DISCIPLES OF THE ULTIMATE VOID (DEMO)

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Disciples of the Ultimate Void is a demo tape made by French experimental/ avant garde black metal act Deathspell Omega. This is a cassette demo tape that was only released in 66 copies. Lots have happened to the music from the band since this demo was released and I was a bit disappointed to learn that the band played very simple old school black metal on their first releases when I know what they will accomplish on later releases.

There are four songs on the demo and with titles like Raping Human Dignity and Death's Reign (Human Futility) you pretty much know where we are in the lyrics department. The music is rather simple old school black metal with aggressive raspy vocals. No keyboards here. A dark, occult and aggressive mood is the order of the day.

The musicianship is surprisingly tight and especially the drummer shows some pretty impressive skills. Considering the very primitive demo- and quite frankly annoying sound quality the band does prove that they have skills. Both in the way the compositions are made and in the musicianship.

The sound quality which most of all reminds me of a very bad live bootleg recording drags Disciples of the Ultimate Void down bigtime though. I know some people enjoy these noisy and lo-fi black metal productions but I´m not one of them. I like to hear details in music and not just deliberately made bad sound quality. you can call it authentic or what you will as much as you like, I just don´t enjoy it. Had the sound quality been bearable I would have given 2 stars. As it is now this is a 1 star recording. If you´re new to the band let me suggest that you start with some of their later releases instead. Disciples of the Ultimate Void does not represent how Deathspell Omega sound today.

'Disciples Of The Ultimate Void' - Deathspell Omega (2/10)

I have no problem calling Deathspell Omega one of my favourite black metal bands ever, if not one of my favourites of any style. Over the course of the past decade, they have made some incredibly bone-chilling music, relying heavily on none other than Satan himself for lyrical inspiration. What has set this band apart though is their ability to really innovate their sound, and incorporate aspects of jaw-dropping technicality into a genre that generally lacks much in the way of playing proficiency. In any case, they have released some of my favourite albums, and though I respect them to the utmost, I cannot find much to appreciate in their early demo, entitled 'Disciples Of The Ultimate Void'. First hearing it tacked onto their debut album 'Infernal Battles', this is a poorly produced, generic black metal demo that sadly does not impress me in any way, let alone to the extent that their opuses do.

There really is not much to say about the demo, save for the fact that it shows these Frenchmen paying homage to bands like Mayhem, who perfected this old school style of black metal about a decade prior. The songwriting is bland and predictable, although the musicianship of the band is quite impressive, even at this point. It is clear that this band is a cut above others in the sense that this band can really play their instruments well. Sadly, they are using their talents to pull off music that has been done much better before. Even after a few listens, nothing sticks on the demo. There are some nicely played riffs, but even they are made senseless by the sewage-calibre production that would typically be entailed with a demo. There is little to enjoy here, and it would be until the band's second album where they would start making some good black metal.