Blessed by the Light of a Thousand Stars
Servant
From their EPK, "content wise the nine tracks are not only inspired by modern Satanism, but also by the human emotional world and the longings associated with it. The longing for death, the desire for transience, elevation of the self, as well as the search for the meaning of life with the help of various religious and occult teachings are just a few examples to describe the approach of the lyrical part." The album contains nine tracks.
"Negate the I" leads off the album. It opens with clean guitars and a bit of thunder in the background. From there the Black Metal sound ensues. It's fairly different than the standard genre offerings out there. The guitar work is diverse, as well as the vocals, and attention is paid to the details. "Death Meditation" begins with a slower groove and some melancholy tones, but the pace quickens with deadly accuracy. The musicians are pretty strong...something that is not often the case in Black Metal. Around the half-way mark, it slows to a powerful grind. But it picks back up and finishes strong.
"The Ultimate Occult Worship" is a shorter song that features more double bass and a solemn, low end riff. Another powerful shift happens around the half-way mark, as the sound drops quickly thereafter to clean tones. It picks back up again towards the ending. "Foreshadowing Rite" is even shorter, and features clean guitars done with an echo...as if the musician was by himself in a vast room. The guitar tones are both soft and mysterious, with a little bit of a scary feeling thrown in. "Hymn of the Latest Days" comes in strong from the opening. Clean vocals come in after the second chorus, hinting at a tortured soul, and the screams increase from there.
"Incantation of the Old Ones" is another shorter song that is pretty well crafted. These tracks seem to be the band's sweet spot as they pack a lot into them. "Destruction and Recreation" picks up where the previous track left off, carrying forth a similar sound. "Ecclesia Obscuri" is a longer song that opens with a slower moving pace as well as some harrowing background elements. The vocals are quite frightening, coupled with some lead notes in support. A metallic striking can be heard in the background. The title track closes the album, and it might be the best song of the nine. Powerful guitar strikes open the song, leading to a hastened pace of drums and instruments.
This was a genre bending album rooted in Black Metal, but taking on several other sounds as well. The vocals, combined with harrowing elements that are ever-present, are really the only things that might remind you of the genre. The production is strong as well. One thing that I noticed however is that many of the songs have a similar sound to them. If the band can at least tend to this, with the music being as well written and performed as it is, the album could be a step better.
7 / 10
Good
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Blessed by the Light of a Thousand Stars" Track-listing:
1. Negate the I
2. Death Meditation
3. The Ultimate Occult Worship
4. Foreshadowing Rite
5. Hymn to the Latest Days
6. Incantation of the Old Ones
7. Destruction and Recreation
8. Ecclesia Obscuri
9. Blessed by the Light of a Thousand Stars
Servant Lineup:
Farago - Vocals, Guitars
Apophis - Drums
Thanatos - Bass
Samael - Guitars
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