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Celebratum
SOD (USA)
Just when you thought old-styled Black Metal could only be improved by enhancing its elements with
symphonic qualities, along comes Norway's Celebratum, which with Mirrored Revelation demonstrates that
solid musicianship and crisp production can breathe new life into an seemingly saturated genre. All the
classic elements are on display on this CD, from machinegun-nest barrages and blastbeats to screeching
guitar work to howling vocals. However, Celebratum has modified these elements, improving every facet
so that the end result remains brutal but also brings with it melody and a certain amount of
accessibility. For example, battery-master Vargon supplements his blastbeats and juggernaut rhythms
with some refined kit work. Vocalist Romul uses traditional demon screeches, yet he inflects these
with a certain amount of harshness and intonation that augments his voice quite nicely. And then there
are the guitars, which one moment hiss and spew and the next create intricately arranged harmonies and
crunchy hooks. In total, Celebratum sounds clean and yet the brutality remains intact. Lyrically, the
band sticks with traditional themes, including the end of humanity, the Dark One's rise to power,
releasing evil from inside, and so on. Although there is not much new here, the compositions are
rendered well and the images are interesting. I will go as far as to say that Celebratum has the
potential to rejuvenate old-styled Black Metal. Without resorting to keyboards, samples, symphonic
structures, or other elements to augment mood, Celebratum has succeeded in using solid musicianship
and technical prowess to create epic vistas of Black Metal that are both intense and harmonic.
(OR) - 666 Fucking Skulls
Mirrored Revelation
