Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Enthroned (Bel) - Pentagrammaton Review


ENTHRONED – "PENTAGRAMMATON" (2010)
Full-length, Regain Records, March 22nd, 2010

ENTHRONED (from Belgium) deliver a blasphemous, blackened storm of shredding guitars, scouring gravel throated screams and blasting beats that fire like a barrage of bullets on a battle field and are on target like a programmed and launched warhead.

Their sinister brand of Black Metal is powered by a diabolical aura that is truly their own as the group issues a scathing, hate-filled attack on it´s intended 'captive' target audience.

“Pentagrammaton” is a good example of exactly what a BM band should be, in every context of BM's original concept... once you open your ears to this pulverising album, you are guaranteed to re-discover TRUE Black Metal all over again ! Especially if your convictions have begun to wain over the seriousness of the genre in recent years with the rise in popularity of the Symphonic BM bands.

If you have never heard of ENTHRONED before and you are an avid, addicted BM listener and consider yourself an Extreme Metal afficiando, ENTHRONED are one of the first True Black Metal bands to ever come out of Belgium. Presenting their brand new album to this pathetic planet, what we have here is an absolute treat , a must have for ALL fans of the early Satanic Black Metal bands like Bathory, Blasphemy and early Sodom.

The CD comes in a special slipcase and features a terrific booklet with suitably eerie art work and photography that suits the albums sonic barrage perfectly! Live on Tour during 2010, ENTHRONED are set to wreak havoc across the planet like a scourge across a monks flagellated raw back. IF you don't buy the album, you shall do pennance... this is true Black Metal in it's purest form.

Raw to the bone, unrelenting, empassioned, uncompromising HELL fueled BM the way it is supposed to sound! Originally I thought ENTHRONED might have seen better days or begun to fade away, after Sabathan left the band, but it's actiually proven to be a huge plus. Gone are the squaking "Donald Duck" BM vox of previous albums, now replaced by the far more acerbic, raw and convincing screams of vocalist, Nornagest confidently at the helm!

This is the album I had always hoped ENTHRONED would release, I knew they had it in them and they have finally proven they could really strip things down and get ugly again, like a parking lot brawl in "Fight Club", the gloves are definitely off for this fight !!!

In many ways, this has to be the biggest surprise of the year out of all the new releases that have come out thus far for 2010! At just under 42mins, the album is the perfect length for repeat listens, in fact I am always surprised when the album suddenly seems to come to an end so soon... only to realize, I've been listening to it for the 6th time today without realizing when it ends because I've become so enraptured by ENTHRONED in their captivating, gripping and enthralling new incarnation! This is the REBIRTH OF ENTHRONED !!!

Reviewed by Damien Bentley  -  10/10

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