Setherial Endtime Divine
Regain Records RNA1034 - 2003
By Paddy Walsh
Setherial have been around since the beginnings of time (or black metal at least), plying their trade for a long time. "Endtime Divine" sees the band rethreading familiar ground from their past releases, with an almost relentless barrage of blink-and-youll-miss-it black metal fury. But are the new wave of black metal bands - those putting out releases far more extreme and altogether more evil than Setherial could ever hope to be - rendering the likes of this group obsolete?
Well it all depends on opinion really. For some, Setherial are waving the flag of the true, refusing to compromise to an ever fickle metal audience. The music on "Endtime Divine" is fast, stringently following the blueprint of bands such as Dark Funeral et al. But speed and enthusiasm alone have never been enough to carry an album, and this is no exception. While theres no questioning the bands conviction, one must ask the question is there any point? The fact that anyone who has even a fleeting interest in the genre will have heard something very similar to this before (and probably done better) tends to suggest that this collective is worryingly derivative.
However, those that zealously lap up anything that sounds like it was written ten years ago will no doubt love this release. Fast, unremitting, and occasionally catchy, there is plenty for fans of traditional black metal to enjoy. The production is crystal clear, courtesy of Abyss Studios, which probably does more harm than good, tending to detract from the atmosphere somewhat. But enough rambling; the people who will like "Endtime Divine" probably already have this, but it certainly isnt going to win any converts to the genre. Those of you looking for something new in black metal will have to look elsewhere (towards Anaal Nathrakh or even Akercocke, perhaps), but if you are after something new, then why were you even listening to black metal in the first place?
6.5/10
Official Setherial Website
The End Records Website
Regain Records RNA1034 - 2003
By Paddy Walsh
Setherial have been around since the beginnings of time (or black metal at least), plying their trade for a long time. "Endtime Divine" sees the band rethreading familiar ground from their past releases, with an almost relentless barrage of blink-and-youll-miss-it black metal fury. But are the new wave of black metal bands - those putting out releases far more extreme and altogether more evil than Setherial could ever hope to be - rendering the likes of this group obsolete?
Well it all depends on opinion really. For some, Setherial are waving the flag of the true, refusing to compromise to an ever fickle metal audience. The music on "Endtime Divine" is fast, stringently following the blueprint of bands such as Dark Funeral et al. But speed and enthusiasm alone have never been enough to carry an album, and this is no exception. While theres no questioning the bands conviction, one must ask the question is there any point? The fact that anyone who has even a fleeting interest in the genre will have heard something very similar to this before (and probably done better) tends to suggest that this collective is worryingly derivative.
However, those that zealously lap up anything that sounds like it was written ten years ago will no doubt love this release. Fast, unremitting, and occasionally catchy, there is plenty for fans of traditional black metal to enjoy. The production is crystal clear, courtesy of Abyss Studios, which probably does more harm than good, tending to detract from the atmosphere somewhat. But enough rambling; the people who will like "Endtime Divine" probably already have this, but it certainly isnt going to win any converts to the genre. Those of you looking for something new in black metal will have to look elsewhere (towards Anaal Nathrakh or even Akercocke, perhaps), but if you are after something new, then why were you even listening to black metal in the first place?
6.5/10
Official Setherial Website
The End Records Website
