Review by Mandeep Arora on April 17, 2024.

I'm not the first person to say this and I certainly won't be the last: Storm Of The Light’s Bane is a landmark album in the realm of black metal. Or even metal in general. If you're more than a surface-level metalhead and have been associated with the genre for a while now, you definitely would have crossed paths with that album cover at least once in your life, be it in the form of its dominant positioning in the "top 10" or "greatest ever" lists, or YouTube recommendations, or elsewhere in the unfathomable ravines of the internet. It's become kind of ubiquitous in this modern internet age and I personally think it's a wonderful thing, gets all the eyeballs it can... And what an album cover as well at that! The daunting image of the fearsome grim reaper atop his tastefully adorned horse outing in that untrodden landscape, frozen lakes and all, is an iconic image in the metal circles at this point. It immediately makes you conjure up ideas on how the actual album may sound like and lets your imagination run wild; you kind of start connecting the lyrical themes to the various imaginative settings depicted on the cover. What they achieve with the sound does not let you down, too.

'At The Fathomless Depths' sets the tone for a cold and forbidding sound, chilling you to the bone - a wicked throng of sinister melodies with minimalistic percussion for added depth. It's not very long at two minutes but immediately gives you a good idea of what to expect from the rest of the sound. The following song 'Night's Blood' is what ushers in all the chaos, picking up the threads of what was achieved on The Somberlain. It's a striking song. Not the best on the album maybe, in my opinion at least, but the most appropriate one to prepare you for the ensuing storming of your senses. The lyrics are beautiful, totally capturing the essence of the cover's wintry landscape and giving you the impression of being caught in an endless nightmare. What immediately strikes me is the drum sound; much more conventional sounding snares and an overall minimalism to the style that's in stark contrast to The Somberlain's blaring metallic-sounding drum fills. This simplistic approach may seem austere at first but it's actually much more effective, to the point where drums feel integrated as part of the sound rather than being an added element to it. The double bass, already judicious on The Somberlain, is amplified thrice over and makes for some delicious fills on certain songs, especially in the outro of 'Unhallowed'. In many ways, it's the drums and their constant pounding in one repeated pattern that confers this album a lot of its cold and wicked demeanour.

The pure and bottomless malice is delved further into with 'Unhallowed', a truly terrifying number. In fact, it's one of the most wicked songs I've ever listened to - a vast and ruthless avalanche of icy cold tremolo-based riffs coalesced with mesmerising guitar melodies. This song is the genesis of all evil and means harm; if it was a living, breathing entity, it'd rip your head straight off. The combined effect of those first set of melodies with towering riffs in the background and the skillfull and subtle double bass complementing all that drama is nothing short of transcendental. And what a magnificent outro... Truly malicious yet full of soul, it's the acme of musical delight; a wonderful sensation to behold and experience once you've warmed up enough to it. They achieve a slightly similar effect in the opening riffs of 'Where Dead Angels Lie' too, albeit the pace is much calmer this time. It's another personal favourite of mine and seems to be Dissection’s most popular and renowned song this side of Maha Kali. The best moment's experienced after that icy cold acoustic passage when all hell breaks loose and the avalanche of piercing Arctic riffs enshrouds you in its endless cold blanket, aided by the single-most blood-curdling black metal shriek of all time: “DIEEEEEEEE!”

I've seen a good number of people and reviews address this album as blackened death metal, and kind of oddly, even melodic death. And that's totally fine; I believe we shouldn't let genres or sub-genres limit our enjoyment of any form of music. However, to these ears, there barely are any death metal influences to be picked up. Yes, the middle section of 'Thorns Of Crimson Death' is totally inspired from Sarcófago's 'The Laws Of Scourge', right down to how the blast beats are played, but that's about the only thrash/death influence I can distinguish. It's also such an emotionally-driven song, 'Thorns Of Crimson Death'. Sinister yet painfully melancholic; the tremolo pickings hit like the chilly gales of wind and that sublime acoustic passage building towards the loud thunder sounds is one of the simplest, coldest and most atmospheric pieces of music I've witnessed. The peak of the song is the outro, a repetition of the main melodies pressing on the initial vigour, then leading to the majestic tumbling of the drums and finally breaking into the main solo... Wow! Dissection has always had a very distinctive, unmistakably evil sound and while the riffs can be attributed as brutal and furious, they aren't heavy as such. I don't think they've ever been a heavy band. Utter lack of heaviness is what closes this album too, as 'No Dreams Breed In Breathless Sleep' (what an evocative song title that is) is a soft piano-based instrumental number, like the calm after the storm. It's not a dark composition like what you generally experience on Opeth's stuff but regardless hits hard due to the way it's arranged and played, almost like an inner conflict of emotions on account of its ever-changing tempo - a tussle between chaos and tranquility within.

The production’s not the cleanest but couldn't be better suited to this album. Sadly, I don't hear as much of the bass as I do on The Somberlain but absolutely love the way the drums have been wrought here. The vocals seem a shade louder than most of everything else but with Jon Nödtveidt screaming his lungs out, I've little to complain; his screams are of the most exquisite quality and seethe absolute darkness and bloodlust. At times, even the distortion seems to drown out other stuff as observed on 'Thorns Of Crimson Death' and there's noticeable reverb on 'Where Dead Angels Lie', but the level of melodic complexity and the multitude of melodies pervasive throughout the album offer welcome respite from the unyielding nature of the mix. It makes for a perfect harmony that carries the better part of the album. I remember listening to the sound engineer Dan Swanö's interview on YouTube once where he claimed to have convinced the band to retain this current sound in interest of preserving its originality, because the band was otherwise drawn towards the Norwegian style of black metal. I'm glad they decided to stick to this style - which I'm not sure is the archetypal Swedish style - because it's leagues above the usual crop of Norwegian black metal we are accustomed to. There's even an alternative mix available online, and apparently a third one which never surfaced anywhere. I decided to listen to the alternative mix for the sake of exploration and mere curiosity because I love Dissection but was left disappointed at how pointless it seemed and its conspicuous lack of soul compared to the original.

There's a strong sentiment among some that this album is Dissection's foray into the mainstream and consequently an overrated and overblown attempt of muddled melodies and cheesy riffs. I get that. It's absolutely normal for people to dislike or even hate this album and differing opinions don't bother me all that much these days but even though I try to look at things from their perspective, I especially struggle to make sense of the comments citing it mainstream. I don't think this is an easy album to get into and barely anything on it sounds super-polished or catering to the masses. But mainstream or not, this is a legendary album that in many ways redefined the genre and inspired a good number of bands to make music along similar lines. The Somberlain started it, Storm Of The Light’s Bane catapulted it. It has everything here: technique, speed, melody, power, wickedness and a unique soul. Where The Somberlain is kind of like a fuzzy, comforting blanket, SOtLB is like a thick, cold layer of snow weighing down and burying you, choking you in your breathless sleep (see what I did there? :D). Overall, I think it's the marginally better album of the two because it seems like one singular block of music rather than a collection of songs. What's amazing is that these albums have become timeless at this point; in my review of The Somberlain elsewhere on this website, I was astounded to discover that it recently turned 30. SOtLB turns 30 soon, towards the end of next year, and it's kind of astonishing that it still seems like an album that was conceptualised just yesterday. 30 years on, metal music fans will look back to this as the pivotal moment in the genre's transformational journey.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on November 20, 2022.

I was happy about the recent 63%-review for “Storm of the Light’s Bane”. Not because of the rating itself. Even though I know that it is useless to discuss about personal taste, I think the author has taken a position that is similarly promising to General Custer's Last Stand Hill back in 1876. The ending is known. Nevertheless, I was happy about the review, because it triggered some reactions in the forum and reminded me of the fact that this is (one of) the last classic album(s) in my collection I haven’t reviewed so far.

The first thing I must mention is the iconic artwork. Its message is totally clear, it spreads an overwhelming atmosphere and the meagre choice of colours merges death and the landscape to a single, murderous panorama. What I fool I was that I bought the CD back in 1995, not the much more fitting vinyl format. However, this cover prepares the consumer perfectly for the musical content. Dissection did not try to score with overly brutal gimmicks or any form of blatant shock effects. Mastermind (or better: sick mind) Jon Nödtveidt had not written extremely harsh tracks. Especially “Where Dead Angels Lie” follows on almost mild approach. It’s a sort of black death metal ballad with a sanguinary undertone. Okay, musically it is not the most exciting track and from my point of view, it lacks dynamic. Nevertheless, this experiment has not gone wrong. Although I listen to the “worst” regular track here (intro and outro do not count in this context), it is still a solid number and abysmal evil.

Anyway, we find the real killers somewhere else. Especially the quasi title track “Retribution – Storm of the Light’s Bane” has an enormous inner strength. It belongs to the most angry songs here and, better still, it spreads more or less the same vibes as the band’s best song ever, “In the Cold Winds of Nowhere”. Dissection arranged the album very well, the sharp-tongued outbursts of (always controlled) fury alternate with those compositions that offer a tragic touch as well. A masterpiece like the multi-layered “Thorns of Crimson Death” features both in one. The melancholic guitars at the beginning draw large, broad lines and later there is an acoustic intermezzo with rumbling thunder in the background, perhaps inspired by some atmospheric sounds of Bathory. Yet we also get a section with rapid drumming and neckbreaking riffing which is offered on a probably very high technical level. The “Cold Winds” on the eighth position marked the hidden champion of the debut, “Thorns…” follows in its footsteps in this respect.

The album does not lack harshness or profound depth, quite the opposite. Yet it’s most impressive detail is a pretty classic one for a sonic artwork. The melodies on this full-length are simply precious treasures, formed of perfectly matching notes. Even “Unhallowed” and “Soulreaper”, two furious, diabolic heralds of upcoming Armageddon, captivate with this element, which is masterly integrated into the nightly, blustery surrounding. Dissection vary density, tempo and intensity in an almost god-like manner and not only the chorus of “Unhallowed” has the might to drive guys with an affinity for dark sounds insane. By the way, the titanic power of the songs is not supported by the production. It’s a good mix, but not an outstanding one. A few details leave room for improvement. For example, the snare gets nearly lost during some fast sections. It doesn’t matter. The compositions speak for themselves and the mastermind’s voice complements the instrumental orgies very well.

Maybe Nödtveids criminal “career” helped his band to achieve cult status. I don’t think so. Both classic Dissection works marked massive statements and reflected his outstanding song-writing skills. Not with each and every cut, but often enough to realise his fascinating potential. If he had been less… well, satanic, sick, weird (make your choice), then today he could be the leader of a band that could rival the divine Necrophobic. The energetic, pulsating and belligerent “Night’s Blood” is just one of the songs that would enrich even the catalogue of those who exist in the dawn of the damned. But some people’s mind is forged in blood by tragedy, to quote Jon himself. Thank God, this cannot be said about reviewers who do not understand the dimension of this masterpiece. They just have a different opinion. That’s okay. The “Storm of the Light’s Bane” does not care.

Rating: 9.1 out of 10

Review by Allan on April 24, 2002.

Out of all the albums a person owns, there are inevitably a selection of them that the fan prizes the most. For me, Dissection’s “Storm of the Light's Bane” is one of those. When I was getting into the scene, I was blown away by the music that lies within. Dissection is absolutely one of the very best and most influential bands of the early 90’s Death/Black metal scene, and this is why “Storm of the Light's Bane” is essential.

With only two albums in creation before Jon Nodtveidt was convicted of murder, “Storm of the Light’s Bane” is the second piece of work from these Swedish innovators. Music-wise, this album is flawless all the way through. While the band does not prefer to be labeled as black metal, it’s pretty undeniable that they were influenced at least partially by the genre. But, there is much credit due to death metal as well. The band did a great job of possibly pulling together fans of both genre’s, and many others due to the dark melodies in the music. While melodic, it still retains its excellent cold, grim atmosphere. In fact, melody is one of the main factors in the music of Dissection. They compose everything flawlessly. The music is mainly mid-paced, and holds the quality of something that can be truly memorable, or within a period of time, very nostalgic. Every time I listen to this album I’m still amazed by every detail of the music.

If you’re looking for something unrelentingly fast and a full on shred fest of solos, look somewhere else. As a band, Dissection are not only amazing at their instruments, but they are great musicians too. The band is very precise and tight, playing together without much friction at all. Vocalist/Guitarist Jon Nodtveidt is one of the most talented people to ever grace the scene. His vocal performance is extremely well done and fits the music better than many other bands of the same type. And his guitar performance along with Johan Norman is great. Guitar harmony, alternate riffing between black, death, and sometimes folk, and they both work very well together. The rhythm section of bassist Peter Palmdahl and drummer Ole Ohman is excellent as well. Not trying to hog the spotlight, but just doing an excellent job at creating the best backdrop for the music as the possibly can. They are both have done an excellent job. Dissection is an amazing band both as musicians and as songwriters, and it’s a shame that they are no longer together.

Bottom Line: I can’t think of a single reason not to own this masterpiece. Any fan of metal will be able to find something positive about this record, if not being truly inspired as fans, musicians, or artists by it.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 10
Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 10
Overall: 10

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Luka on May 9, 2001.

Dissection is undoubtedly the finest band to come from Sweden bearing the "Gothenburg" banner. From the beautiful melodies to the cold and grim riffs, every song from Storm is just perfection beyond belief. Signed onto the mighty Nuclear Blast label and ready to unleash a follow up to the dark and cold sounds of the "Somberlain", Dissection, with one majestic record, prove to the world that they are truly the best at what they do.

Barred by a short intro (first track) and outro (last one), Storm... essentially only has six actual songs, and damn fine six they are. None shorter than five minutes, each never fails to totally blow you away with its beautiful mix of melodic finesse and rhythmic flawlessness. Jon Nodtveidt, the main guy behind the band, displays complete and utter talent to write the most beautiful and gut-wrenching melodies the guitar is capable of creating. This is the most brilliant show of the fusion of pure beauty and cold darkness I’ve ever heard.

Dismal poems would be the best way to describe the lyrics here, each one telling a story of corrupted goodness and the dark core of evil itself. And Jon’s sinister voice fits the mood of the music perfectly.
To absorb all the aspects of this albums perfection, you must listen to it a few times. And only then do you absorb it completely. The drummer is constantly adding fills with the double bass drums. The guitar melody is always evolving, as are the song storylines, until they reach a magnificent climax of utter perfection.

There’s nothing more to say, this is a metal masterpiece.

Bottom Line: Words simply do not describe Dissection. This is one of the best albums I’ve ever had the honor to put into my player.

Rating: 10 out of 10