Old Mans Child Vermin
Century Media Records - CD 77558-2 - October 17th, 2005
by Stuart Norman
Since Old Mans Child first came into the world 12 years ago, it has always had a knack of taking the better musical elements of the black metal sound itself and offering it up with a little more proficiency and imagination than most others. Vermin is no different, but I do wonder whether the world of black metal still needs Old Mans Child as much as Galder does. The fact that he has kept it going all these years considering both his other commitments and the lack of any kind of permanent lineup is something of a wonder itself!
Continuing in the tradition of working with exceptional and notorious drummers, Reno H. Kiilerich is the man behind the kit for Vermin, with Galder himself now taking responsibility for all remaining performances (a few guitar leads aside, courtesy of Eric Peterson - Testament/Dragonlord). Old Mans Child being born of such pedigree, the musicianship is of the quality you would expect from start to finish. The calibre of riffage too is of the kind that Galder is so well known for. There is however, one essential quality that is rather too scarce throughout Vermin, which is inspiration. For that reason I have to admit coming away from this album ultimately disappointed. There is nothing here that you wont have heard before from Old Mans Child. Yes that does mean that there will be inventive clean sections thrown in with the mayhem; the particularly effective cascading guitars in The Plague of Sorrow for one, the crushing staccato riffing throughout being another. It does however mean that Vermin can pass you by somewhat unnoticed.
The riffs themselves are big and bold enough to hold your attention, the opening track Enslaved And Condemned along with In Torments Orbit more than holding their own in that department. At no point throughout Vermin though, do these riffs really make the transformation into great songs, and without great songs, you just arent going to get a great album. You are going to get a listenable, enjoyable album, which is what you have here. Made all the more so thanks to a characteristically clear production. With plenty of space in the mix, it has a generic, modern black metal feel. Offering a great deal of depth, but with the synths taking quite a back seat, the guitars are the predominant driving force behind the whole album.
As is expected from Old Mans Child, there are no weak points whatsoever on Vermin, (with the possible exception of the entirely unnecessary As Evil Descends outro) thanks to such competent arrangement skills. Song-writing with a resulting predictability, leaves Vermin having neither highs nor lows. Predictable and consistent yes, but spectacular? Not quite. Im sure that its quite intentionally that the majority of Vermin, with its feet firmly in the mid-nineties, but head and eyes very much in the twenty first century, paints a picture of sheer grimness in an ironically polished way. Dissection could pull off something similar to Lord of Command [Bringer of Hate] nine years ago with pure menace on The Storm of the Lights Bane, and perhaps its only because that was nine years ago, but this feels a little more contrived. I dont think this will bother Old Mans Child unduly, they may be grim, but they cant pretend to be necro!
I said earlier that I think Galder needs Old Mans Child. As Dimmu Borgir slip further down the slope of commercial marketability, Old Mans Child offers him a more credible and unrestrained artistic outlet. But on this evidence, although his class and capability shine inevitably through, I dont think Vermin offers us enough as an album in its own right. Id love to be able to say Old Mans Child gives us something Dimmu Borgir doesnt at the moment, but with Vermin, that isnt really the case.
7/10
Official Old Man's Child Website
Official Century Media Records Website
Century Media Records - CD 77558-2 - October 17th, 2005
by Stuart Norman
Since Old Mans Child first came into the world 12 years ago, it has always had a knack of taking the better musical elements of the black metal sound itself and offering it up with a little more proficiency and imagination than most others. Vermin is no different, but I do wonder whether the world of black metal still needs Old Mans Child as much as Galder does. The fact that he has kept it going all these years considering both his other commitments and the lack of any kind of permanent lineup is something of a wonder itself!
Continuing in the tradition of working with exceptional and notorious drummers, Reno H. Kiilerich is the man behind the kit for Vermin, with Galder himself now taking responsibility for all remaining performances (a few guitar leads aside, courtesy of Eric Peterson - Testament/Dragonlord). Old Mans Child being born of such pedigree, the musicianship is of the quality you would expect from start to finish. The calibre of riffage too is of the kind that Galder is so well known for. There is however, one essential quality that is rather too scarce throughout Vermin, which is inspiration. For that reason I have to admit coming away from this album ultimately disappointed. There is nothing here that you wont have heard before from Old Mans Child. Yes that does mean that there will be inventive clean sections thrown in with the mayhem; the particularly effective cascading guitars in The Plague of Sorrow for one, the crushing staccato riffing throughout being another. It does however mean that Vermin can pass you by somewhat unnoticed.
The riffs themselves are big and bold enough to hold your attention, the opening track Enslaved And Condemned along with In Torments Orbit more than holding their own in that department. At no point throughout Vermin though, do these riffs really make the transformation into great songs, and without great songs, you just arent going to get a great album. You are going to get a listenable, enjoyable album, which is what you have here. Made all the more so thanks to a characteristically clear production. With plenty of space in the mix, it has a generic, modern black metal feel. Offering a great deal of depth, but with the synths taking quite a back seat, the guitars are the predominant driving force behind the whole album.
As is expected from Old Mans Child, there are no weak points whatsoever on Vermin, (with the possible exception of the entirely unnecessary As Evil Descends outro) thanks to such competent arrangement skills. Song-writing with a resulting predictability, leaves Vermin having neither highs nor lows. Predictable and consistent yes, but spectacular? Not quite. Im sure that its quite intentionally that the majority of Vermin, with its feet firmly in the mid-nineties, but head and eyes very much in the twenty first century, paints a picture of sheer grimness in an ironically polished way. Dissection could pull off something similar to Lord of Command [Bringer of Hate] nine years ago with pure menace on The Storm of the Lights Bane, and perhaps its only because that was nine years ago, but this feels a little more contrived. I dont think this will bother Old Mans Child unduly, they may be grim, but they cant pretend to be necro!
I said earlier that I think Galder needs Old Mans Child. As Dimmu Borgir slip further down the slope of commercial marketability, Old Mans Child offers him a more credible and unrestrained artistic outlet. But on this evidence, although his class and capability shine inevitably through, I dont think Vermin offers us enough as an album in its own right. Id love to be able to say Old Mans Child gives us something Dimmu Borgir doesnt at the moment, but with Vermin, that isnt really the case.
7/10
Official Old Man's Child Website
Official Century Media Records Website
