Description

Black vinyl with hotfoiled printed gatefold cover. Limited 250 copies

Impaled Nazarene’s The Absence Of War Does Not Mean Peace is seen by many as their weakest release to date, and thus, is often unfairly bashed far beyond that which it deserves. Contrary to what another reviewer has said, Impaled Nazarene has been progressing their music ever since Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz lead to Ugra-Karma. The fact of the matter is, Impaled Nazarene that has been changing their sound and style since their creation, going from a sort of blackened cyberpunk (as Luttinen put it), to raw, sometimes melancholic black metal, to…this, which can best be described as black metal with a lot of power metal influences. The bar had been set too high by their previous albums, particularly Nihil, Rapture, and Latex Cult, that many people don’t appreciate this album nearly enough, simply because of its crystal-clear production and digression from their previous sound. Just because it’s not what you were expecting does not make it a bad album, which ‘Abscence Of War’ certainily is not. As soon as the short, eerie intro track fades, it becomes apparent that this is definitely not the Impaled Nazarene that you’ve gotten used to over the past decade. ‘Absence Of War’ takes off with the title track, which assaults your ears with some modified Primal Fear riffs (that’s what these are, people) and Kellokoski’s typical lightning-fast drumming. ‘Absence Of War Does Not Mean Peace’, marks the end of Mika Luttinen’s truly incredible vocal style. The sheer brutality of his growls to the incomparable harshness of his screams that we’ve all come to know and love is very well-showcased on this album. One of the few songs with a different tempo than the rest of this album, “The Madness Behind”, will clear any doubt from your mind that Mika’s voice is a force to be reckoned with. The things this man achieves throughout the album, and on a regular basis for that matter, are what most vocalists would consider themselves lucky if they could do with all the equipment in the world. Although Absence of War marks a rather distinct departure from their black metal roots, and positively reeks of power metal with a lot of the riffs, it is undeniably a black metal album through and through, and anyone who says otherwise has obviously never listened to it more than once. I recommend picking it up, for anyone with even a remote interest in extreme music of any sort. Even non-fans of black metal should be able to appreciate this gem.

Track list:
1. Strategem
2. Absence Of War
3. The Lost Art Of Goat Sacrificing
4. Prequel To Bleeding
5. Hardboiled And Still Hellbound
6. Into The Eye Of The Storm
7. Before The Fallout
8. Humble Fuck Of Death
9. Via Dolorosa
10. Nyrkilla Tapettava Houra
11. Never Forgive
12. Satan Wants You Dead
13. The Madness Behind