Dissection
Storm Of The Light's Bane

THE REVIEW

Reading news online, I learned of another illustrious death in the extreme metal scene: after Chuck Schuldiner (Death), Dimebag Darrell (Pantera), Quorthon (Bathory), last month Jon Nödtveidt, guitarist, singer, and soul of Dissection, committed suicide (apparently during a satanic ritual).

And how to commemorate that great musician Jon was, if not by reviewing what is considered his group’s masterpiece? Dissection was formed in 1989, and after various demos and EPs, they released their first seminal album "The Somberlain" in 1993. Two years later, this "Storm of the Light's Bane" came to light, the best work of the band without a doubt. The genre played by the group is a happy union between Scandinavian black and melodic death: from the former, it takes the atmospheres, some riffs, and the themes of the lyrics, while from the latter, the violence in execution, time changes, and great technical prowess. The result is a monolith of power and speed, which nevertheless remains quite melodic (certainly, for those accustomed to these sounds!), also thanks to the acoustic passages that emerge in almost every track.

Take for example the third track "Unhallowed", considered by many as one of the best songs of the group: 7 minutes of sharp riffs, sudden time changes over which Jon’s icy scream looms, making me imagine high snow-capped mountains perpetually lashed by snowstorms in the darkness of the Nordic winter. And how not to mention the great final solo, with a clear heavy metal influence. The fourth song is perhaps the most famous by Dissection: "Where Dead Angels Lie", a rare example of black metal ballad, where more marked acoustic breaks give the song an aura of melancholy, accentuated by the sad lyrics: "A spell was cast and the sky turned red/ The angel's heart froze to ice/ In the gloomy sky - The silence where dead angels lie".

These are just two examples of what you will find in the album, and what I feel after every listen is the regret for what this band could have still achieved if Jon hadn’t committed that murder and hadn’t been incarcerated for 7 years.

SCORE = 8 and 1/2