Bands come and go. Some stay around longer than others, but in the end, they all split up at one point or another. It's a hard fact that we have to live with in the metal community. But rarely do bands make any more efforts to release new material or merchandise once they've decided to part ways. This isn't the case for unsung Black Metal pioneers, FROM THE DEPTHS, who have reappeared on the radar with a mission.

FROM THE DEPTHS split after a relatively short-lived career of 2 albums and an EP, yet their hardcore fan base never forgot about them. And now, 20 years later, they are re-releasing their self-titled debut, along with a new line of merchandise, for one sole purpose: to raise funds for their former singer, Malcolm Judas Anthony (or Jim Sadist to his fans). The front man departed with the band just after their self-titled debut release and passed away only last year. FROM THE DEPTHS wishes to use the proceeds from this re-release to cover Malcolm's funeral expenses. Their debut is an early American Black Metal effort that helped spread the genre in a land that still found this style so alien. And now it's being re-printed on a limited 12" vinyl. This is truly a noble cause. And since the track list has been rearranged (plus the fact that we've never had the opportunity to review an album of theirs), it's more than fitting that we deservingly give FROM THE DEPTHS the spotlight.

"Dawn of the Crimson Harvest", the opening tune, leads in with some interesting programmed instrumentals and a synth (by Brian Boston) that help paint a picture of the album's tone, albeit a little industrial. Nevertheless, it's as dark and gloomy as we need it to be. Then we're tossed into the second track, "And They Shall Rise Again". The deep guitars by Matt Sorg and Brian Bertram add a bit of a "doomier" feel, something more in-depth than most black metal bands dare to dive, but a trademark sound for these unholy innovators.

While the narration at the beginning of the song is a good touch, enticing and ominous, Jim Sadist attempts to lead into a scream that ends up being a bit too high and constrained. Forgive me for being a bit late on the recommendation, but let's call it an opportunity for new Black Metal bands to learn, that these kinds of screams ought to have a bit more power coming from the chest. The end results will be banshee-like.

The album follows a similar mode of low, rolling, deep guitar and bass while drummer Rob Newlin makes wide use of his kit and well-timed splashes. The guitar may sound doomy, but we get liberal use of Death Metal technicality as well as lower growls- a unique style that FROM THE DEPTHS made their own. The bass tone by Arnie Argenio can be a bit hidden, but once exposed, we see its beauty in its grotesque grinds.

The title track (on their self-titled album, a metal tradition as old as the genre itself) continues with the Death Metal technicality and a sullied, evil picture with spot-on blast beats. When we fall into the movement between narrations, the instruments crank the brutality up to 11- the low bass grinds and the guitar's alternating chords help set a good mid-tempo pace. The production quality can be coarse, but almost purposefully- in a fashion that's popularly known as "potato quality", something that's criticized quite often, but here is where we find the method to be most effective. The vintage basement sound adds a bit of extra edge to its shadowy environment, something that can only be found from the depths... of the underground.

"Fuck That Witch" opens with a strange, yet oddly satisfying bass flanger below the guitar, leaving me absolutely enthralled. Rarely do we get bass work like this in Black Metal, and here we are with some interesting progressive elements. The tremolo guitar riffs and machine gun blast beats blend together perfectly into an electrifying movement while Jim Sadist hits his highs fairly well this time around. Though this is a very well made song, my favorite has to be the following, "Curse of the Scarecrow". Admittedly, I'm a sucker for ambience, and the windy intro had me hooked. Then I was slammed in the face by an oncoming freight train of fat, low-gravity guitar punches and a flurry of double-bass beats.

And finally, we close with another instrumental and, fittingly, melodic acoustic guitars. "Outro - The Echoes of Distant Dreams" is the perfect tune at the end of the storm, and something I could say goodbye to FROM THE DEPTHS with once and for all, no matter if I was a new fan or a longtime follower.

Overall, this was a solid album. Not quite ripe, but still full of potential. This is still very commendable, as FROM THE DEPTHS was treading uncharted territories in the realm of Black Metal. This music, at the time, had barely creeped out of the frostbitten forests of Norway and, thanks to these artists, found its way into the suburbia of Cleveland, Ohio.

My heart goes out to FROM THE DEPTHS knowing that they've lost an old member and a friend. It's really telling when a band goes so far to re-press a hidden gem such as this and put out a whole new line of merchandise. All I can say is: if you have any love for old school Black Metal, I'd pick this up (and a record player if you haven't gotten one already). It's brutal, cold, and as unholy as any devil spawn, and is worth a good, long listen.

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