SEMARGL
"Attack
on God" (Deathgasm; 2006)
Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter
Semargl’s brand of Satanic black metal gets the re-issue treatment from Deathgasm Records a couple of years after its recording and original release. “Attack On God,” although having limited appeal, is fine piece of melodic black metal.
Semargl, hailing from the Ukraine, were previously unknown to me and have caught me by surprise. The band’s anti-Christian stance aside, Semargl have crafted a strong set of songs that retain the black metal genre’s unfettered aggression while incorporating melody that never veers into symphonic black territory. There are occasional forays into death metal; in fact, one track entirely eschews the band’s black metal esthetic and is a full-on death metal attack (“The Sign of Chosen Names”).
The vocals express great range from deep guttural screams to high pitch shrieks. The guitars are seemingly simple on the surface, but show great variation in speed and tone where appropriate. The keyboards are impressive, especially when heard in the album’s more melodic moments. The rhythm section is solid with the drummer having an important part to play in accentuating the overall mood and pace of the songs.
The album features eight tracks – again, as alluded to earlier, Semargl’s overall approach is of a high quality. The first seven tracks are raging black metal while the last song serves as a keyboard-only outro – this is somewhat unique given that it does not serve as an interlude between the other songs and is quite long.
“Attack On God” was produced by Semargl. The production is stellar. I know the typical approach for black metal bands is to honor their fore-bearers with less than stellar production, but the great sound and recording techniques on “Attack On God” serves this band and recording very well.
Semargl: Rutarp on vocals, Equinox and Shaddar on guitars, Morthvarg on bass, Shamala on keyboards, and Kirkill on drums.
For more information http://www.semargl.com.ua.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2006 by R. Scott Bolton. All
rights reserved.
Revised: 01 Apr 2024 11:14:18 -0500
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