Skandinavisk Misantropi

8 Tracks
69:19
3.25 /5
Rating
Written by Michel Renaud
Published July 11, 2010

This band features Maniac (of Mayhem fame), among other notables, and it's some pretty weird stuff bordering on "the mindfuck". It's hard to throw this into either Black or Doom Metal, so let's just call it a combination of both. Norwegians black metallers have a thing with throwing some weird experimentation at us, and you'll find some of that here with noisy, repetitive intros, spoken passages with acoustic guitar in the background – the kind of stuff that gets old quick (unless, of course, you're a sucker for this kind of thing.)

When the actual music starts, it's tormented and slow, not all that interesting musically but more than making up for it with the anguish-filled atmosphere that drowns you in darkness and despair – don't listen to this stuff if you're feeling depressed, because it sure isn't going to lighten your mood. Maniac's rasps are more than fitting, just as bleak, dark and disturbing as the music. It takes a few listens for this stuff to sink in, and depending on your tolerance for such things, the little intros and interludes can be a bitch to get through. Not the best thing I've heard in the genre, but it does have its moments.