Seeds Of Iblis "The Black Quran" (2013)

Seeds Of Iblis are an anti-Islam Black Metal group from Iran which I discovered when my curiosity had me digging around looking for Metal in unexpected parts of the globe. It shocked me at first but makes a lot of sense given some thought. In Europe and other regions dominated by Christianity we have rebellion in the form of Black Metal which is strongly rooted in anti-Christian values, so in a country where Metal alone wouldn't be seen as orthodox we have anti-Muslim's using the music as a weapon against the faith it thinks hypocritically of. Because of the bands location they are shrouded in mystery, supposedly consisting of two men and two women their identities are concealed for obvious reasons. It is also speculated they have ties to the French embassy who would intervene and protect them if ever their identities were compromised. What is more remarkable about this record is its existence more so than the music itself.

Background aside the music is what I was initially looking for and in "The Black Quran" we have a hellish Luciferian atmosphere of malicious, scornful abrasive aggression. Ferocious blast beats continually batter into waves of pummeling attack, clattering like machine gun fire. The use of drum machines gives them a rigidity and unapologetic ruthlessness. The guitars tone is gristle and thin adding a unsettling tone between the drums and evil ooh synths that continually descend through minor key arrangements. Vocally the assault is on two fronts. The Arabic Female vocals tie in the regional and religious background of the music, singing native chants in the moments where the black drops its intensity. When at full swing the Male vocals scream and howl in a menacing tone that drifts into the space of its heavy reverb. Its like the voice of a tormented demon reaching out from the darkness.

The band certainly achieved a notably dark aesthetic, it is undoubtedly the vocal aspects that give this record its merit and charm but for a single twenty minute song its structure unwinds rather quickly past the half way point. The first half is a continual battering of blast beats, howls and descending synths with Arabic chants in between. In the second half there's many atmospheric interludes and the return of the songs main riff in a reconstructed manor crop up but it starts to feel short of ideas and any direction for conclusion. It fizzles somewhat with the sound of burning fires which bring in an eerie and haunting piano that sees the final moments of the song out with a gloomy burial.

A very intriguing record with a fascinating background it unfortunately doesn't live up to the same heights musically but its aesthetic is so menacing and pungent it kept me interested in its lengthy span for a singular song. Its lack of climax through conclusion was disappointing but what it offers outweighs that let down. I should also mention this group is part of an "Anti-Islamic Legion", meaning there are more bands in this region actively rebelling against their imposed religion.

Rating: 4/10

Benighted In Sodom "Hybrid Parasite Evangelistica" (2010)

Cold, dark and desolate, "Hybrid Parasite Evangelistica" plunges the listener into an Ethereal abyss of despair as dreary guitars cry out in their pain in a beautiful melodic sorrow. Benighted In Sodom is an American Black Metal band typically characteristic of what some call the "3rd wave" of American Depressive or Suicidal Black Metal. Bands like Xasthur and Leviathan. The term itself may come off a little cheesy, but it really captures the essence of dark emotions that these records explore. This one is no exception and its Ethereal aesthetics and dreamy nature, as opposed to confronting and abrasive, create a comforting juxtaposition from the grave undertone of these songs, reflected in the solitary lyrics and song titles such as "Liquid Flowing From A Slashed Wrist", hardly poetic, but reinforces the idea.

The band have put out a plethora of music, of which this is one of five albums alongside four extended plays in 2010 alone. The music on this record doesn't suffer any fate of feeling "forced" or lacking inspiration, however the five tracks do feel like a singular entity. The main focus of guitars tremolo picking their way through slow tempo leads doesn't leave much room for an expansive set of ideas, but more a singular concept that plays through a series of riffs and leads. The eerie keys lay in the shadows, building the foggy Ethereal element, but neither the keys, bass, or drums really do much to add more instrumentation or "events" in the music, these songs drag and crawl through a baron darkness lead by the guitars that on a couple of tracks shift to an acoustic gear that does little to lift the mood, despite being a break from the grueling distortion.

My biggest quarrel with this record was the vocals. Loud, harsh and snarly, these screams littered and interrupted the the flow of the songs with there loud and unapologetic presence in the mix. It would of served the immersible nature of the Ethereal chemistry the guitars and keys possessed, to bury the vocals, soak them in reverb. Instead a harsh contrast served as a stark annoyance to my ears. There is not much to be said about the production quality either, many transitions and movements vary in volume, requiring adjustments for the listener. The drums are also rather thin, distant and unexciting. Normally their roll is to guide the pace and tempo, but on this record they always felt a step behind the guitars, due to their sound and presence in the mix. For all bad said, it is not to be over emphasized, the chemistry between guitar and keys here is king and the focal point of my enjoyment of what is a dark and despairing listen with a strange sense of comfort about it.

Favorite Tracks: Dreamscape Overdose, Solarium

Rating: 5/10