Khold - Phantom
Moonfog Records - 2002
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Khold web site.
Go to the Moonfog Records web site.
Repeatedly referred to as 'old-school' black metal, Khold are a black metal band who eschew furious blast-beats and hyper-speed riffing in favour of a dirtier, more malevolently seductive form of corps-paint tomfoolery. Strictly limiting themselves to using only traditional instruments - no keyboards whatsoever - Khold rely purely on the devilish coarseness of their riffs and the raspy growl of singer Gard to evoke the evil atmosphere many black metal bands have to rely on electronics to conjure.
Sadly, not being particularly well-versed in Khold's native lingo, I can't comment on the lyrics, but they're delivered in such a way as to convince the listener that some lower-level demon intent on getting you to sign your soul away is being heard through the speakers, and not a bald bloke in face paints.
The riffs possess a gritty, sleazy quality, and the rhythm section chugs along at a fairly mid-tempo pace, giving the music a determinedly confident air of malignance.
Overall, this is a refreshing take on black metal that makes a nice change from constant 480bpm blastbeat-a-thons - a back to basics lesson in how to sound like you've crawled out of the pits of Hell without resorting to a Korg synthesiser or some such thing. Nice one.
8/10
Moonfog Records - 2002
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Khold web site.
Go to the Moonfog Records web site.
Repeatedly referred to as 'old-school' black metal, Khold are a black metal band who eschew furious blast-beats and hyper-speed riffing in favour of a dirtier, more malevolently seductive form of corps-paint tomfoolery. Strictly limiting themselves to using only traditional instruments - no keyboards whatsoever - Khold rely purely on the devilish coarseness of their riffs and the raspy growl of singer Gard to evoke the evil atmosphere many black metal bands have to rely on electronics to conjure.
Sadly, not being particularly well-versed in Khold's native lingo, I can't comment on the lyrics, but they're delivered in such a way as to convince the listener that some lower-level demon intent on getting you to sign your soul away is being heard through the speakers, and not a bald bloke in face paints.
The riffs possess a gritty, sleazy quality, and the rhythm section chugs along at a fairly mid-tempo pace, giving the music a determinedly confident air of malignance.
Overall, this is a refreshing take on black metal that makes a nice change from constant 480bpm blastbeat-a-thons - a back to basics lesson in how to sound like you've crawled out of the pits of Hell without resorting to a Korg synthesiser or some such thing. Nice one.
8/10
