Barathrum
Anno Aspera

The Barathrum was founded in 1990 in Finland with the idea of offering pure old-school Black Metal. Following this objective, they recorded no fewer than six demos before debuting with a full-length album that made their style clear, a trademark of each of their releases. One of the peculiarities of this eccentric band is having three bassists in their lineup, a factor that creates an impressive sonic wall.

After these necessary premises, let's analyze their latest full-length album, dated 2003. Anno Aspera comes across as rather bland; on the cover, we have the band's logo and a strange symbol that seems to have little to do with the actual content of the album. As soon as the CD is inserted into the player, the bewildering intro "Antikristus Neutronstar" starts, which borders on the ridiculous. But let's move on to the actual songs: the first one, "Corpse Desecration," is a great outburst where the three basses build an impenetrable wall, with very good work also done by the drummer. The doomy "Into Maze Of Nightmares" allows you to catch your breath, although not for long, thanks to the central, lightning-fast acceleration. The following two tracks are truly excellent: the engaging "Angelreaper" and "G. I. D," the former equipped with overwhelming fury, the latter very cadenced, an infernal and dark march. "Sealed In Blood" is quite enjoyable, followed by "Mother Of Christ," another little bomb ready to explode in the unsuspecting listener's ears. The eighth song, with this not exactly gentle title "Crucifix Masturbation," is pleasantly listenable. In closing, two excellent songs: "Nailday" offers moments of pure elation with its rousing refrain, while the final and peculiar "Anno Aspera" shows the darker and more nihilistic side of the band.

Summing it up, we can consider "Anno Aspera" a pleasant, entertaining album. Of course, it's not a masterpiece, but an honest album that includes excellent songs interspersed with a few fillers. Worth a listen.