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Mactatus -Blot cd

59.00kr149.00kr

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Description

2013 remastered re-issue of 1997 album

The debut album from Norways Mactatus is a very good black metal album, much in style of what their fellow Norsemen were doing in the mid 90s. It isn’t too raw or bombastic, neither too well-polished or aggressively unformed, and it isn’t sworn to the black to the point of disgorging repetition and stale throwbacks to yesteryear, instead of trying to branch out into something new. All of the music here, though, shows a certain amount of polish and ready formulation, and the songwriter’s hand is evident in the sure structures. Although greatly influenced by early Dimmu Borgir [it’s obvious], for a group’s first album it shows a respectable level of experimentation, and also an undeniable grasp of the melodic potential inherent within the genre. As the album progresses, it tends to become more and more melodic, you could say, replacing dissonant elements with harmonic structures, and I believe, looking at this band’s career in hindsight, that this album traced out, very cleanly, Mactatus’s entire path or journeying road of musical evolution – as a thumbnail sketch, something to be expanded upon. Hints of their influences can be found – for example in the first song, Black Poetry, which reminds me of Satyricons Shadowthrone – but for the most part I believe this style of music affords its adherents enough room to maneuver creatively without rubbing shoulders all that often. While Mactatus may not be the most original band, they are talented musicians and their grasp of their material, its melodic powers and abilities, and their place in the entire black metal movement are all very firmly based. There isn’t anything completely out-of-sorts here, being either awkwardly placed or importunely thrust upon your ear: nothing out of season, or out of place. It all flows together well. While this may not be the most aggressive material – the band seems rather inclined towards the elegiac and epic rather than violent – I really can’t complain. Or, I should say, I really don’t want to complain, I want to exhort this band to go back to writing material like this. This is dark, melancholy, wistful, and absolutely evocative. If you are in any way attracted to lyrical, elegant, or morose black metal, and need at times a change of pace from the constant warcry of most of the scene’s stalwart mainstays, you would do very well in at least listening to this album and seeing if you can take something away from it.

Track listing:
1. Black Poetry
2. Sorgvinter
3. Knust Kristendom
4. Et Kaldt Rike
5. I Trollriket-instrumental
6. Vandring
7. Nar Et Kristent Liv Er Fortapt
8. Hat Og Kulde

Additional information

Label

Soulseller

Release Year

Catalogue Number

SSR 063