In Hora Maledictus: Parts I and II are two of my most favorite depressive black metal albums ever. They essentially build on the foundation laid out by Plague Overlord. Dissonant guitars and a distortion that sounds like a storm of razorblades create an atmosphere that is dark and miserable, and it's all topped off by Matron Thorn's heavily distorted rasps which sound as though he's constantly being tormented by his inner demons. Why am I not reviewing those two albums, you may ask? Because everyone already knows that those two albums are great, and adding my praise to the mix would seem redundant at this point. Instead, I'm going to review Plateau Σ: The Harrowing.
This album marks the beginning of a change in style for the band. For one thing, the production seems cleaner. The guitars are still distorted, but they don't have the harsh, razor-like distortion that was an iconic element of past albums. Same story with the vocals. Because they no longer have that razor-like distortion, Matron Thorn no longer sounds like a sociopathic poltergeist that is trying to escape from your speakers. Instead, his rasps now remind me of Watain.
Aside from that, this is still the Benighted in Sodom we're all familiar with. It's obvious that he's becoming more skilled with the drum machine, because not only can it play slow beats and blast beats with ease, but they can also pull off some great displays of complexity. They also sound a lot more real. Did he get a better drum machine? Despite the cleaner production, the guitars still play those slow, morose riffs, and they're still packed with as much dark emotion as on previous albums. You know Matron Thorn is a great musician when he's able to express his agony no matter where or how it's recorded, be it a high-class studio or a dank and dirty basement.
Despite the changes in production and vocal delivery, Benighted in Sodom still made great music on this album. The drums are a great deal more complex and sound more realistic and the guitars still exude a tremendous amount of sorrow, despite the lack of distortion.
This album marks the beginning of a change in style for the band. For one thing, the production seems cleaner. The guitars are still distorted, but they don't have the harsh, razor-like distortion that was an iconic element of past albums. Same story with the vocals. Because they no longer have that razor-like distortion, Matron Thorn no longer sounds like a sociopathic poltergeist that is trying to escape from your speakers. Instead, his rasps now remind me of Watain.
Aside from that, this is still the Benighted in Sodom we're all familiar with. It's obvious that he's becoming more skilled with the drum machine, because not only can it play slow beats and blast beats with ease, but they can also pull off some great displays of complexity. They also sound a lot more real. Did he get a better drum machine? Despite the cleaner production, the guitars still play those slow, morose riffs, and they're still packed with as much dark emotion as on previous albums. You know Matron Thorn is a great musician when he's able to express his agony no matter where or how it's recorded, be it a high-class studio or a dank and dirty basement.
Despite the changes in production and vocal delivery, Benighted in Sodom still made great music on this album. The drums are a great deal more complex and sound more realistic and the guitars still exude a tremendous amount of sorrow, despite the lack of distortion.
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