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░ ██ ██ Artist: Holy Death ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Triumph Of Evil? █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2003 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-02-06 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Black Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Under the Sign of Garazel Productions ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Reissue ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Poland's Holy Death seemed to have initially █
█ missed their mark here for their release of █
█ Triumph of Evil. Even with good releases, timing █
█ seems to be a key focus; who, when, where, how, █
█ and here: why the hell not? But the ones who did █
█ get a chance to listen to their early release █
█ should think differently. Apparently they started █
█ the studio recordings on June 6th, 1996, so maybe █
█ their timing wasn't so off. And then there is a █
█ small rant in the booklet re-release about Head █
█ Not Found records from Norway releasing this █
█ initially on CD, though in unauthorized form as █
█ well. █
█ The music presented is a mid-paced and slower form █
█ of black metal placed right smack in the middle of █
█ a concentration of faster bm. At times they play █
█ along the lines of something similar to what █
█ Samael did on Blood Ritual and the slower sections █
█ on Worship Him for comparative sense, but they █
█ definitely have their own identity with this █
█ release. Triumph of Evil can lure you with a █
█ catchy song writing structure, slower music that █
█ requires more introspection, along with some █
█ snippets of sounds and some keyboards that are █
█ used for the most part sparingly to heighten the █
█ atmosphere. █
█ There's only six tracks here, but spanned across █
█ forty something minutes of gradual, heightening █
█ music. The song writing has a selective simplicity █
█ to it. Using basic and sometimes repeated █
█ structure to maintain a dark, sinister tone. The █
█ vocals stream overtop of the music and can be of █
█ the tour-de-rasp type, with some deeper █
█ from-the-throat tendencies, and also switch to █
█ higher pitched straining-from-pain extensions as █
█ well. They include some clean spoken vocals that █
█ have an abundance of effects on them, this █
█ includes male on their own, and also female vocals █
█ in spoken form at another point as well. █
█ The guitars guide Triumph with reckoning force, █
█ pitting the music up against slower strumming, █
█ catchy qualifiers, and faster strums that can do a █
█ lap before you can blink an eye. Maybe not that █
█ fast, but the drumming still works with a mid-pace █
█ tempo even when the guitarist will use faster █
█ notes, and he includes galloping double bass █
█ during some of the more mid-paced and catchier █
█ tracks as well. There are clean guitars on the █
█ beginning of 'The Ultimate Sacrifice' that remind █
█ me in similar fashion to some of the acoustic █
█ sections of earlier Mortuary Drape. Band member █
█ Asphodelus duals as guitarist-bassist, which I █
█ think works to the benefit of the album. Like a █
█ two-player card game played by yourself: you know █
█ all the moves and strategies, making one move at a █
█ time yet keeping in mind what your 'other' self is █
█ thinking simultaneously. Making them prominent in █
█ some areas and working around the guitars, but █
█ with the intention to make the guitars win all █
█ along and come out with the most decorated hand. █
█ 'The Son of the Gloomy Truth' uses bass lines that █
█ will finish with a fill instead of the guitar, and █
█ 'Without Mercy' has a cool bass part in the █
█ beginning, which seems to work more intricately █
█ around the strumming guitars, then together as the █
█ song goes into its own rhythm. █
█ There are keyboards placed strategically during █
█ the evolving time span. The beginning intro to █
█ 'The Journey' starts out with church bells, █
█ thematic choirs, along with intermittent thunder █
█ and lightening and whispered vocals. The second █
█ track has a sound bite from a raging battle with █
█ clinging swords, rambunctious horses, and warriors █
█ heaving and hoeing for their lives, then a big █
█ sweaty cheer (the triumph of evil I presume) to █
█ open up to metal music. The fourth track starts █
█ out with, this time, some harder to guess sounds. █
█ It appears to have bubbling water, mixed with █
█ quick, fading, echoey female screams and blended, █
█ distorted vocalizations in the background. So █
█ whether they are adding sound bites or actual █
█ keyboard playing, it seems to keep to itself, █
█ except when it has something important to say and █
█ guides the recording for the majority with a well █
█ devised argument. █
█ Triumph of Evil is a great from-start-to-finish █
█ black metal album with the same ideologies as its █
█ faster bm counterparts. The corpse paint and evil █
█ agenda is here, yet with music that plays at more █
█ of a mid and slower pace and can get the job done █
█ just as well. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. The Journey 5:01 ░
░ 2. Without Mercy 7:18 ░
░ 3. The Son of the Gloomy Truth 9:25 ░
░ 4. To the christians 9:31 ░
░ 5. The Ultimate Sacrifice 7:06 ░
░ 6. Always Lonley 6:33 ░
░ 7. The Journey (Special Remastered Version) 3:20 ░
░ (Bonus Track) ░
░ 8. Without Mercy (Special Remastered 6:21 ░
░ Version) (Bonus Track) ░
░ 54:35 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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