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Nine Covens: On the Dawning of Light

In recent years, I've been trying to understand some of the reasons behind black metal's obsession with iconography drawn from witchcraft and occultism. I doubt I'll ever get completely to the bottom of it, but my best guess is the obvious one--these guys want to press against social conventions, to challenge the basic understanding of things. By appealing to unconventional themes and ideas, bands like this ask hard questions about the politics and presumptions of the world we share.

Nine Covens takes their name from the controversial figure George Pickingill, a man who was rumored to be involved in witchcraft to the point that he established nine covens in England. It may not be true, in fact much of Pickingill's claims have been challenged, but his story leaves behind an imaginative collection of ideas and images for bands like this to draw upon. It's part of what makes Black Metal a distinct genre within heavy music. In the end, very little of this information matters; I can listen to this album without any sense of responsibility to understand the origin of the band's name, or whether the historical development of witchcraft in modern day England is a story well told.

Musically, Nine Covens is actually pretty good. Like so many Black Metal bands, they draw on a limited musical palette, but they play well and don't overdo their harsh vocal style. At times, I really enjoyed the slow tempo offered here, especially on tracks that draw on traditional metal's love for the rock-solid riff. I bet that at one time these guys could play a mean set of hard thrash. The best track, to my ears, was "White Star Acception," but "The Mist of Death" and "The Fog of Deceit" were pretty good, too. Readers will enjoy this release if they already admire Black Metal and want to hear a relatively new band offer their own take on its sound. Those new to this style will likely find it overly long and repetitive.

Track Listing:
1. Origin of Light
2. As Fire Consumes
3. At the Ocean's Strand
4. The Mist of Death
5. The Fog of Deceit
6. To Quench a Raging
7. White Star Acception
8. Over the Ocean's Way
9. A Burning Ember

Added: January 26th 2013
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2286
Language: english

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