Curse (Iceland) - Void Above, Abyss Below
Black Metal may not be dead after all. This just might be the year that sees the return of darkness and evil, the return of my master Satan. First I was floored by The Beast of the Apocalypse, now Iceland’s Curse have dropped what could potentially be the Black Metal album of the year, if not the decade. It’s without question the best trve kult Svart Metall I’ve heard in years, save for Varg’s two post-prison releases. Curse paint a picture that is truly bleak, recapturing the grimness of ‘92-‘94 era Norway (where I’m told the band have recently relocated). Musically a simple but potent mix of Darkthrone, Burzum, and early Satyricon. Vocalist Eldur serves as the album’s prime mover, his voice the brightest jewel in Curse’s crown. His sandpaper throat is a dead ringer for Under a Funeral Moon-era Nocturno Culto, which is nice to experience again since Darkthrone these days are nothing more than a glorified Gorilla Biscuits cover band. Curse are the real deal lyrically as well, “doing 666 per hour” all the way, and after listening to this masterpiece “if you told me I was dead I would not doubt your words.” Only the sloppy outro track prevents this from being a perfect 10.
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