Summoned forth in 2008, New Jersey's Immolith have one goal in mind: "to perform blackened rituals in the grand tradition of old school evil black metal!" With a sound that echoes the blackened winter winds of those barren northern skies, StormDragon's hostile, aggressive, and bleak barrage not once attempts to conceal the obvious Darkthrone, Emperor, Bathory, etc. influences. There may be little in the way of originality here, but StormDragon is more than mere pastiche or homage. With tremolo-picked riffs, harmony lines, and blasts of lead work laid out against a wall of simple yet devastating drum-work, the album spirals higher into ever-darkening, ever-ominous, ever-mounting flames. This is utterly relentless. The sheer force of 'Torch of Baphomet' is overwhelming, as if being cast into tempestuous skies by the indifferent forces of nature.
The structures are fairly simple, but the tracks save themselves from tedium by chaotic passages strewn across the black order, the tempo-changes utilised to embellish them with slow, heaving passages and rapid, intense sections at just the right moment. The songs bear all the intensity and fluidity that such brutality requires. The production is comparably clean but it retains that raw edge, and the instruments share a good balance in the mix. The kick drum sounds like a kick drum and has enough punch to do some serious damage. The guitars are raw, the simplicity of the lines fortified by the bare-knuckle sound. And though the vocals can occasionally get lost in the mix, they sound as if spewed forth from the belly of some hellish beast with a sore throat. It may not be completely original but with StormDragon, Immolith have achieved their goal and created some excellent old school black metal. In doing so, they may make it difficult to establish their name if they remain true to this path. A lot of bands are doing it; a lot of bands have done it; few have transcended it. Immolith clearly have that ability.
Track Listing:
- The Invocation
- Torch Of Baphomet
- Rites Of The Blood Moon
- Storm Dragon
- The Ghost Of Inverness
- The Obsidian Throne Of Azazel
- Hymns To The Countess
- A Pact Of Blood
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