ARTEP : BLACK WAR
Unsigned
Artep first thundered into earshot in 2007, with the demo “The Fires of Mortal Deception”, a raw and furious little creature, murky, reverbed, cold and shrill, but with moments of great promise in the interesting guitar lines and propensity to use synths as well-placed punctuation and partner to the raging guitar work. They’re back again with “Black War”, a teaser promo in advance of their debut full-length “Thy Will be done on Earth as is done in Hell”, and it’s a joy to see they’ve come on leaps and bounds since their original outing.
Where “The Fires” was stripped back and relentless, to the point of wearing itself out, “Black War” is a far more measured, stately affair. Indeed, it’s amazing to hear the huge symphonic sound into which Artep’s big, spiky boots have stridden. The opener begins with bombardment sounds and the marching of feet, which cleverly sets the tempo for the song. From the off, the sense of atmosphere is really massive, the tension ably heightened by the male choir synth that leads the listener into the crunchy, heavy riffs of the song proper. While parallels with that band are fair, it’s not the bombastic overkill kind of symphony employed by Dimmu Borgir, but rather is defined by a poised and classy pacing that allows the synth to carry genuine melody rather than serving merely as adornment.
In other bands where all the power is in the plastic, the other elements of the music can dim in comparison, but the scything, icy leads that Artep championed on their last release are still vital and eerie, particularly on “Eye of the Serpent/Oko Hada”, where classic black metal elements segue into soundtrack expansiveness to good effect. The sometimes overpowering shrillness present on the first demo is tamed and moulded into something positive here. The vocals are also intense, with a frenzied, distorted shriek layered over lower growls. The effects used on the vocals sometimes verge towards unpleasant, with the robotic madness at the end of “Antichrist” being an example, but overall they are quite restrained. The drum sound is a bit unbalanced, but nothing terrible, and the percussion in general is the all-out battery it needs to be.
Artep’s song-writing has moved on greatly since the last demo, with more complexity, and the guitars reflecting more of the Emperor side of the band’s influences. The title track is maybe overlong, but this is down to an excess of ideas rather than inexperienced structuring, which bodes well for the full-length. As the final track closes, a sentence from the accompanying press release catches my attention; “All Artep members breathe fire”. This works figuratively with as much flair as it does in the literal sense- a fierce and formidable band.
78/100
