Review by George on February 26, 2020.

If there's one word to describe Thrawsunblat's third full length offering, that word is atmosphere. There's so much to get lost in and a full hour to do so. The muddy production matches the atmosphere perfectly, allowing the instruments to form a thick, impenetrable wall of sound yet still remain catchy and emotional. The composition is flawless; clean vocals and soft passages are placed exactly where the atmosphere needs changing to tell an epic tale of adventure, sorrow and discovery. The best example of this comes at the end of track four. 'Hypochthonic Remnants' is one of the more intense songs on the album, telling of a "post-terranean vastland" where humanity has been taken over by technology and lost its touch with nature. But in the final moments, the mood completely changes as a slower ambience takes us to a peaceful forest where we can finally "shrug off the wires and in cool cedar air, think with forgotten clarity." This is one of the most chilling moments on any metal album I've heard; every time I hear it, it takes me through the emotions of finding solace in a bleak age, of forgetting the woes of modern times and through nature remembering what humans are meant to be.

The way harsh and clean vocals are contrasted on Metachthonia is simply astounding. One moment you'll be immersed in a dark, menacing atmosphere supported by fast riffs and despairing, blackened shrieks, and the next you'll be singing along to a catchy folk chorus. In fact, this goes beyond just vocals. It's incredible how flawlessly Thrawsunblat combine black metal riffs, soft folk passages and even the occasional few seconds of silence to serve as a transition between movements.

When some types of metalheads hear the words 'atmospheric black', they think of a boring slog of an album where one track can't be told apart from another. Every song on Metachthonia, however, has at least one element to make it stand out from the rest. Examples include the second movement of 'She Who Names the Stars', a verse which grows and grows in intensity, constantly on the verge of a dramatic climax but not quite getting there (which makes it so much more satisfying when it does, about four lines after you first thought it was going to) and Rae Amitay's stunning vocal contributions in 'Dead of Winter'. Seriously, these nine minutes alone make me respect Rae as the best female vocalist in metal and one of the best overall. Part of me wishes she'd sung on more parts of this album than just two movements of track 3, but I realize that would reduce the impact her vocals have, so it's probably best her contributions were limited in the way they were. Finally, 'In Mist We Walk' contains a flurry of triumphant solos, ending the album on an epic note.

To conclude, I firmly believe Metachthonia is one of the top five metal albums ever recorded, an essential listen for any fan of black metal. Do yourself a favor and listen to this masterpiece.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Adam on July 1, 2002.

Construcdead's debut record "Repent" bursts through your system's speakers like a nuclear explosion! Musically, it displays a potent mixture of melodic death and thrash metal, which closely rivals that of bands such as The Haunted. However, Construcdead is a far more aggressive beast than the aforementioned band. With four demos behind their belt already, Construcdead was more than ready to record their debut album when the time came. What we have here is a sharp and focused melodic thrash disc from a band poised to become part of the extreme metal elite.

Many bands that perform melodic metal have a problem with creating an overall heavy record while trying not to sacrifice the melody of the music. In Construcdead's case, the overall feel of "Repent" is consistently brutal and aggressive, yet within almost every furious riff lies an undeniable melody. In songs such as ‘My Undying Hate’ and ‘The Rain’, the band create extremely catchy guitar hooks while still keeping their violent aura in tact.

One of the interesting things about "Repent" are the vocals. In a way they remind me of Johan Liiva, previously of Arch Enemy, as they are very brutal but you can more or less understand what he is saying. The guitarists of Construcdead are serious riff masters pulling out memorable guitar lines from left and right. The bass really helps add to the heavy feel of the record, while not taking away from the melodic attack of the guitars. The drumming is very entertaining on "Repent". Usually when you have thrash songs there are few places you can go when you are a drummer, but this guy really does a good job of filling in the spaces well with awesome tom fills and grooving double bass.

As with nearly every debut release, there are always areas that could use improvement. With "Repent", however, I am truly at a loss for words. I am anxious to see where these guys go next. They have shown here that they can hang with the best of them and I am hoping to see them expand on the foundation they have built with their debut. If you are a fan of melodic thrash music, then this is definitely a must have for your metal collection. It will have your head banging the whole way through!

Bottom Line: The Haunted better look out!

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 8
Originality: 6
Overall: 8

Rating: 8 out of 10