Review by Vladimir on July 8, 2023.

This review might be an interesting one, because for this occasion I will be “time traveling” all the way back to 1999. The topic of today’s discussion is the German black metal band Dies Ater and their debut album Reign Of Tempests. Although Reign Of Tempests was originally released in July 1999 via Mordgrimm label, the album was re-released on May 5th this year via Northern Silence Productions, which will also include 6 tracks taken from their 1996 demo Rabenflug. Although I am usually not interested in reviewing reissued or re-released albums, I decided to give this one a go since it’s always nice to see some form of revival when it comes to older bands and their earliest material, especially if it’s coming from the golden age of the 90’s.

Reign Of Tempests begins with an instrumental intro '...Das Erwachen Der Nacht', a beautiful ambient track consisted of very emotional keyboards and pianos, which felt quite nostalgic for me. The track managed to remind me why I fell in love with so many classic 90’s black metal albums which would begin with these amazing intros as a nice build up. As the intro ends, the second track 'King Of Tempests' starts with blast-beats and tremolo picking from the very get-go, while also throwing some melodies and symphonic keyboards as sweet cherry and icing on the top. The harsh vocals join along during the mid-tempo verse, nicely backed up by some tremolo lead guitars. Although the first two tracks were a nice start which promised a lot, the rest of the album fulfilled that promise with each following song.

So many tracks on this album radiate this grandiose feeling of ambience and beauty, which is a result of incorporating all these amazing melodies, symphonic keyboards and nice acoustic guitars which are present on 'Engelsnacht', 'Der Schwur', 'Der Fluch Der Seele'. 'Der Schwur' in particular serves as an interlude track between each half of the album, which is just acoustic guitars, sounds of a medieval battle that was probably taken from a movie and some spoken words in harsh vocalization. The last two tracks 'Rabenflug' and 'Das Geleit...' give the last bit of beauty and beast to create such emotions by adding female singing vocals by Johanna Sadonis. Production-wise it’s a very good sounding album with a mild rawness added to the guitars, which may be some of the better sounding black metal albums from that mid to late 90’s era.

The album could be considered as a product of its time, but I think that after 24 years it still holds up with its overall quality, even though it came around the time when black metal was beginning to drastically modernize while entering a new millennium. I highly suggest that fans of oldschool black metal check out Reign Of Tempests, re-released on May 5th along with the bonus tracks taken from the Rabenflug demo.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10

Review by Alex Grindor on August 31, 2021.

Funeral doom is a difficult art to craft and perform, even since the very first practitioners. For many, having extremely drawn-out stretched songs may be a difficult chore, as it must be done in a way that ensnares the curious listener to the point he focusses completely on the music. Thergothon, Disembowelment, Ahab are just a few names that pop in my mind when I'm asked about funeral doom bands and what they convey, and I'm glad to say that Coffin Breath is a new and welcome addition to the hope-crushing, soul-rending atmospheric voyage that encompasses funeral doom.

With just 2 tracks, Coffin Breath exhales their brand of suffocating pestilence in the rawest form possible, yet this does not mean that these two compositions are simple or overly repetitive in any way. The key element here is the absolutely oppressive, asphyxiating atmosphere attained in these tracks, with each instrument perfectly balanced in the mix to achieve it so. The guitars are really heavy and low, yet they're mixed with a level of clarity that makes every riff and every harmonization distinguishable and crushing. The bass adds its weight to the slow crawl of the guitar’s riffs, always keeping up with the guitars yet shining on its own for brief moments. Drums are absolutely pummeling, never going to extreme speeds but rather using a more controlled approach as it is meant to in this particular style, with a variety of drum fills here and there but always being a crawling leviathan in its approach. Last but not least, the vocals, which are done in the standard death growl style as it is usually done in this sub-genre. The vocal delivery is powerful and accentuates the music's atmosphere perfectly, while also using high shrieks and one particular segment at the end of track 2 that is more "spoken word" than anything else.

It is the sum of all these excellent parts that make for an awesome release. Even with 2 tracks, it's about 20 minutes long and worth every damn second of it. Despite the songs' length the tracks never feel boring or repetitive and the end result is captivating and suffocating in equal parts. While this demo was released on May 3rd, 2021 it has been recently issued on cassette by Seed Of Doom records, so if you can, grab your tape and let the foul Coffin Breath be expelled for your disgusting delight.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Felix on December 26, 2023.

Thankfully, the times are changing. Back in 1987, Neat Records did not want to print the real names of the members of Artillery on the back cover of their phenomenal second album "Terror Squad". The company thought seriously that these "unusual" Danish names could endanger the commercial success of the record. Only the initials of the Scandinavian thrash pioneers were printed. Bullshit. However, the ambitious thrashers of Battery can read their full names in the booklet. This is how things should be.

I did not know the band until I bought their debut. If you also do not know its music yet, let me assure you that they play extremely wild thrash metal and that "Armed with Rage" is a very suitable name for this album. Admittedly, "Sharp Riffs from Insane Danish Ruffians" or "Violent Lunacy Combined with Hellish Guitars" would have been less catchy titles for the record. But nevertheless, they would also have described its content in an appropriate manner. Battery is bursting with energy and their raging approach mirrors this fact impressively. High velocity thrash is their highest priority and blast beats appear occasionally in order to increase the dynamic of the songs. To verify this, just lend an ear to the fascinating opener "Narcotic Mirage". Every track is equipped with an overdose of high speed rhythms and that´s almost too much of a good thing. Generally spoken, I highly appreciate songs that are swift as an arrow. Nonetheless, one of my personal favourites on this album is "Vermin of Fukushima", not at least because of its creepy mid-tempo parts. It is the only piece where the powerful guitars gain the upper hand against the untameable yet highly competent drummer. The result is the most catchy song of "Armed with Rage". It is surely no coincidence that this tune is placed in the middle of the album in order to interrupt the constant high speed assault, albeit only for five minutes.

The band members wear shirts of Razor, Kreator ("Flag of Hate") and Morbid Angel so that everybody can imagine the level of Battery´s musical intensity. The old school rules. But its vehement songwriting approach is combined with a massive and very vigorous production. It has the strength to blow you away without jeopardizing the tradition-conscious flair of the music. Every instrument benefits from the mix. Even the pumping bass is well audible. And this is, as you all know, unfortunately not a matter of course. The hectic lead vocals impress, too. They add the necessary amount of hysteria without getting completely out of control.

With ferocious newcomers such as Battery, there is no need to be concerned about the future of thrash metal. The band has released a flawless debut. While walking the thin line between controlled attacks and pure chaos, each and every band member proves its technical skills as well as its credible attitude. Forget all these lukewarm neo thrash competitors and the ridiculous metalcore clowns. "Armed with Rage" is the real thing, although the cover artwork leaves room for improvement. If you want to know the highlights of the album, just read each and every song title.

Rating: 8.9 out of 10

Review by Alex Grindor on August 31, 2021.

Funeral doom is a difficult art to craft and perform, even since the very first practitioners. For many, having extremely drawn-out stretched songs may be a difficult chore, as it must be done in a way that ensnares the curious listener to the point he focusses completely on the music. Thergothon, Disembowelment, Ahab are just a few names that pop in my mind when I'm asked about funeral doom bands and what they convey, and I'm glad to say that Coffin Breath is a new and welcome addition to the hope-crushing, soul-rending atmospheric voyage that encompasses funeral doom.

With just 2 tracks, Coffin Breath exhales their brand of suffocating pestilence in the rawest form possible, yet this does not mean that these two compositions are simple or overly repetitive in any way. The key element here is the absolutely oppressive, asphyxiating atmosphere attained in these tracks, with each instrument perfectly balanced in the mix to achieve it so. The guitars are really heavy and low, yet they're mixed with a level of clarity that makes every riff and every harmonization distinguishable and crushing. The bass adds its weight to the slow crawl of the guitar’s riffs, always keeping up with the guitars yet shining on its own for brief moments. Drums are absolutely pummeling, never going to extreme speeds but rather using a more controlled approach as it is meant to in this particular style, with a variety of drum fills here and there but always being a crawling leviathan in its approach. Last but not least, the vocals, which are done in the standard death growl style as it is usually done in this sub-genre. The vocal delivery is powerful and accentuates the music's atmosphere perfectly, while also using high shrieks and one particular segment at the end of track 2 that is more "spoken word" than anything else.

It is the sum of all these excellent parts that make for an awesome release. Even with 2 tracks, it's about 20 minutes long and worth every damn second of it. Despite the songs' length the tracks never feel boring or repetitive and the end result is captivating and suffocating in equal parts. While this demo was released on May 3rd, 2021 it has been recently issued on cassette by Seed Of Doom records, so if you can, grab your tape and let the foul Coffin Breath be expelled for your disgusting delight.

Rating: 9 out of 10