CoC : Song of Melkor et al - New World Blasphemy : Review

Song of Melkor et al - _New World Blasphemy_
(Unsung Heroes Records, 2001)
by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10)

_New World Blasphemy_ is a split release between three American black metal bands, namely Song of Melkor, Rampage and Cross Sodomy. Interestingly, they are all one-man bands. (I blame it on Burzum.) Rampage is reviewed elsewhere in this issue, but the other two are largely unknown to me. Song of Melkor (not another band named after some Tolkien gibberish!) open the album with "Prophecy of Abyss" with a slowish song featuring a strange-sounding, almost discordant guitar. The next four tracks venture into more conventional black metal territory. Rampage has eschewed his previous musical flirtations in favour of a harsher, black metal-like sound. The first of two songs, "Black Flames Light my Path to Damnation" is in the style of his cover of Mayhem's "Funeral Fog" off the _Monolith to an Abandoned Past_ album, [CoC #57], while "Ritual Curse" is a slower, more sedate song, more like his previous work. Cross Sodomy's contribution is their demo. (Rampage and Song of Melkor's contributions were recorded for _NWB_.) Their music is largely unremarkable, with the notable exception of the vocals. Unlike most black metal vocals, the words are clearly enunciated and verges on being spoken word, at times bordering perilously close to rap. (Never thought I would ever get the opportunity to use the terms "black metal" and "rap" in the same sentence!) While neither of these bands are likely to blow anyone with any displays of technical skill, their extremely raw and simplistic nature ensures that the unholy trio remain true to the original spirit of black metal and the underground.

Contact: UHR, Mark Vignati, 260 Overlook Dr, Covington, GA 30016, USA

(article published 3/7/2002)