Customer Reviews

Storm of the Light's Bane

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I regard myself as somewhat eclectic when it comes to music. I listen to electronic music, such as Aphex Twin and Amon Tobin and there are pop and rock bands such as the Velvet Underground, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin (to name but a very few) that I simply love, and what Beethoven and Rachmaninov have meant for me would be vain to try to express here. I would estimate to have around 400-500 cd's in my collection, out of which probably give or take 50 would be labeled extreme metal. My point, ladies and gentlemen, is that out of all the cd's I've ever heard - and once again, there's a lot out there other than metal I listen to - "Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane" is the one I hold as the best ever made. I don't know if it's the intricate and sometimes insanely beautiful and expressive guitar work, or if it's Nödtveidt's furious yet balanced vocal attack, the intense although never over the top drumming, the epic ambience conjured on tracks like 'Thorns of Crimson Death', the chilly production that goes glove in hand with the music, or maybe even the artwork, I do not know what it is, or if it is all these things in combination, but I do know that there is something in this that, after five years of listening to it at least once a week, some periods a lot more, still sends chills down my spine and gives me goosebumps. This record is just beyond comprehension. Sheer beauty. If I would have to choose one record to bring to a desert island it would not be Rachmaninovs third piano concerto, nor would it be Beatles' Abbey Road. It would be this one. Buy now.

The ominous, foreboding intro that is "At The Fathomless Depths" is a chilling sign that you are about to bear witness to something dark, frightening, and downright violent. But mind you, if you're a fan of Black Metal, Death Metal, or anything in between, this is a very, very good thing. For those who can handle the sheer brutality of "Storm Of The Light's Bane", there are compositions and currents that will impress even the most discriminating Black/Death enthusiast.
Looking back, Dissection was one of the Swedish bands that helped developed a particular metallic sound and style in the early 90's that many felt compelled to call the "Gothenberg sound". While most of the other acts in that particular time and place maintained a strictly Death Metal flavor, Dissection wasn't afraid to dabble into the dark arts sufficiently enough to incorporate elements of Black Metal, which was also being developed at about the same time in Norway. And while both of these musical styles were still fledging, Dissection saw that it was worthwhile to join the two. As peculiar as it may seem, they were intent on calling themselves a Death Metal band in interviews, but parts of "Storm Of The Light's Bane" that can only be described as undeniably Black. Still, "Storm..." was singular proof that they were masters in both fields. There's even clear evidence within certain tracks that Dissection were not afraid to utilize elements of good old Thrash where they saw it was necessary to bludgeon listeners into submission.
Once you're able to make grasp the weight of the album's introduction, you're transported to a dimension where "melodic brutality" actually makes perfect sense. Within the first minute of "Night's Blood" alone, "Death" and "Black" give you no concern - you just fall prey to the fierce aggression that won't let up. And to make matters more complicated, by the third minute of the very same track you're experiencing one of the most engaging and haunting acoustic passages as it weaves through its quiet melodic dynamics, only to have it cyclically progress back to the same brutal tendencies that made your head spin moments before. Just imagine this roller-coaster ride on every song, because that's what you have here.
But before I make it seem that things are too disjointed for its own good, it should be known that Dissection were talented enough at this point to make such compositions genuinely flawless and completely natural-sounding. They were masters at taking so many complex riffs, varied tempos, and lead guitar melodies and putting them together into perfect form that simply made sense by the time you were able to reflect on its entirety. Dissection's gift was finding ways to make seemingly unrelated song structures fit together, especially when pulling those structures from no less than three (or more) genres, as perfectly demonstrated on "Night's Blood", the slower and more deliberate yet monstrous sterling epic "Where Dead Angels Lie", or the superb bludgeoning thrash of "Retribution-Storm Of The Light's Bane". Even after hearing the album countless times, it's still difficult to imagine where each song is going to go next. That sort of unpredictability is a lost art among most Metal acts, but not here. And yet, there is a sense of completeness with this album, as well. Book-ended by two melodic passages at the beginning and end, and having so many epic and grand musical and lyrical themes, from start to finish this is one of the most COMPLETE albums I've heard. Perhaps that's why so many have speculated that this was a concept album, although the band was always quick to deny that.
Looking back on Dissection's brief but immense legacy, It's difficult to imagine that this was only Dissection's second album. Although "The Somberlain" was a great album as well, I personally think this follow-up was far superior in its writing, performance, and aforementioned completeness. Whether or not fans think they were ahead of their time or just taking Metal to the next level that they saw fit, there is no denying that "Storm Of The Light's Bane" is a classic album that should be in every Metal fan's collection.

It seems like there's some debate regarding how to classify this album, and I'll agree that it is pretty tricky to pin down. What I do know is that "Storm of the Light's Bane" commands my attention in a way that few albums have. Dissection's haunting, melodic assault often borders on trance-inducing. Perhaps it's the album's defiance of classification that makes it so potent, as the band managed to combine diverse influences and somehow get the best from each.
After a brief (and effective) melodic intro, "Night's Blood" starts off the meat of the album. Right from the start one thing becomes apparent: when it comes to Dissection, "melodic" means anything but "wimpy." If anything, the ethereal, rhythmically driven melodies and expert playing make "SOTLB" more haunting than the typical black metal album. Perhaps, then, the secret to Dissection's greatness lay in their ability to take the dark spirit of black metal and inject the clean production and musicianship of melodic death metal. Just listen to masterworks like "Where Dead Angels Lie" and "Soulreaper." The raspy vocals, insistent rhythm section, and icy guitars create the perfect dark atmosphere. In Flames, At the Gates, Soilwork, and the like are good bands, but I don't think they could create anything with the sinister intensity and epic mood that Dissection conjure up so easily.

It's hard to find a lot of good music and nit-pick it out of all the low-end trash and junk out there. Dissection went right over my head at first. Perhaps one of few black metal bands I had never even heard of up until a few months ago (let alone listened to), a close friend introduced me to the band with a video of "Where Dead Angels Lie" being played live. I zoned out while watching it but took down the name of the band. She warned me "Dissection is addictive." Since this album caught my notice and I picked it up, I cannot help but agree.

Hands down, the first three "full" tracks ("Night's Blood," "Unhallowed," and "Where Dead Angels Lie") are among the absolute greatest metal songs ever written. More importantly, the remainder of tracks on the album fit in just as wonderfully. The occasional piano interlude really brings a sense of emotion and feeling to the album, even amidst all of Jon's (R.I.P.) screams, growls, sinister whispers and the shearing guitars, bass, drums. It's not your Dimmu Borgir sort of symphonic blend, but instead gives a colder feel to an already cold album. You can even feel it amidst the album's gloom.

And that is just the first album. What way to make it better than to include a re-mixed version of the album on disc 2 (for the most part, the album remains intact, and everything still clicks) and it even includes the track "Feathers Fell" mixed in with it.

To further solidify the shear importance of this disc alone is the full inclusion of the "Where Dead Angels Lie" EP which includes both the demo for the EP's title track, a previously unreleased track, and 2 amazing covers. And above all else, there are two more demos that were never before released: "Night's Blood" and "Retribution - Storm of the Light's Bane."

If you have never picked up this album and are any sort of fan of dark, black, extreme, or, hell, even technical metal, get it. Now. As soon as you can get your hands on it.

Easily, one of the single most important albums of all time, even though it will be ignored by the vast majority of the world, and possibly even to a fair amount of the target audience.

Hail Dissection, and Sleep In Flames, Jon!

Favorite Tracks:

- At The Fathomless Depths/Night's Blood
- Unhallowed
- Where Dead Angels Lie
- Feather's Fell
- Elisabeth Bathori (Tormentor Cover)
- The Antichrist (Slayer Cover)

First of all, let me point out that I'm not a complete metalhead that only listens to Deicide and Venom. I am not. I appreciate a wide variety of styles, from modern electronic music over rock and pop to classical music and opera.

Having said that, this is one of the best albums I have heard, ever. No matter what genre. It really is that good. So what is it that makes it so good?

Is it the haunting, mesmerizing guitar work of Nödtveidt, incorporating both regular death metal riffing and beautiful chordal and melodic lines?

Is it the fantastic drumming, where something new happens all the time - you'll have a hard time finding four bars of straight drumming here - there's always a cymbal, a couple of toms or a syncopated rhythm lurking where you least expect it.

Is it the incredible vocals; harsh and extreme yet never over the top?

Or is it the atmosphere of the album, making you feel like you've been abandoned in the middle of a huge forest in freezing midwinter?

It is all of those things, of course, and more. Listen to it and you'll know what I mean. A true classic.

I bet that pretty much all of you B.M. fans out there has heard Dissection. In the Storm... shows that Jon and the boys has been developing since their debut. The lyrics and material are better on this one and the production might be even better then on The Somberlain. Over all this is a great album, possibly the beast Death/Black album this year (but do they have competition...) and I know people that thinks so. If you liked Somberlain you'll love this one, I promise you.

When I first heard this album, I had no clue what black metal was.... I was still listening to Guns 'n Roses, Metallica, Megadeth, etc. A friend introduced me to it and I was completely blown away! I have never heard anything like, and come to think of it, nothing has even come close to this day! Jon's haunting vocals and the melodic guitar work make SOTLB so unique. And the fact that there is a huge debate over wether this is a black metal album or not, just makes this album so much more special. I'm not sure if this is black metal or not, but what I do know, is that SOTLB is my favorite metal album..... period!!!

I've loved this album since the first time I stuck it in my stereo. The tracks vary from slow piano pieces, to fast, crushing black metal, though mostly this album is very melodic. I don't know much about musicianship, but I reckon these guys are talented. They manage to encorporate acoustic guitar solos into the music without it losing its power and intensity. The vocals of Jon Nodveidt almost dominate the music, with the guitars providing more of a background effect, rather than their own sound, but still, the music is awesome. It's just a shame Jon is now in jail. If you want a good listen, purchase this album, its a classic.

Dissection were truly a gifted band. This is a nearly flawless album. There are many things that make it great: 1)Creative, interesting, and fluid songwriting, 2)Amazingly talented musicians, 3)Some of the best black metal vocals I've heard, and 4)the great dark snowy atmosphere it creates. Dissection were truly the inventors and innovators of their Swedish black metal style, followed by many talented bands, but never duplicated succesfully. This is a great album for any fan of black and death metal.

Ignore any negative comments about this album. The bottom line is it is one of the best (if not THE best) albums released in the black/death metal genre. It indeed has a huge dose of something unique, in both the incredible music and lyrics. Every song is very strong - yet the WEAKEST is "Where Dead Angels Lie", it is trying to be the most accessible. If you like anything from King Diamond to Emperor, GET THIS ALBUM.