
Looking Down - Negative Radiance
Suicidal black metal from California.

I’m sorry, but when I think of depressive, life-ending black metal I never, ever think of California. Still, that fails to deter me from giving a band a proper, unbiased listen to see what exactly their music is like.

So I’m listening to Looking Down’s Negative Radiance demo and finding the music really stagnating after two minutes, give or take 30 seconds. The vocal style in the title track is defused yelling in a sort of rasp that doesn’t sound pained or depressed at all. To be honest, it sounds forced and rehearsed. As for the music, as I said that damn pattern-riff that is something Burzum might have left on the Det Som Engang Var cutting room floor. There’s simply nothing here that makes me want to continue to hear that same ineffectual riff over and over to the point that it sticks in my head so intently that I consider suicide for that reason alone. The second track begins with yet another contrived scream and actually gets me laughing out loud, so…yeah, this about does it for me. Varg Vikernes doesn’t use these trite vocals anymore, so enough already! They worked for about 10 minutes in 1992 and that was that…and he is Norwegian! Not a damn palm tree or beach tan around for miles; that I guarantee.

Nothing in these two long tracks carries any real weight; it sort of settles into your head as background music for typing out a review you shouldn’t be typing in the first place because the music is nothing short of boring. They do get 1.5 for somewhat proper tuning, anyway.    
   
Starve - Demo MMX
Release Date:  January 2010
Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1.  Stuck  2.  Homesick  3.  Preachers Without Faith 
4.  Einzelganger     -    Total playing time:  16:26
For a copy of Demo MMX, contact the band via their  myspace page (click on link above).
Release Date:  November 2010
Label: Funeral Rain

TRACK LISTING:
1.  Negative Radiance  2.  Unfurled Dead Limbs
-    Total playing time: 18:50
For a copy of Negative Radiance, contact the band via their  myspace page (click on link above).
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DOWNLOAD Synagogue of the Antichrist (and other stuff) free from the band's official website: Despot
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