Review by Felix on May 2, 2019.

Black thrash metal is one of the filthiest species in the entire metalized cosmos and Nifelheim demonstrate their dirt with pride. The production sounds somewhat flat? So what! This sub-genre bastard has never been interested in high fidelity. Fools like me wish that the mix would hold a little bit more depth, but we take it as it comes. Great albums have always entered the throne due to their song material and not (only) in view of an outstanding production. But that's definitely the crux of the matter. I have to admit that Servants of Darkness will never be a pretender to the throne, albeit this is not to say that the full-length sucks.

Nifelheim possess a certain dose of meanness and perfidy and they don't hesitate to take these features as the main pillars of their musical offering. On the one hand, this reflects the remarkable integrity of the musicians who seem to play the style they really prioritize. On the other hand, the unspoken question is: and what about the riffs? Well, Nifelheim show a solid performance, but there are not many sequences that urge me to press the repeat button. "Black Evil" creates a violent maelstrom and many further tracks have some good moments, although their riffing lies sometimes in close proximity to each other. However, the outstanding hit does not show up. The staccato of "The Bestial Avenger", to mention another example, has a certain charm, but all in all it's just a good track whose single parts do not always go hand in hand. The title track marks another very acceptable tune. Nonetheless, even a deaf man will realize that its introduction and the guitar work are heavily inspired by Venom's "Lady Lust", the lead vocals, equipped with a lot of reverb on it, sound during the verses like Quorthon (R.I.P.) in "Hades". These influences are neither a unique selling point nor a shame, I just want to make clear that the last bit of creativity is mostly missing.

On a positive note, no song lacks violence or vehemence. Every now and then, a crooked guitar solo appears, and it seems as if it wants to revitalize the dead on the local cemetery. The entire full-length has a slightly dissonant touch and I guess that the Swedish gang shares Darkthrone's (former) point of view: black metal must be ugly. In alignment with this motto, the vocalist adds a proper quantum of insanity, not only in the chorus of the closer, and therefore I am not speaking about a mediocre or even bad output. I just cannot ignore the feeling that Nifelheim could have done it much better, because all conditions had been fulfilled when it came to the crunch: competent and pretty experienced musicians, a promising style, the right attitude. Be that as it may, Servants of Darkness is a stable work and filthy enough to be worshipped by some maniacs. And filth, I have mentioned it in the first paragraph, is truly an important detail in terms of black thrash.

Rating: 7.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on May 2, 2019.

Black thrash metal is one of the filthiest species in the entire metalized cosmos and Nifelheim demonstrate their dirt with pride. The production sounds somewhat flat? So what! This sub-genre bastard has never been interested in high fidelity. Fools like me wish that the mix would hold a little bit more depth, but we take it as it comes. Great albums have always entered the throne due to their song material and not (only) in view of an outstanding production. But that's definitely the crux of the matter. I have to admit that Servants of Darkness will never be a pretender to the throne, albeit this is not to say that the full-length sucks.

Nifelheim possess a certain dose of meanness and perfidy and they don't hesitate to take these features as the main pillars of their musical offering. On the one hand, this reflects the remarkable integrity of the musicians who seem to play the style they really prioritize. On the other hand, the unspoken question is: and what about the riffs? Well, Nifelheim show a solid performance, but there are not many sequences that urge me to press the repeat button. "Black Evil" creates a violent maelstrom and many further tracks have some good moments, although their riffing lies sometimes in close proximity to each other. However, the outstanding hit does not show up. The staccato of "The Bestial Avenger", to mention another example, has a certain charm, but all in all it's just a good track whose single parts do not always go hand in hand. The title track marks another very acceptable tune. Nonetheless, even a deaf man will realize that its introduction and the guitar work are heavily inspired by Venom's "Lady Lust", the lead vocals, equipped with a lot of reverb on it, sound during the verses like Quorthon (R.I.P.) in "Hades". These influences are neither a unique selling point nor a shame, I just want to make clear that the last bit of creativity is mostly missing.

On a positive note, no song lacks violence or vehemence. Every now and then, a crooked guitar solo appears, and it seems as if it wants to revitalize the dead on the local cemetery. The entire full-length has a slightly dissonant touch and I guess that the Swedish gang shares Darkthrone's (former) point of view: black metal must be ugly. In alignment with this motto, the vocalist adds a proper quantum of insanity, not only in the chorus of the closer, and therefore I am not speaking about a mediocre or even bad output. I just cannot ignore the feeling that Nifelheim could have done it much better, because all conditions had been fulfilled when it came to the crunch: competent and pretty experienced musicians, a promising style, the right attitude. Be that as it may, Servants of Darkness is a stable work and filthy enough to be worshipped by some maniacs. And filth, I have mentioned it in the first paragraph, is truly an important detail in terms of black thrash.

Rating: 7.2 out of 10

Review by Denis on April 29, 2003.

Third album from a band that was formed in 1990 by Tyrant, Demon and Hellbutcher (original and scary names...) who did some rehearsals when not doing hellish orgies of drunken debauchery and deviant behavior... This is from the band bio. Is this a joke or what? Look at these guys; are they some kind of heavy metal puppet or something? I don't have much respect for a band that just send 'Fuck Off' as a message to everyone out there.

What's on this CD? Infernal death vomit vocals with necrodevestation bass and violent drum disaster! (This is the actual description found in the booklet). The perfect mixture for all frustrated pimpled teenagers out there. I'm too old for this kind of shit... Fast, repetitive songs, usually simple and short and mostly very similar. The only thing interesting is the lead guitar, not really for its originality but it sounds good and is being pretty well played. A couple of songs are worth mentioning and it is 'Bestial Avenger' and 'War of Doom' for not being as trashy as the rest and showing some writing abilities. The rest is mostly the same kind of fast crap redone slightly differently with lyrics sang by a pig being slaughtered that nobody understands anyway so what the fuck! You must be in this type of thing I guess to appreciate it but for me, this is just a joke.

Bottom Line: Have a good look at the band site before getting involved!

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 5
Atmosphere: 2
Originality: 3
Production: 6
Overall: 2

Rating: 3.6 out of 10

Review by Denis on April 29, 2003.

Third album from a band that was formed in 1990 by Tyrant, Demon and Hellbutcher (original and scary names...) who did some rehearsals when not doing hellish orgies of drunken debauchery and deviant behavior... This is from the band bio. Is this a joke or what? Look at these guys; are they some kind of heavy metal puppet or something? I don't have much respect for a band that just send 'Fuck Off' as a message to everyone out there.

What's on this CD? Infernal death vomit vocals with necrodevestation bass and violent drum disaster! (This is the actual description found in the booklet). The perfect mixture for all frustrated pimpled teenagers out there. I'm too old for this kind of shit... Fast, repetitive songs, usually simple and short and mostly very similar. The only thing interesting is the lead guitar, not really for its originality but it sounds good and is being pretty well played. A couple of songs are worth mentioning and it is 'Bestial Avenger' and 'War of Doom' for not being as trashy as the rest and showing some writing abilities. The rest is mostly the same kind of fast crap redone slightly differently with lyrics sang by a pig being slaughtered that nobody understands anyway so what the fuck! You must be in this type of thing I guess to appreciate it but for me, this is just a joke.

Bottom Line: Have a good look at the band site before getting involved!

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 5
Atmosphere: 2
Originality: 3
Production: 6
Overall: 2

Rating: 3.6 out of 10

Review by Felix on August 14, 2022.

I like black metal albums whose first notes immediately create a creepy atmosphere. They give me the good feeling that I am not wasting my time. Egrégore, the second full-length of its creators, belongs to these works. A sinister guitar chord promises despair and depression, but don’t think of whiny suicidal crap. 'In Umbra et Luce' does not neglect a dense brutality and the gapless production radiates a disturbing horror. It may be that the semi-legendary Nehёma are an influence for Bâ'a, for example at the beginning of the cold and vehement 'Domitor'. In any case, the icy high-speed episodes remind me of the old masters from Chambéry.

Nevertheless, just like any other French black metal band, Bâ'a do not present slavish imitations. Rather true is that they have an enormous portion of individuality. The general approach focuses on cruelty, inter alia because of the insane tempo, the intense guitars and the mostly distorted voice. Yet there are also moments of tranquillity where the fragile-sounding French language provides a contrast. Either way, the outbursts of raging misanthropy characterize the six songs of this album and even the less tumultuous sections are free from any signs of hope. The very well staged beginning of the slowly crawling 'Fames' provides evidence and opens the gates to a dimension of total hopelessness.

Bâ'a don’t do many mistakes and they do not run out of ideas. All songs are cleverly arranged, neither half-baked nor boring. Okay, at the end of 'Bellum', an echoing sound effect goes wrong and gives the song a somehow unnatural colour. But generally speaking, each and every second of the 42 minutes offers the option to drown in pure blackness. This is black metal that comes from the underground or even below, not in terms of the professional production, but with regard to the dedication of the artists. They must be extremely good actors, if this performance is not based on conviction and honest enthusiasm for the music they play. To create such a monolithic record is nothing for weekend maniacs, because it has style, depth and sustainability. You can be sure that you will not forget this musical content as soon as the album has come to its end. Moreover, Bâ’a have kept an eye on the entire package. Both the simple, colourless artwork and dignified design of the booklet express their stylish approach visually. The artwork, for instance, shows death in a very cautious way – nevertheless, it cannot be misunderstood. Thus, I admit that this work takes me to the core, the essence and the blazing fire of the sub-genre. Hopefully, you make a similar experience with this output.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10