Ahhhhh, Satan. The pause that refreshes. This one is a real coup for Sound Riot Records, not to mention a treat for any Black Metal diehards who missed this the first time it was released. Svartsyn (who started out as Chalice waaaayy back in 1991 as the second wave of BM was kicking in.) recorded this album in 1997-98 but never released it, for some reason unknown to me. It was finally put out as a double album with their third full-length "His Majesty" in 2000 by End All Life, but that was limited to 500 copies. So this is the first wide release for this album, and it slays.

Svartsyn play Black Metal the way I think it should be played: hard and raw, with an emphasis on riffs rather than speed. If you think of the first Satyricon album or early Mayhem you won't be far off, though there is also a resemblance to other more riffy BM bands like Ritual or Megiddo. This album just rages, from the opening blast of "Terrordemon" through one headbanger after another. This is one of those bands that just keep packing in the riffs, like Melechesh in a way, as they just keep piling cool parts on top of each other until you are sure the songs will overbalance from the sheer riffery. This was recorded at Sunlight Studios, and another plus here is that while the sound is very raw, it is also heavy as fuck, as they didn't skimp on the bottom end.

So you get eight tracks of total Black Metal slayage, one track "Waves Of Eternal Darkness" that is total keyboard bullshit, and then the entire two-track "Tormentor" EP tacked onto the end. For those who have been wanting to get this, as well as those who have never heard Svartsyn, I have just one thing to say: Get this fucker.