For someone that has not listened to Ad Hominem before I approached this album with an entirely clean slate, ready to judge on what was displayed before me as I had no preconceived ideas of what the music was going to be like. Of course, one always hopes that the music is going to be good and that it’ll be something aesthetically pleasing, and "Dictator – A Monument Of Glory" certainly is. From start to finish you’re treated to some great Black Metal with many outstanding qualities that help to make this album the gem that it is. The album starts with an introductory track entitled "In Power", which is an ambient piece that’s job is to lead up and help to ensure that when the first song enters the frame that it’s executed in the best possible way. It starts off with as a very simplistic beat, but gradates to become something far more complex and indulging as it progresses. Towards the end of this introduction you’ve got a vast array of sounds that blend together and carry with them a sense of foreboding, which helps to build up the atmosphere for when the first track enters the frame. This introduction is absolutely spot on with its intentions and as such means the album can continue from a successful beginning, which is always important. Another very good aspect of this album is how all the instruments work well together, and it’s very hard to distinguish a weak link, if there is one at all. The songs possess strong fluidity and flow well, and the gradation between songs is masterful. Between each track there are small interludes that help to keep the music in motion, and not simply have one song finish and instantaneously another begins with a different style. For instance with "Slaves Of God", where operatic voices are used to slowly acquaint the listener with what’s to come. There’s no sudden change in direction, but instead there is allocated time that allows the listener to adjust to the coming song and not simply be bombarded with it. This aspect of the overall composition of "Dictator – A Monument Of Glory" is especially impressive and it shows good planning and that a lot of graft was put into the making of the album. A third key factor of Ad Hominem’s music here is the drumming, which is near enough amazing. Ad Hominem’s competence with the drums is shown as they always manage to ensure that the drums are used in the most appropriate ways possible. A good example of this is in "Total Völkermord", where the drums gradually increase in pace along with the guitars to help bring in the onslaught of fierce pace that follows, so as mentioned before the listener is never simply left dazed by insane tempos at the start of a song, but rather is gradually lead through a system of controlled crescendos that are always relevant and fitting. Alongside the drums, Kaiser’s vocals help to put forth and build on the ever-growing power of the music. The strength of the vocals helps to develop the ferocity that’s released through the songs. The best example would be with the track "Zog Is Dead", where the vocals drive the music forward and dictate the music. Chants and shouts are also utilised in some of the tracks such as in "Total Völkermord", with the track opening with what can be compared to a war cry when you look at the energy displayed through it. The vocals are, like the drums, used in such a way that means they’re not excessive but rather equilibrium is established and stuck to, meaning that everything seems to fit together like a jigsaw. The guitars in "Dictator – A Monument Of Glory" also help to enforce the atmosphere that the music creates. If I were to make a comparison then Marduk would be the one that would seem most similar in terms of the speed of the guitar, most particularly the "Plague Angel" album. It is undeniable that the guitars control a huge portion of the music; acting as a catalyst to gather together all musical qualities of the album and making them all gel together successfully. Looking at this album as a whole I think it’d be fair to say what Ad Hominem have created is a, arguably near flawless album that demonstrates how Black Metal should be played. The core elements of what the genre is defined with are present and are harnessed, meaning that the existing scaffold is expanded upon. What is absolutely key is the fluidity of the music so it all fits together as an album, and this is successfully achieved in "Dictator – A Monument Of Glory". I will certainly come away from this album with a smile, thinking to myself that these guys really know what they’re doing and how to execute music in an appropriate manner. I would highly recommend this to those that want to listen to how Black Metal should be played; with brutal vocals, fast guitars and some great drumming that all fits together and produces an album with numerous impressive qualities.
- Genre: Totalitarian Industrial Black Metal
- Quality: mp3@CBR320 kbps (CD-Rip, Lame 3.93)
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