The coming on the format of one-man band’s isn’t something extremely new. The most popular of all is BATHORY (besides Quorthon stated many times that someone guest drummers played drums on the band’s albums), and during the Second Wave of Black Metal, many more appeared. And using such form is the Italian (now based on Sweden) APOCALYPSE, here with its new full-length, “Pandæmonium”.

It’s not hard to see that the production of a one men band’s laying in the hands of the musician, and Erymanthon Seth didn’t run away from the rule: he did the recordings, production and mixing of the album (with Mikael Moberg doing the mastering and sharing the production’s duties with Erymanthon), relying on a harsh and crude approach on the sonority, but in a way that’s not hard to understand what’s being played. It’s really good, but the choice for the instrumental tunes be a bit better.

Musically, the expression used by APOCALYPSE relies on a form of Black Metal/Viking Black Metal that was usual on the 90s (during the rise of the Second Wave of the genre), with many good orchestral parts from the keyboards. It means that sometimes it’s raw and aggressive, and on others it’s more atmospheric and melancholic. It’s obvious that such formula was used many times before, but such offering is very good, honest and filled with an energetic and young appeal.

There are two instrumental songs on the album (“Praeludium in D Minor” working as an intro, and “Final” as an outro), and “Hanged, Drawn and Quartered” (it’s an Old School Black Metal song with very good piledriving rhythms from bass guitar and drums), “Witchhunt” (fine melancholic melodies can be heard on this one), “Pit of Oblivion” (fine guitar solos), “The Well of Deception”, “Broken Illusion” (the clean vocals heard here can improve a bit more in the future), “Son of Fire” (such clean vocals’ parts are good, but again, they can be better), and “Pandaemonium” are filled with contrasts and very good instrumental work (with many Old School Black Metal shrieks being heard on the vocals), with hooks being spread to all sides (maybe it can be said guarding some resemblances with “Hammerheart”). It’s not hard to hear and like a lot this full-length if the listener is into Black Metal expressions.

APOCALYPSE brought a very good release to the fans on “Pandæmonium”, and maybe new ones can be hooked if they listen to it.