CoC : Judas Iscariot - To Embrace the Corpses Bleeding : Review

Judas Iscariot - _To Embrace the Corpses Bleeding_
(Red Stream, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay (4 out of 10)

Sometimes my expectancy supercedes reality where bands that I enjoy are concerned. Such seems to be the case with Judas Iscariot. Normally, the arrival of a new Akhenaten offering would set me on Cloud 9 for weeks, but _To Embrace the Corpses Bleeding_ sure fell a few "clouds" short of that. Where JI of the past filled a void with yet more frigid obscurity, this release merely claws at a freezer door like a toddler after a grape popsicle. Look back upon CoC #54, #53, #50 and #47 if you think Judas Iscariot has not been the beneficiary of mostly positive press by this zine. While I take issue with some comments and opinions (sorry, Alvin), fans of black metal must know that living up to expectations for a band's next release is arduous, at best; few will argue that point. While I am in favor of Akhenaten's openness about the error toward the beginning of "Where Eagles Cry and Vultures Laugh", track after track _To Embrace the Corpses Bleeding_ seems to be reaching for former glory. Too much presumptuous insolence seeps into this album. The CD inlay stands as a pretty good testament to that, but the music sets that attitude to music in yet another way completely. While black metal is riddled with this type of disposition (obviously), JI manipulates it on _TEtCB_ in a way that has simply been worn to death. I've heard Akhenaten do better and I am fully aware of his skill and proficiency because I've been witness to it previously. I can offer little advice concerning improvement I personally would have made if I possessed an aptitude on par with Akhenaten. That having been said, I might suggest to say grab hold of the splendor set forth on "The Dead Burst Forth From Their Tombs" and "I Awoke to a Night of Pain and Carnage" while filtering that innovation through the _Heaven in Flames_ [CoC #47] skillful musicianship, and your next offering, Akhenaten, will be an effort in black metal accuracy, for certain!

(article published 12/4/2002)

ALBUMS
11/20/2000	A McKay	6.5	Judas Iscariot - Dethroned, Conquered and Forgotten
5/25/2000	A McKay	8	Judas Iscariot - Heaven in Flames