Enthroned – Tetra Karcist
There was a time when Belgium’s Enthroned first erupted from it’s Marduk worshiping sack, that I was a bit enamored by them. Sure, I knew what I was hearing wasn’t anything new in the least, but there was always something in their songs that kept me interested and coming back for a new release. When “Armored Bestial Hell” came around, I had enough of the Enthroned tilt-a-whirl and opted to get off this ride. Too much of the same had infected their sonic crypts and when the riff work slid into redundancy, there simply wasn’t enough character or spirit in the band to keep one interested. Looking over their catalog, it is quite extensive and it seems that I have missed quite a bit. “Tetra Karcist” still feels like Enthroned of old, give or take a key member change or 2, but it seems that full on speed all the time has been tempered a bit with more mid paced and 6/8 time signatures to keep their sound more balanced. This is a good thing. Still the speed factor and hellish screams are at the forefront of this bands offensive, but they class it up a lot with traditional metal inspired solos and some well placed music breaks. A definite improvement can be heard, but the vocalist really needs a bit of creativity in both his vocal phrasing and overall shrieking style. Breaking it up with some lower growls or chanting would greatly accent the varying turns in the music. One thing that really bugs me about this album, is the overly triggered drum sound. I have never been a fan of this production staple, though I do understand it keeps the fast parts from sounding muddy, but really, it gives this entire album that slick/clinical modern edge that everyone has these days. Sure, this is probably what the band wanted, but I think a more organic overall sound would have greatly improved the feel of “Tetra Karcist”. Some really mature songwriting can be found on this album, languishing in a standard modern black metal shell that could have just as easily been Dark Funeral, or any other band striving for that piece of polished commercial blasphemy. –Marty
NAPALM RECORDS
Worm Gear 