Review by Richard Henry for MPM
So, we have a compilation of the different covers the guys have done throughout the years all on one package, a lot of these tracks have been on various bonus editions of the albums, so some were easier to hear than others, let’s dig in!
Track 1 – Black Metal – Well I mean its where the band started and probably the inspiration for a lot of Norway’s bands having watched a good few documentaries, this track was on a leather bound edition of 2007s In Sortie Diaboli album, Venoms title track to their second album, first thing is the production while polished also seems to have a bit more grit to it than the normal sound, maybe just with the no synths present on this one, it’s a fairly faithful reproduction and no surprises there Shagrath trying his best Cronos impression for this one!
Track 2 – Satan My Master – Now I love me some Bathory and as in many people’s eyes this is the first true black metal band, although it up for debate between them and Mayhem, again it’s raw, especially the drums on this one which is surprising as its from 2003s Death Cult Armageddon sessions, they seem like really live as if this was all recorded on the floor, I forgot how almost punk this one is until I have listened to this version here, now that’s a solo for the genre, lots of trem bar work and trem picking, great track, again a really faithful reproduction of a classic song!
Track 3 – Dead Men Don’t Rape – G.G.F.H (Global Genocide Forget Heaven) this one for the Reality album, bonus track on 2010s Abrahadabra album, this starts off as a dark experimental techno track and really processed vocals and then the first sign of blast beats kicks in, now the original stays more techno industrial through the whole song so the guys have taken this one and destructed it and put it back in their own way and to be fair it’s actually a really cool version with all they have changes, I would urge you to go listen to the original and compare them
Track 4 – Nocturnal Fear – Gotta love Celtic Frost, this is from the 1996 Devils Path ep, again the production is almost of live rehearsal in feel and for a track like this it is perfectly suited to that sort of feel, that middle riff after the solo is just so catchy, some nice solo work in there, the vocals are raw on this one, again it’s a pretty faithful reproduction of the original, nice bass tone on that break, they really have tried to get that buzz saw guitar sound as well!
Track 5 – Burn in Hell – So this track turned up on a Japanese edition of 2001s Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia album, of course it’s a cover of the Twisted Sister song, I haven’t listened to that song in years, but God does it sound proper heavy with this remake of it, to be fair the vocal really works as well, if you didn’t know about the song I am sure most people would assume it’s actually their song, the one thing this does remind me of thought is that I miss hearing Vortex’s vocals in the band!
Track 6 – Perfect Strangers – Bonus track from 2010s Abrahadabra album, purple time and yeah, the Hammond is there for the start of this one, now I must be honest, this one for me the growling vocal doesn’t work at all, musically its great and its muscular, the clean vocal is great but that low vocal part just nope, my opinion on this but not for me, some nice slide guitar playing going on in the background on the guitar parts, add loads of texture, I like what they did with the double bass drumming on the section near the end, really cool way to keep the riff but change the feel of the song, musically great, vocal just not for me.
Track 7 – Metal Heart – From the Godless Savage Garden Ep in 1998, this is a cover from the band Accept, I always loved this cover from when I first heard it on the ep 24 years ago, the track itself is a classic as it is, but given the treatment from these guys it is so epic, it just all works, the vocals the instrumentation, I love this version, great solo on this one as well then into the Fur Elise classical section with the choir vocal on the outside, just epic!
Track 8 – Nocturnal Fear (Celtically Processed) – Seems like a different vocal on this one, more in line with the original but I think I preferred the other version on the album, see what you think?
8 out of 10
As a covers album I like about 90% of the album, the purple song just not for me with the vocals and the two versions of the Celtic Frost song is a bit of a redundant, but again having them all on the one cd instead of trying to find all the bonus disc versions of albums is handy for the completist! For me I just want to hear a new album from the guys, it’s been nearly 5 years!
Pre-Order Inspiratio Profanus + listen to ‘Perfect Strangers‘ here:
https://dimmuborgir.bfan.link/inspiratio-profanus.ema
