•
Rating:
I return to reviewing a work that can undoubtedly be placed in the more or less new wave of Depressive Black Metal, in my opinion one of the most interesting of extreme metal, as well as one of the most deceptive and deceitful: Black, in general, is a subgenre that gives a lot of importance to form, to the way the band presents itself to the public, to the mysterious rumors about the members et cetera et cetera, much more than Death does (except for sporadic cases, the main hobby of musicians in this second genre is drinking beer).
In short, although many Black artists reveal a perhaps finer and less primitive mind than their colleagues devoted to the “metal of death,” they often end up losing credibility (at least this is my opinion) and revolving around the same clichés that undermine the honesty of their works.
Even this sub-subgenre is no exception and counts among its ranks truly criticable individuals; started by that controversial figure known as Burzum, it then fell into the hands of questionable individuals (more than poor Vikernes) who undertake pro-suicide campaigns (something I find absolutely shameful) solely for the purpose of selling more copies.
Abyssic Hate is precisely another one-man band coming from the land of kangaroos which, despite having produced works of indisputable artistic and emotional value, has aspects that can be described as at least “annoying”; in fact, the misanthropic, depressive, funeral pro-mass suicide legalization father of the Abyssic Hate project amuses himself in his spare time with Blood Duster, a formation dedicated to a Grind Rock with idiotic Porno themes that has absolutely nothing “Depressive.”
Having broad musical horizons is fine, but lying so blatantly to the public seems excessive to me, especially considering the danger of the message his lyrics instill. My moralizing is over, I can now join the Salvation Army… and review this long-awaited CD.
As can be inferred from the title, it is a collection of the most famous tracks (actually almost all) of this guy's musical career: I chose to review this work not because it's the latest release, but because it seemed pointless to review the old works, composed of about five songs recorded with an utterly horrid mix. The tracks in the aforementioned collection, however, are expertly remastered, although, to be honest, this makes them lose a bit of that raw and sparse air that made past works so sharp. It must be said that, for almost the entire duration of the disc, one listens to songs with a sound reminiscent of the old-school Black of Dark Throne and the earliest Mayhem: this is the case with songs like “Cleansing Of An Ancient Race” and others from the eponymous EP and many more. Needless to say, these are a real treat for fans of the genre, while to my ears they sound quite boring and repetitive, even though I do not deny their artistic value. However, just one song, “Betrayed,” from the 2000 album “Suicidal Emotions,” is enough to change the judgment of this album; the song, without neglecting the limitations I spoke of at the beginning, remains a pearl of expressiveness and despair capable of exacerbating every bad thought and enhancing all the negative emotions of a person. Lucidly resigned, it communicates such an absence of hope, regret for the past, and distrust of the future, that it changes, over its eleven minutes, the consideration one has of men and the world. Anyone, regardless of whether they like self-flagellation or not, I believe should bow their head in front of the immense suggestiveness that flows from those notes. Alongside very inspired riffing, both in the more melancholic moments and in the sonic assaults, one hears excellent screaming that follows the “burzumian” tradition without, however, reaching such a strain on the vocal cords. The programming of the electronic drums is also good, even though the boundaries it sets are quite narrow.
In short, both musically and emotionally, “A Decade Of Hate” turns out to be a very effective album: its great merit is to bring together in a single medium the material of countless Demos and EPs, allowing one to get an idea of Abyssic Hate's musical evolution as well as to have in hand pieces otherwise unobtainable. A great flaw (at least in my opinion), however, is the overwhelming preference given to the early and more markedly Raw Black pieces (perhaps, as I said before, because they are unobtainable or perhaps because of their shorter duration) compared to the songs from the aforementioned 2000 work, which are infinitely more communicative and unsettling. The result is a good album with an excellent song, affordable for all pockets but not for all ears.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Cleansing of an Ancient Race (04:54)
In these valleys roams my deceased soul
Like the wolf of night it howls
In memoriam of my sinned past
My lust for desecration grows
Cleansing of an ancient race
Where beauty is in its bestial form
The darkest coffin shall be my throne
Before my lies visions of pain
A dawning age of fear for shapes that are weak
I taste their blood for it's now pure
I'll drown my skin in my enemies' life
I await for the holocaust
My mind transforms - once flesh, now flame
I show no fear for the holocaust
04 Land of Impenetrable Darkness (04:17)
Scathing flames black as the night
Transform into a powerful shape
Black warriors in a cursed land
Are embraced by the winters dusk
Unholy trinities form beneath the stars
They shall return from beyond these gates
Horror and pain infect their skin
As he steps from the mist
Screams of pain sweep the enchanted lands
By the red moons of Mordor
Furious winds caress the robes
Of the nine horned beasts
His mortal foes are but destroyed
From the ruins do they arise
Savages from all foreign shores
Will hear their tormented cries
The flames of the fire contain nine darkened hearts
All weak skin they wither and transform
Unleashed powers as the ring is restored
Eternal cremations where death is their strength
The hymns of mourning and sorrow embrace the once world
Pure evil forces infect these bitter winds
05 Damned for Eternity (04:09)
I glare at what has become
Under these darkened grey skies
I cry out for my death
To seek the land of horror and pain
These piercing blades of steel
Is the way for us to die
The sword cuts through the sky
But no cries are heard, not one
I forever close my eyes
Immortal I have become
All life seeps from my skin
My ambition is now complete
I am the ruthless lord
Of this ancient realm
I spread this plague of fears
As a saviour eternally damned
In a world where the skies reign blood
And the pitiful and weak are none
All glory shall come again
In these forms of purest black
We praise the chants of war
We slaughter the sick and weak
Raise our swords to kill
For our Reich of impurity and hate
06 Tarrasque (05:34)
Spawned from the Prime Material Plane
Sent to punish nature entire
The reptilian destroyer has been sent
By the Gods to end this world
He is a scaled biped
A true killing machine
With two horns upon his head and a lashing tail
He has claws akin to steel
And a reflective carapace
He'll trample the weak under and foot
His name is the Tarrasque
He sends fear throughout the valley
Though dormant half the turn
He arises to annihilate the ancient ways of old
His chest shall wield 100 gems and his body 10 magic shields
His scales are like pure rock forged from the deepest Abyss
Immunity to the heat and cold
The weak shall paralyse with fear
He devours from endless miles around
No shadows from his sight
Enshrouded in mystery
A hideous abomination of God
From the Elemental Princes of Evil
A gift of no return
A demon in a silver skin, a legend of forgone years
The Tarrasque shall live again
In the form of one whom is black
The blood of carrion shall fall
And devour holy flesh
This land shall be cleansed of filth
For he has the force of twelve
His powers remain intact; the ancient myths won't die
Spirit of a long forgotten past
Leaving nothing in his wake
Scaling the timeless landscape
Destroying all with his bestial hate
The horror for six is nigh
The task is at hand
The acts of mortal man are crushed by his fury and hate
07 Bloodletting (04:41)
My shadowed spirit has become a hollow void
There is no solace nothing left but pain
Forever I am called to cross into the unknown
Yet there is a fear which I don't understand
I must retreat from this grasp of life
Embracing the dark, rejoicing in this pain
Forever I'll roam in the realm of my God
I shall escape all that I hate
I am beyond their emotions
I am at one with the dead
Revile and despise the traditions of mankind
Crush the barriers that enslave your soul
And pass the gate to the netherworld
Enter the realm where evil prevails
I drift off into foreign worlds from the fear of mortal life
Pains of steel sweep my arm; I seek the land where humanity dies
The blade does caress my neck and the life flows from the wound
No longer to be mortal, I'll now exist as a God
09 Knight of the Living Dead (05:29)
Knight of the Living Dead
Tortured by the servants of light till death countless aeons ago
Summoned forth by evil spells to rule over all of Oerth
Fully adorned with rotting flesh
Ruler of the mighty Graz'zt
Blackened demon, warrior of hell
Being sent forth to cleanse this land
Knight of the living dead
Granted with a magic sword to sever endless limbs from flesh
In search of the Final Key buried beneath the Ashen Desert
Through the City Out of Mind to join the artefact of three
Silent white beings scathe the halls of a place lost long ago
Knight of the living dead
All Theoparts he does possess
Rejoined to the horror of all
The skies turn black above the forming mist
As he rises from the grave
Scathing Oerik, perishing life
Destroying the weak and feeble beings
From the mountainous Pennor Hills
To the woods of the Inferno Peaks
OUR forces grow in strength
ARMIES of hate without remorse
WILLingly they kill and fight
ARISE creatures of the night
10 Human Despair (04:08)
Caught in the grip of human despair
Again I find myself all alone
Clenching my fists, I close my eyes
Nothing I share with this inferior earth
Desolation and pain are at one with myself
Death remains my source of strength
In time to come we'll be united
And eternally I'll rest far below God's heaven
I endlessly stare out into the void
Overcome by waves of sadness
I feel drowned and morally defeated
Emotions beyond this pitiful existence
I will not endure this mortal strain
Given one choice to abandon this world
I sense my demise, it is so near
Garnering the strength to terminate my life
Omniscient that this curse is now dead and buried
I welcome death with outstretched arms
My soul descends far from this plane
Freedom at last from my decayed skin
14 Betrayed (11:47)
My darkest fears have become a frightening truth
And the wounds are hidden so you cannot feel the pain
For I have chosen the path of misery and sorrow
And my skin will continue to wither and decay
Happiness - where are you?
Will this grief be swept away?
This madness must stop or this world I'll depart
As reality blends into horrific dreams
My departure from Earth is getting near
And as I approach death, I'll show no fear
I need you here to ease this pain
For I fear it shall never dissipate
Yet you are so far away and the blood continues to flow
I felt your warmth - I can't touch your skin
Remembering, as the knife caresses my flesh
And I summon forth suffering and despair
Yet it is something I do not wish to do
My blood absorbs the poisons
Drugged, confused - the walls enclose around me
My mind is so high - my spirit continues to fall
And the anguish recedes as life slips away
Breathless, I beckon eternal sleep
For I shall live no more to be with you
As I see your fate appear through the mist
Loading comments slowly
