Godkiller
The Rebirth of the Middle Ages

There exists a very specific kind of imagery that for decades has touched certain fringes of rock music: the Middle Ages. Personally, I find it extremely fascinating, whether we study it from a historical perspective or—Barbero be damned—we abandon ourselves to the narrative that sees the Middle Ages as dominated by plague and constant raids by all sorts of riffraff, backwardness, grotesque art made of deformed men and grim, gray stone buildings. This, precisely, is what interests the only member of our Godkiller.

But how did we get to this album? We have to go back: Jethro Tull were among the first of the big names to have the idea to draw from a certain kind of folk music, but there’s a world of difference between them and grandpa Ian’s band. With the eighties and the NWOBHM, we started to see gothic logos (Angel Witch), references to medieval culture... or almost (Witchfinder General), bands massively influenced by that imagery (Medieval Steel), and others who found inspiration there ("Crusader," by Saxon). Then something happens: black metal is born. Venom and Bathory, towards the end of the '80s, pass on their legacy through Mayhem, founders of a genre that will give birth to great masterpieces. And the leap is almost immediate: it’s almost immediate because you're in Northern or Central Europe, you like dark things, witches and spells fascinate you, and you find yourself in the middle of a forest on a mountain covered with menacing trees and jagged stones. And what are you missing? You just need a beautiful medieval fortress, one where the air feels thick and there are holes in the walls for torchlight. And that's how Satyricon had the idea: "Dark Medieval Times"; an album which, for this writer, is a masterpiece, with the intuition to unite extreme metal with a folk matrix, both lyrically and musically. Two years later, another album is released: one that can be considered a classic of the genre, and that brings together all those fascinated with the Middle Ages and black metal. "The Rebirth of the Middle Ages." On the cover there’s a castle partly hidden by tree branches (a type of cover that will become a trend), and as soon as you start listening, it’s clear there’s a lot of class here. It doesn’t make much sense to go track-by-track, because the album is short and conceived as a single journey through the darkest Middle Ages—ravens perched on skulls, famines decimating the population, servants in castles trembling at the sound of the Wild Hunt outside, or maybe brigands pounding on the gate till it gives in.

The sound is black metal without being zealously so, with melodic parts that aren’t syrupy and a large presence of classical instruments, which are played, to be strict, with enormous mastery. The vocals are reminiscent of Burzum in style and keep a tone that lovers of extreme metal will certainly appreciate. Of course, we’re not looking here for the technical brilliance of a perfect solo in 21/16, but rather the immediacy you feel when visiting an ancient castle steeped in legend. What deserves appreciation is that black metal "burned hot" for only a few years and, if today we take for granted that when we discover a new black metal band the logo will be in gothic font, the CD booklet will have at least a sword or some ruin, and the lyrics will talk a bit about battles, dark realms, and plagues, well, it’s thanks to some kid who came up with all this. Duke Satanael was one of those kids. And you can’t say that this is one of those albums that isn’t much musically but deserves credit historically, no sir: listening to this album is a pleasure. And it also holds great historical importance.

Less famous than names like Immortal, Emperor, or Dimmu Borgir, Godkiller has earned its place in the hearts of fans, and if someone is peeking into the black/folk/pagan universe, this album is a must.

Broadly speaking, we could say this: there are albums that, to enjoy, you have to be in the right mood; and then there are albums that throw you straight into the right atmosphere. "The Rebirth of the Middle Ages" is among the latter. And this time, even Barbero can go fuck himself. Score: 89/100.