Countess - Official Website
On Wings Of Defiance |
Netherlands
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Review by JD on May 15, 2012.
I was thinking back to my high school days. I was a huge fan of bands like Venom and Bathory and I was not with the mainstream of metal at the time - you know the type, the commercial, watered down and over hyped bands that looked more like girls than dudes. I wore the leathers, had spikes and had a blue jean jacket-turned-into-a-vest over it with patches galore. Now I wear leather and long hair but not the spikes, and have a family, yet the old school metal that I love formed me into a true adult.
Dutch one man Black Metal Countess have always been known for serving up bold and unabashed old school styled Black Metal like Venom, Bathory with a little hint of very old Grave Digger put in. On their new album "On Wings Of Defiance", they do all of that and then some with this evil glee. With gigantic brutality and stripped down malevolency, Countess brings to bare the original Black Metal that has not lost the elements of Thrash and Hardcore that the originators started with - and then they puts their spin on it.
You cannot go wrong listening to the old school BM like the tracks 'Emperor’s Stand' and 'Night Of The Demon' - no fancy symphonic or raging blast beats here, but diabolic melodies and explosive riffs that are simple yet straight to the point. The star track on this album has to be the Venom cover 'In League With Satan', done so dirty and nasty with their own little twist to it, while paying the perfect respect to the legendary Brits. It is, amazing.
Countess may not be musically technical like some, but the power and passion that Orlok - the only member- brings will pull you. He shows that old school Black Metal still is a powerful force, and done right still matches up with any other style of metal out there. My message to Mr. Orlok is a simple one... it is simply thanks.
Categorical Rating Breakdown
Musicianship: 8 (simple is good)
Atmosphere: 9.5
Production: 8
Originality: 7.5
Overall: 9
Rating: 8.4 out of 10