Review by Michael on November 25, 2001.

What happened here? Did the name change really effect the bad this much? Well whatever The Kovenant did made all the difference to what was just another black-ish speed metal band. The now re-vamped sound has taken a more industrial metal angle, losing basically all of the elements familiar from previous releases, the new The Kovenant is very interesting indeed.

The first thing that is going to hit old Covenant fans is the speed of the music. Things have been slowed right down with this album, leaving the blast beats and speed sections behind and going for more rock and almost techno sounding beats at times. I think that with "Animatronic" the legendary Hellhammer has shown that he is a very diverse and versitile drummer indeed. With "Animatronic", keyboards, synth modules and samples have become the essense of the music. Every song is filled with various samples, noises and keyboard lines, which are all quite loud and control the entire atmosphere of the CD. The result is a emotionally unstable ride through one seriously messed up psyche. The guitars are ever present and do their job perfectly...but are quite low in the mix, indicating that they are not playing the dominant role in this recording.

Vocally there are two very distinct directions taken. There are the familiar harsh screams of lead singer Lex Icon (ex Dimmu Borgir bass player Nagash) and the soft operatic vocals of an professional older female singer who they brought in to give it an entirely new direction indeed. His vocals are the angry and disturbed side to the music, but as a complete contrast to everything the female vocals put a soft, beautiful and soothing touch on to the finished product which seriously alter the feeling gained by the listener. The production on this album is very good as far as arrangment and product ideas, but it is let down slightly by the mix which could have been clearer.

Favourite song(s): 'Human Abstract' and the brilliant ending track 'The Birth of Tragedy'.

Bottom Line: This is certainly a welcome change to what was a pretty average metal band. While this is a very good Industrial/Metal album in its own right, with a little more work The Kovenant could really stake their claim to the throne.

Rating: 7.3 out of 10

Review by Michael on November 25, 2001.

What happened here? Did the name change really effect the bad this much? Well whatever The Kovenant did made all the difference to what was just another black-ish speed metal band. The now re-vamped sound has taken a more industrial metal angle, losing basically all of the elements familiar from previous releases, the new The Kovenant is very interesting indeed.

The first thing that is going to hit old Covenant fans is the speed of the music. Things have been slowed right down with this album, leaving the blast beats and speed sections behind and going for more rock and almost techno sounding beats at times. I think that with "Animatronic" the legendary Hellhammer has shown that he is a very diverse and versitile drummer indeed. With "Animatronic", keyboards, synth modules and samples have become the essense of the music. Every song is filled with various samples, noises and keyboard lines, which are all quite loud and control the entire atmosphere of the CD. The result is a emotionally unstable ride through one seriously messed up psyche. The guitars are ever present and do their job perfectly...but are quite low in the mix, indicating that they are not playing the dominant role in this recording.

Vocally there are two very distinct directions taken. There are the familiar harsh screams of lead singer Lex Icon (ex Dimmu Borgir bass player Nagash) and the soft operatic vocals of an professional older female singer who they brought in to give it an entirely new direction indeed. His vocals are the angry and disturbed side to the music, but as a complete contrast to everything the female vocals put a soft, beautiful and soothing touch on to the finished product which seriously alter the feeling gained by the listener. The production on this album is very good as far as arrangment and product ideas, but it is let down slightly by the mix which could have been clearer.

Favourite song(s): 'Human Abstract' and the brilliant ending track 'The Birth of Tragedy'.

Bottom Line: This is certainly a welcome change to what was a pretty average metal band. While this is a very good Industrial/Metal album in its own right, with a little more work The Kovenant could really stake their claim to the throne.

Rating: 7.3 out of 10

Review by Michael on November 25, 2001.

What happened here? Did the name change really effect the bad this much? Well whatever The Kovenant did made all the difference to what was just another black-ish speed metal band. The now re-vamped sound has taken a more industrial metal angle, losing basically all of the elements familiar from previous releases, the new The Kovenant is very interesting indeed.

The first thing that is going to hit old Covenant fans is the speed of the music. Things have been slowed right down with this album, leaving the blast beats and speed sections behind and going for more rock and almost techno sounding beats at times. I think that with "Animatronic" the legendary Hellhammer has shown that he is a very diverse and versitile drummer indeed. With "Animatronic", keyboards, synth modules and samples have become the essense of the music. Every song is filled with various samples, noises and keyboard lines, which are all quite loud and control the entire atmosphere of the CD. The result is a emotionally unstable ride through one seriously messed up psyche. The guitars are ever present and do their job perfectly...but are quite low in the mix, indicating that they are not playing the dominant role in this recording.

Vocally there are two very distinct directions taken. There are the familiar harsh screams of lead singer Lex Icon (ex Dimmu Borgir bass player Nagash) and the soft operatic vocals of an professional older female singer who they brought in to give it an entirely new direction indeed. His vocals are the angry and disturbed side to the music, but as a complete contrast to everything the female vocals put a soft, beautiful and soothing touch on to the finished product which seriously alter the feeling gained by the listener. The production on this album is very good as far as arrangment and product ideas, but it is let down slightly by the mix which could have been clearer.

Favourite song(s): 'Human Abstract' and the brilliant ending track 'The Birth of Tragedy'.

Bottom Line: This is certainly a welcome change to what was a pretty average metal band. While this is a very good Industrial/Metal album in its own right, with a little more work The Kovenant could really stake their claim to the throne.

Rating: 7.3 out of 10

Review by Mario on May 13, 2008.

"For me the image is the band. It makes the music. Bands who have no image are dead. It destroys the feeling of the music." [Ornias, Mourning the Ancient interview]

Horns up!

This is my first encounter with Swedish Svartsyn' black art and all I know is they've been around since 1993, releasing albums with the help of very underground record labels. Only from reading various reviews have I learned their sound became more polished on this 2007 production.

Really?

As for me, the overall Necromorbus studio's final effect is devastating and the achieved rawness is of first class quality. As a reference point I reveal that bands like Watain, Funeral Mist or Nominion recorded their albums there, as well. It is as good as when I first got myself acquainted with Bathory's 80s albums, two Hades releases, or even Burzum initial works. No shit! There are few spine-electrifying moments like, for example, in the track titled 'Sanctus Satanas,’ or the middle section from ‘Tehom.’ The abyss-like spacious vocals must be coming out from the farthest levels of inferno, that's for sure. Here is no place for any virtuosity, no solos; the guitars expand hellish atmosphere thru riffs trance-like repeat-ness, and without using any keyboard wimpy notes it is a big accomplishment! I like the subterranean reverberations heard in drums excellent work.

Bestial shadows represented in simple but effective black/white/grey engravings make the cover representation interesting enough to grab this killer 40+ minutes long material.

For the maximum effect this black metal release should be experienced in total blackness!

Categorical Rating Breakdown:

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 9
Originality: 7
Production: 8
Overall: 8

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Mario on May 13, 2008.

"For me the image is the band. It makes the music. Bands who have no image are dead. It destroys the feeling of the music." [Ornias, Mourning the Ancient interview]

Horns up!

This is my first encounter with Swedish Svartsyn' black art and all I know is they've been around since 1993, releasing albums with the help of very underground record labels. Only from reading various reviews have I learned their sound became more polished on this 2007 production.

Really?

As for me, the overall Necromorbus studio's final effect is devastating and the achieved rawness is of first class quality. As a reference point I reveal that bands like Watain, Funeral Mist or Nominion recorded their albums there, as well. It is as good as when I first got myself acquainted with Bathory's 80s albums, two Hades releases, or even Burzum initial works. No shit! There are few spine-electrifying moments like, for example, in the track titled 'Sanctus Satanas,’ or the middle section from ‘Tehom.’ The abyss-like spacious vocals must be coming out from the farthest levels of inferno, that's for sure. Here is no place for any virtuosity, no solos; the guitars expand hellish atmosphere thru riffs trance-like repeat-ness, and without using any keyboard wimpy notes it is a big accomplishment! I like the subterranean reverberations heard in drums excellent work.

Bestial shadows represented in simple but effective black/white/grey engravings make the cover representation interesting enough to grab this killer 40+ minutes long material.

For the maximum effect this black metal release should be experienced in total blackness!

Categorical Rating Breakdown:

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 9
Originality: 7
Production: 8
Overall: 8

Rating: 8 out of 10