Under the Sign of Hell (Under The Sign Of Hell - Gorgoroth)

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	Under The Sign Of Hell - Gorgoroth
Date:	10/07/08 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hellish and still experimental.

Disadvantages: Focus on overt aggression begins in earnest.

As 'Revelation of Doom' opens, the listener is blasted with a wall of intense black metal fury, the likes of which I haven't previously heard outside of Behemoth. This makes for an intense listening experience, but also a somewhat irritating one, as the hammering drums do actually sound a lot like hammers. This is black metal cacophony at its best, impressive in the short term but potentially infuriating in the long run, and fortunately Gorgoroth calms down after a couple of songs to return to a slightly more melodic style from 'Funeral Procession' onwards.

This album fortunately isn't merely concerned with hostility, experimenting with chanting vocals in 'Profetens Åpenbaring' and reverting to a basic, plodding heavy metal style (albeit with added evil) in 'The Devil Is Calling,' but the album does lack the tomb-like atmosphere of its predecessors, as the band heads in an increasingly polished direction that would ultimately make their later releases less memorable.

1. Revelation of Doom
2. Krig
3. Funeral Procession
4. Profetens Åpenbaring
5. Postludium
6. Ødeleggelse og Undergang
7. Blood Stains the Circle
8. The Rite of Infernal Invocation
9. The Devil Is Calling

Summary: Gorgoroth's third album (1997).