Monday, May 10, 2010

After Death - Retronomicon (2007)

Atmospheric and haunting occult metal from ex-Nocturnus mastermind Mike Browning! And hey, it’s good stuff too. This compilation CD gives you a chance to check out three After Death demos plus one previously unreleased EP. Nocturnus fans should like this stuff, however, the music isn’t as technical as on the Nocturnus full-lengths. Instead it’s a bit simpler and more straightforward, in the vein of the “The Science of Horror” demo and the title track of the “Possess the Priest” EP. There’s also not any futuristic sci-fi touch to the music as was the case with Nocturnus, After Death’s concept centres around mythology, occultism and blasphemy. The different releases included on this CD don’t have the same line-up, so the music varies a bit from release to release. I recommend this CD. After Death’s stuff is not trendy by any means but rather unique. It’s neither your typical Nordic black metal, nor is it your standard brutal death metal. I think this is profound and somewhat experimental in an interesting way while still managing to keep the old school touch.