Customer Reviews

Ultimate Death Worship

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

 

 

Three years have gone with the wind since Limbonic Art issued their last full-length album, "Ad Noctum - Dinasty of Death", many listeners were disappointed with that particular album in what concerns the unearth of Black Metal's vital elements, the raw sounding guitars and most of all the ravelling insanity of the entire piece which left aside the (until that moment) prominent use of the keyboard passages; others, on the contrary, instantly acclaimed the aforementioned album as the best in this duo much hailed career...
In some aspects I feel inclined to report that "The Ultimate Death Worship" might be grasped, in certain moments, as a repetition of proves already firmly given by the band on previous albums. I'm sure many purists might not agree with me on this particular observation, but what's done is done, and art has no boundaries I believe. Even the cover layout/artwork tends to repeat itself or at least fall into a slightest over-explored territory; it sure was innovative during "Moon in the Scorpio" or "In Abhorrence Dementia"-era, but nowadays I feel it doesn't actually provoke any visual or esthetical sensation at all. Though, competency and the adequate musical craftsmanship is something Limbonic Art don't miss, their dependence upon the characteristic swirling keyboards is something any cautious Black Metal listener can easily recognise (I would even go deeper stating that this is the element which brought Limbonic Art to the forefront and pushed them to another level, their extra dimension, the place where they stand now). Morfeus surely knows how to explore the atmospheric side of the music which is, as I've mentioned, still the main focus of the song-structures along with the astonishing guitar riffs which blend together to form an ultra harmonic accompaniment, or if you prefer the contra-face to Daemon's ferocious and much emphasised vocal shrieks.
For me the mechanical production is straightway the main down-point here. Too stereotypical, flat, and the overall sound is not very clear (read: the instruments well-defined on the mix), and this factor considerably ruins the most audible part of the record, it seems you're just hit by a massive wave of distortion, fuzz and undefined wind, keyboards, voices, etc. In a way, the essence of the music is lost for not being sufficiently polished and the grim beauty is also lost among the trembling guitar patterns and low-drum echoes; however, if you've enjoyed "Ad Noctum - Dinasty of Death" specially for this reason, it won't be a reason to complain about.
Ultimately, "The Ultimate Death Worship" will not exactly redefine the modus operandi for Black Metal, as perhaps the first two Limbonic Art records did, still they once again done a smash up job replete with some talented guitar work and perhaps sufficiently convincing for the great majority of Black Metal listeners.
Abyss Magazine @ Nuno M. [CR]

I've been anticipating this album for a while conidering that Limbonic Art, despite their rather underground status, has produced some phenomenal work in their time. After listening to it, I've been both pleased and irritated at the same time. Apparently Daemon & Morpheus decided to opt for a more raw approach to their music with this album, which is fine. There does not seem to be quite as much synth and orchestration as in previous albums (In Abhorrence Dementia, for example), simply more straight up metal. I found this to actually be an upside because the album is more listenable in terms of being able to jam to it in its more stripped down glory. However, the BIG downside to this album (at least in my opinion) is the fact that the production quality is relatively horrible and disappointing. It's not quite as bad as say... Ministry's "Dark Side of the Spoon" album which sounded like it was recorded in a tin can or sewer pipe, but it's relatively close. It also does not sound like it was equalized as well as it could have been. There are many parts where there's a kind of ambient sounding openor to a song with lots of bass, then the bass just seems to drop out as soon as the song truly begins and the kick drums don't seem to have much of an impact. The real problem may have been that there was simply too much sound going on to get a crystal clear sound out of the recording, but given the technological advances today (and previous works with EXCELLENT production, such as Zyklon, along the same kind of sound), the fact that there is TOO much sound should not be a real excuse. Only if they maybe recorded it in MONO would this seem to be an acceptable problem. At any rate, another upside to the album is that is has a lot of interesting samples and spooky, dark moods. The beginning of the song "Towards the Oblivion of Dreams" sounds like something out of the movie Donny Darko. Also, a few of the songs do just rock so hard you have to enjoy the CD. On a downside, a number of tracks aren't really songs but more like ambient noise with talk-overs. This is okay, I suppose, but it just makes you think that such tracks could have been replaced by music more along the lines of the rest of the album.

I give this release 3 stars because the songwriting is great and the mood is great, but the production leaves a bit to be desired and a few tracks could have been more promising/productive. If you're just getting into this band, I would suggest checking out "In Abhorrence Dementia" before you get this album.

Probobly the most brutal work from these norwigen masters of symphonic black metal, fast paced, raw, very very evil. Damons vocals are better than ever. Not many guitar solos tho :[ some of the best songs limbo has ever written \m/

Limbonic Art is the closest you can get to the beyond without actually killing yorself - although it is certainly what every dedicated death worshipper should do... "In the deep pitch black halls of darkness, the cruel high-council of evil demands self destruction"...
Only then can the journey Limbonic Art intended for us, begin. It's all about letting go. And being a misanthropic necromancer, of course.
Some of us actually feel this way.

First of all I would say this is a great production. The reason is because now guitars sound more clear, scary, haunting, very hard and heavy. Also, the symphonic part its there but it is less than before. Another thing that sparks in this production that there is horror in and is definatively scary. Now the bad side of this production is that its too short. That is the reason that made me give this album a 4 star rating. The other albums like The Ahhorrence Dementia and Ad Noctum Dynasty of Death were full of music to fullfill my tastes why couldn't this one be like those. This album only has 6 songs of music and the other two are just horror themes but are still great. I really recomend this album to any black metal friek like I say its a good production so you won't be dissapointed.

Limbonic Art return with yet another unique collection of Horror and MeTal. For those of you unfamiliar with the duo, I will say that after over 20 years of listening to REAL MeTal, Limbonic Art has become my favourite band. They combine the cold speed and classical themes of Black MeTal with often-subtle orchestration and frequently prominent.......but never to the point of sounding [bad]........touches of electronica. Believe me, if an "old" MeTalhead like myself can accept it, so can YOU, no matter how "necro" you are. Because, indeed, the normally sick vocals of Daemon are topped on this album; he howls, moans, screams, shrieks.....but always with pointed discipline. He spits out anathemas against hated humankind, and shrieks--very convincingly--all the pains of the damned.
Longtime fans will note the vastly improved guitar sound on this album....it has become very thick and crunchy, and the orchestrations take a definite backseat to the guitars. There are a few INCREDIBLY creepy passages on here, and perhaps Limbonic Art's crowning song(out of MANY great ones): "Towards the Oblivion of Dreams" is also found on this new album.
The songs are everything we've come to expect from Limbonic Art(which often includes the unexpected), but the artwork(as always, done by band-member Morfeus)seems a bit less extravagant.......hmmmmmm. But a cover does not an album make, and this cover just PALES in comparison to the music within. Essential for anyone that misses the exciting strangeness and genuine MeTal "futurism" of earlier Emperor.......before they(HE, actually)got too snooty to remember the TRUE spirit of MeTal! And by "He", I sure don't mean Samoth!
You should REALLY buy this album.