Review by Alex on October 25, 2019.

What better way to start your day than with some evil voice in your ear speaking of dark mysteries and the dread awaiting within a catacomb somewhere. You don’t need to look far for that kind of coldness these days and Pestilength take advantage of the apparatus to produce such a work of immense suffering. Pestilength’s 2019 EP, Demend offers a charm those under the cavernous death doom spell will recognize without trouble. Whatever is being conjured here comes with the foul reek of motionlessness. Never heard of this unit before but I'm glad I have; they deliver a crawling, blood-curdling creature lying below the crush of gravity. This countdown before you tumble to tormenting depths, plays like a moldy boulder settling on a flower; no air available, no light, not even the will to survive exists; all things bright and beautiful destroyed by the immeasurable, unmovable weight of this lifeless monolith taking a funereal toll.

You get four levels of albatross within in the span of 21 minutes; what you will find through the endurance is a density ever-mounting, progressively strengthening with each passing moment. Of most unsound mind and diabolical intentions, Pestilength calls upon a plague the likes of an Encoffination or Grave Upheaval would, with the odor of mildew and rot dragging on the gown of horror. Fed by the hands of peril, the crops here made indigestible, Demend is a drought most unforgiving in its magnitude and malign. A full length must be under the mud somewhere, can Pestilength produce 45 minutes of lachrymose and lawlessness draped in the milieu of fright, condemnation and despair?; such is left to be heard. Until then, rest worried by these 4 miseries taking form in ‘Slidrap Hwearf', ‘Demend Befylan’, 'Layering Continuum Unfleshing’ and 'Witnere'. Like excavating an ancient artifact or venturing into the uncharted regions of a once benevolent, advanced civilization, now tarnished and corrupted by the curse of corpses 1000-fold, Pestilength provide the hymns of a coming fall through Demend.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Felix on November 14, 2021.

Rasping guitars kick off the fourth full-length of the Swedish death metal institution and the shortcomings of Victory become obvious in a matter of seconds. Unleashed present a dragging one-tone-riff which does not sound bad but slightly uninspired and its only individual characteristic is the staccato design. Openers should be more or less representative for the entire work and Juohnny Hedlund and his comrades have internalized this principle. But this is exactly the problem of Victory in view of the acceptable yet somewhat stale 'Victims Of War'. Okay, the guy of the German Rock Hard magazine was writing about "the ultimate Unleashed album", but this crude fanboy could not be taken seriously.

Tracks like 'Hail The New Age' or 'The Defender' have it pretty cushy as well without reaching the "hit factor" that characterises their former hymns such as 'The Immortals'. Primitive, predictable song patterns and a significant lack of combativeness result in simply boring parts, although the songs do not shine with opulence. Even the comparatively large-sized 'Precious Land' does not suffer from overlength, but its five minutes are really hard to endure. The band celebrates itself, its origin and nature, but nothing happens in terms of music. A minimum of standard riffs are offered at a snail's pace. Odin, help them! But I fear this old geezer falls victim to a short nap as soon as the slow motion riffs set in. Enviable!

Due to whatever reason, occasionally Unleashed break out of their tiring scheme. 'Scream Forth Aggression' shows that the guys still know how to write exciting speed tunes. The guitars provide pressure, the drummer is unleashed and even Johnny's voice shines with a proper amount of belligerence. Double bass attacks and sharp riffs ensure that the listener awakes from her or his coma. Well, this might be not fair. With the exception of real downers like the aforementioned 'Precious Land', Victory can fairly rely on solid ('Berserk'), sometimes furious ('Revenge') songs. Nevertheless, the guys were not kissed by inspiration during the making of this album. Really exciting ideas are missing, everything is held simple, or, to be honest, overly simple. The playtime of 34 minutes also does not indicate an overkill of creative thoughts.

Across The Open Sea delivered very catchy songs that had nearly a pop appeal and perhaps the band had the intention to turn the clock back, at least to a certain extent. Thus, the material is reduced to the essentials and does not put the focus on catchiness. But penetrating power, vehemence and rigidity are missing. What remains is nothing else but a mediocre album with a slightly dull and lifeless sound. Please do not ask for infectious or stimulating parts, because they are a rare asset here. The once furious group acts like exhausted craftsmen, not like ambitious artists. Therefore, I guess it's time to leave Victory to its own devices.

Rating: 5.7 out of 10

Review by Tomek on March 24, 2014.

Noctem are a blackened death metal band from Valencia – Spain. Exilium is their latest effort and the last part of the conceptual trilogy that also contains albums Divinity and Oblivion. I haven’t had the chance to listen to the previous two, but after Exilium I’m bound to get all three in my collection. Noctem strikes me as a band complete, a band with a clear vision and passion for extreme. Music, imagery, lyrics, attire- everything meshes into an absolute brute ready to conquer and reign.

I have to admit that while listening to the intro I was a little skeptical. It wasn’t that I was expecting anything after being introduced to the album by sheer power of Eidolon, it sounded good but it didn’t sound evil enough for me. The feeling got quickly erased with the first riffs and a sound of guitar from the first track and I have to say that from that point I knew that this album is going to be belligerent, demolishing and enticing. Listening to the album for the last couple of days showed me that Noctem is ready to lead the pack. Everything here has its place and everything that happens, happens for a reason. Guitar sound is something that catches you by the ear and I don’t think there is anybody out there that sounds even remotely similar. It’s not just the sound though; riffs and melodies are intertwined with majestic choirs; acoustic melodies and grandiose orchestrations are pieced together to build this extreme creature that seems to want to swallow you whole once you get close to it. Remarkably tight drumming and fat rumble of the bass are brilliantly positioned in the mix to accentuate and somewhat spotlight the demonic and brutally exquisite vocals. All of it recorded with an astonishing quality and unquestionably ready to make your ears bleed. Noctem created an album that is a soundtrack to destruction, carnage and murder. If two earlier releases are anything like the piece I have here, the whole trilogy is something that any metalhead is going to be bound to check out if not own.

If it comes to extreme kinds of metal Noctem’s Exilium is a masterpiece that is going to be the one to match in the future. Very intelligent and exquisitely aggressive, it showcases the band in its prime. Extreme metal supported by strong lyrics, demonic imagery and warpath attire. A band that is ready to sit on the blackest throne and rule all.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

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

Rating: 8.6 out of 10