Pantheon I - Worlds I Create

October 19, 2009

Reviewer: J. A. Burt

Worlds I Create is the third album from Norway’s Pantheon I, a band comprised of three past and present members of 1349, and it’s an aggressive, hard hitting album of black metal blasting most likely to appeal to fans of 1349’s earlier, more fiery material.  The intensity begins immediately with “Myself Above All”, and scarcely lets up for the duration of the album. A cello is employed sporadically, lending a unique and morose atmosphere to tracks like “Serpent Christ”, but for the most part what we get are mid-tempo song intros quickly followed by frantic blastbeats and extremely fast black metal riffing. The drumming is spectacular for the genre, and the overtly satanic lyrics delivered in a mid-register snarl can be quite effective.  Unfortunately, the songs aren’t very distinguishable from one another and thus the album seems to blur by the listener without really achieving memorable status, with the notable exception of album highlight “Ascending” which features an outstanding clean vocal guest appearance by Katatonia’s Jonas Renkse.  His haunting, emotional delivery, pared with the cello’s melancholy droning really does the album a great service.  “Burn the Cross” with its churning middle section is another example of the band at its best.  In all, Worlds I Create is a competent effort, with fine musicianship and passable songwriting, but with an unavoidable likeness to a much less catchy Keep of Kalessin.  By no means terrible, but mostly lacking much to warrant repeated listens.

Release Date: July 28th, 2009
Label: Candlelight Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Myself Above All
2.  Defile the Trinity
3.  Serpent Christ
4.  Ascending
5.  Burn The Cross
6.  Bannlyst
7.  The Last Stand
8.  Written In Sand

Total playing time: 47:30

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