Review by Felix on September 14, 2023.

When I go to a restaurant, I want to receive the food I ordered in the best possible way for the chef. I don't want to be shown two versions with small differences and then be asked to choose the better one. The musicians of Azelisassath see it differently. That’s why they deliver the promo and the final versions of the two songs that Past Times Of Eternal Downfall offer. This does not make much sense from my point of view, but okay, let’s enjoy the stylish design of the 12” with a typical artwork, a printed inner sleeve and an advertisement sheet.

Both tracks are opulently designed and atmosphere beats vehemence here. The vocals have to struggle to be heard. The thick fog which the instruments create almost swallows the vocals. This is not a very clean mix. Instead everything gets caught up in each other. You can recognise the effort for varied arrangements, but somehow Azelisassath forgot to pen truly thrilling sections. Nevertheless, “Of Eternal Ancient Blood” turns into a dangerous vortex from time to time and “Upon the Vertex of Downfall” also does not bleed from many wounds. We do not get an EP with a lot of special effects or surprising elements, but a robust portion of misanthropic and dense black metal. Everything seems to come from the heart and / or an inner conviction and this gives me a good feeling.

As already said, the B side offers the songs of the A side again and only minor details differ. With other words, the big picture remains the same. A dark brew pours over the listener, equipped with a resilient number of haunting guitar lines and fast-paced outbursts of sinister emotions. Naturally, this 12” is not a totally essential vinyl, but it can be seen as another release which reflects the power of black metal. From this follows that genre maniacs do not need to fear a rude awakening when listening or even buying this output. Quite the opposite, fans of early Pest (Sweden) or early Emperor (minus keyboard gimmicks) will enjoy this 16 or 32 minutes, depending on perspective.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10