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HECATE ENTHRONED
Miasma
~reviewed by Michael
Johnson
Hecate Enthroned started out when bassist/vocalist
Jon left his band Daemonum in 1994 to join a new black metal band named
Cradle of Filth. His stay was short, however, but the shadows that
followed the shift would last for years to come. Hecate Enthroned
was extremely powerful black metal loaded with memorable riffing and a
drum style I can only associate with them, but the high pitched screams
emanating from Jon would cause this highly promising band to be cast aside
as a Cradle of Filth wanna-be. Nothing could have been farther from
the truth.
I myself was guilty of labeling this band
only a few short years ago. I loved the songs but couldn’t get past
the vocals, as I was a rabid Cradle fan as well. Dark Requiems…And
Unsilent Massacre sat quietly collecting dust. It wasn’t long
before I was talking to a friend of mine about this band (we’ll just call
him Matthew) and he pointed out the enormous differences between the two
and from that point on, Hecate Enthroned has been one of my favorite bands
and Dark Requiems one of my all time favorite albums.
Hecate Enthroned saw a major shift in
sound when vocalist Dean filled the void left by a departing Jon.
On the critically acclaimed Kings of Chaos, a more death metal approach
was taken while still maintaining the unique and blackened Hecate sound.
Darkened growls replaced the screaming and a much more versatile approach
to the music was taken, adding enormous amounts of power and creating many
new fans.
Now, the follow-up to Kings of Chaos,
Miasma, has arrived and it continues to herald the powerful songwriting
of a band that is quietly (at least here in the US) one of the foremost
names in black metal. The one downer with this is that it’s only
an EP. I prayed for a full-length, desperate to hear more of the
newest developments and ideas born of an extended touring hiatus.
But despite the length of this, Hecate has once again completed another
process of evolution by adding harsh whispering and soaring clean vocals
mixed with the traditional sounds of black, death, and thrash metal and
the resulting carnage is nothing short of spectacular. Trance-inducing
mellow arrangements are met head on by the galloping drums and the wall
of guitar that complete the sound of Hecate Enthroned. “So Called
Savior” is led by clean, spoken word, whispers, and Dean’s own harsh screams.
“New Day Emerges” the instrumental “Commence The Chaos”, and easily my
favorite on the album, “Designed With Hate” follow in the same vein, breathing
new life into my love for this type of music. The album closes with
“Silenced But For Their Cries” but after a short silent stretch, I was
treated to a cover of one of my favorite Venom songs, “Buried Alive”.
"The morning mist beckons
It calls out my name
The morning miasma
Leaving all slain
It raped all their
virtues
It raped all their
hopes
Destroyed all their
dreams
Destroyed all that's
false"
Miasma is a sign of great things to come
from this band. I can only hope that the full length is not far behind
because, even as great as they were years ago, this band just keeps getting
better. I strongly urge black metal fans that have never heard Hecate
Enthroned to get off your ass right now and go get one. They can
be tough to find at times, but a little resourcefulness will go a long
way.
Track Listing
1.So Called Savior
2.New Day Emerges
3.Commence The Chaos
4.Designed With Hate
5.Silenced But For Their Cries
6.Buried Alive
Hecate Enthroned Is
Dean – Vocals
Nigel – Guitars
Andy – Guitars
Rob – Drums
Dylan – Bass
Daz – Keys
Official Website: www.hecate-enthroned.co.uk
Email: deanicide@hotmail.com
andy@hecate-enthroned.co.uk
Label:
Website www.plastichead.com
www.blackened.com
12/08/01 |