Customer Reviews

Somberlain (Bonus CD)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm not the biggest black metal fan you'll ever meet. I enjoy my share of bands, but there was one band that is an essential for either the black metal fan or the melodic death metal fan. That's right, they were Dissection.

I am glad that an essential album like this is rereleased and is receive better distribution. The album is just amazing beyond belief. The late Jon Nodtveidt was one of the greatest guitarists out in the black metal scene. Ole Ohman is a double bass machine! And with the dark feel of a black metal album embedded in their melodic talents, no wonder this album is such a legendary work of art.

But wait! There's more! This reissue comes with a bonus disc as well! The first two tracks are a live recording recorded in 1995 but not released until a decade later. Next, we have the band's "Into Infinite Obscurity" 7" covering tracks 3 to 5. Tracks 6 to 9 are the 1992 demo, and track 10 is "The Grief Prophecy Demo" recorded in 1990. Tracks 3 to 10 are remastered. The final 3 tracks are closing rehearsal tracks from 1990-1991, all remastered as well. And no, they're NOT re-recorded. There's a difference between that and remastering.

If you're new to this band, or just love Dissection, pick this up. It's inexpensive and you get a lot out of this reissue. Also, check out the "Storm of the Light's Bane" reissue as well.

I got this album after I got Storm Of The Light's Bane, so I am comparing this to Storm Of The Light's Bane.

The production is definitely more garage than Storm Of The Light's Bane, but the guitars are still recognizably Dissection, and the drumming is for the most part the same, except Ole Ohman doesn't use as many blastbeats in this debut.

The songwriting is a bit raw compared to SOTLB, but it is still way up there. It achieves atmospheric heights in songs like Black Horizons, The Somberlain, and Mistress of a bleeding sorrow. Generally, the songs were harsher and more heavy than SOTLB, but this album does convey emotion, but isn't quite as haunting and grim as SOTLB.

Where this album is good, it excels. The garage production actually fit some certain songs, such as Black Horizons and The Cold Winds Of Nowhere, and the songwriting did use a whole lot of harmonizing to achieve a dramatic effect. However, the problem is, where this album was poor, it was abysmal. A couple of the songs took a whole lot of developing before they achieved a "personality", like A Land Forlorn. Also, I found the acoustic guitar pieces, while technically astounding, very flat and boring, and not nearly as dramatic as their names would suggest, and they tended to not be as cold as the intrumentals on SOTLB.

However, the production is still clear. Though slightly muddied, it was irrelevant because it was for the most part clear and representative. And the songwriting is still Dissection, and if you liked any other of their releases (Storm Of The Light's Bane, Past Is Alive, Live Legacy) then you will like this. In fact, it easily surpasses Past Is Alive and Live Legacy.

This album is clearly still influenced by Melodic Death Metal, as that's where Dissection's roots lay. (By contrast, Storm Of The Light's Bane is definitely Melodic Black Metal.) The Somberlain appears to be part of the time when Dissection were still in transition, as it is not recognizable to either genre. What Dissection did, in fact, was take a Melodic Death Metal melody, and then "blacken" it, and then add a sense of Iron Maiden style harmonization, and the riffs are less "blackened" than they are on SOTLB. Though there are other minor differences (production, vocals), the main difference in the fact that the riffs are more blackened on SOTLB than on this release.

Is this good Dissection? Yes. Is it worth your money? Yes. Is it their best? No. Is it sensational and will it affect you tremendously? No. It is not an incredible album, and does have its flaws. But it isn't bad; in fact, it is quite good. I just urge you to get Storm Of The Light's Bane before you get this. However, this album fails to disappoint. It does carry the Dissection name, and it lives up to it every minute of its existence.

This is one of the most perfect albums I have ever heard. Everything on this album is done so well. The atmosphere on this albums is incredibly dark and perfect. This album may not have solos, but it is so good that it doesn't even need it. Even though this band only had a few releases, I still say that they are the true kings of black metal. Anyone who listens to this album would agree.

I can't find anything bad in Dissection music. This bring a second CD with live performances of Dissection, which I love it! Excelent Black Metal sound!

Like "Storm of the Light's Bane," Dissection's "The Somberlain" is an atypical, yet brutal masterpiece of Scandinavian Black Metal. Dissection, in their debut have created a more melodic sound than most Black Metal bands, but their originality and technical mastery should not be overlooked. This is indeed one of the best Black Metal albums ever created. I am a bigger fan of death metal and power metal, and I have to admit that I like Dissection more than some of the bands in those categories. As for any fan of Black Metal, this CD is a must. Also check out "Storm of the Light's Bane." Fans of Dissection should, of course, look into other bands in the genre such as Emperor, Immortal and Dimmu Borgir. Fans of this should also enjoy hybrid bands such as Opeth etc.

this is an amazing mix of black elements and elemants from melodic death. they retain the violence and power of metal well being melodic. there are three brilliant acoustic tracks mixed in throughout the brutality adding to the atmosphere. this cd is lyrically accomplished as well as musically. all 4 of these guys no how to play their instruments. i recomend to buy this cd before "storm of the lights bain"(there other cd) because this ones more brutal and youll be able to appreciate both cds even more this way.

Dissection is a Legendary Metal band who only has two full length releases that are both praised as classics. The Somberlain is the first release of the two. This is truly a dark and wonderful album. The Somberlain has some of the most sorrowful guitar riffs I've ever heard. This is a long album with epic songs and stays entertaining all the way through. Almost every track contains some great acoustic passages, a lot of time changes and great keyboard work. The production is perfect! Not under or over produced and still has a very raw feel to it. This is as Dark and Cold as it gets Ladies and Gentlemen. Dissection really executes a chilling masterpiece. If your a fan of Black Metal or any other genre of Metal, this is a must have. If you're a fan of Dissection, check out Dark Fortress!

This is the first album from Dissection, the band that pretty much lead the way for several Swedish and foreign melodic death/black-metal bands to come. Somberlain contains 11 tracks, and three of them are short classical pieces played with acoustic guitar.

The music is dark and atmospheric, with enchanting melodies that captures the listener. There are furious and fast parts and there are calm and slower ones in almost all songs. The disc begins with "Black Horizons" wich is an 8-minute epic which I believe is the best song on the album (and the best song Dissection has ever made). Other highlights includes "Frozen" and "In The Cold Winds Of Nowhere".

As I said before the album includes three short acoustic pieces, and they really add to the dark atmosphere of the record and provides a welcoming place to rest your ears between the other songs.

Song-wise, I would give this album 5 stars, but it fails on the production. It's not bad and we are not spoiled by good productions from this time (around 1993) but the production is just what bugs me. For example, the general sound quality is pretty noisy and the bassdrum sounds very triggered. I am somewhat of an audiophile, so please don't let this stop you from buying this album.

Dissection would later release what would become their last album "Storm of the Light's Bane" which I also recommend, but if you only want one Dissection album, this is the one to buy.

This is album has some very melodic moments...however it does not lose its agression with it...I reccomend this to anyone who likes nordic metal

Great Death Metal!! This is one good band who often is not heard off. This is a recommandation for any person who likes great Death Metal.