CD review, Jan 10. Aetherius Obscuritas - Fekete Orsvossac - Black Medicine (Paragon Records)

With bands like this I always feel like I should call a friend… it’s not that I’m not very familiar with the genre it’s just that I’m not au fait with the intricacies and so may well not give it a fair shake. That said, there is a Marduk cover in here, so I know I’m on safe territory when I describe this as your fairly typical evil swords in the woods type atmospheric and frenetic Black Metal. This is the real shit, all rasping and snappy snare dryunone of that airy, fairy keyboard stuff. Well, not if it isn’t tr00 or kvlt. This is actually rather good, it’s not really early Mayhem or Marduk style blasting, but does have it’s feet planted in that aesthetic, ripping along as it does, then slowing for more measured sections. The bass is strangely noticeable in the mix, lo-fi as these things used to be, and adds an interesting counterpoint. That aside it’s a fair mix of the main players in the genre, Thorns, Mayhem, Burzum… and while not quite classic nowadays, should certainly please the dressed-in-black hordes I see sulking round Slovenian and German Metal festivals every year.