Artist: Barathrum
Country: Finland
Label: Hammer Of Hate Records
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2024
There was a time in history where Barathrum was a band that was only looked down upon. Its primitive and unpolished character was something that did not fit into Extreme Metal’s firmament of the early 00’s, maybe because of the more experimental and symphonic sort of Black Metal that was particularly en vogue at the time. However, Barathrum might be one of the most cited bands at these pages, their influence on the Black Metal genre as a whole is now more felt than ever before. Alongside bands such as Mystifier, Mortuary Drape, Samael, Necromantia, Xantotol and Varathron they have inspired numerous bands that are now riding high on the international metal scene.
Especially albums like ‘Eerie’, ‘Infernal’ and ‘Legions Of Perkele’ are absolute classics, not only in my book, but the pure power of these albums is still be felt through the music of many current day bands. And, perhaps most importantly, the albums stood the test of time remarkably well. Even better than a significant amount of albums that were highly regarded in the times that Barathrum was treated like something of the past. Well, that “past” has proudly been an element of Barathrum’s music along the band’s three and a half decades of existence.
Besides those classic albums, I regularly find myself grabbing records like ‘Okkult’ or ‘Saatana’. These are albums that sound quite a bit different from the early works of the band, yet while they were typified by a way catchier sound, the Barathrum spirit was omnipresent.
Against that impressive background, the band’s latest album, ‘Überkill’, sounds astonishingly flat. I love, no, almost worship, the dark and sinister atmosphere of the old records and that catchiness of a song like ‘I Am Very Possessed’ (of ‘Okkult’), but ‘Überkill’ doesn’t quite have any of that. While the classic Heavy Metal influences were always a big part of the Barathrum formula, albeit much more evident on later records, the band seemed to have opted for a more safe sounding Black/Heavy Metal sound. There are some great melodies here, fitting perfectly to the more doomy side of the band, but the overall quality of the riffs is downright disappointing.
Janne “Demonos” Sova, Mr. Barathrum himself, doesn’t seem to be very committed to his vocal delivery this time round either. Just like the majority of the riffs and melodies, the vocals feel rather uninspired and, dare I say, Barathrum unworthy. Barathrum was never a band for highly sophisticated song writing, instead the band found its unmistakable strength in its simplicity: uncomplicated but utterly captivating. Now the main riff in ‘Denial Of God’ for instance sounds just bland and tiresome. To complete the picture, the bone-dry production, which leaves nothing of the last bit of atmosphere and ambiance, certainly does not add to the listening pleasure either.
As a whole the album can be summarized as just a disappointing Barathrum record. Definitely not the worst album of the year, but certainly the least out of the Barathrum extensive discography. Without wanting to sound too bitter about it all, I think my expectations for this 10th album were just much higher than what ‘Überkill’ was able to deliver. Expectations that were fed by a monumental musical legacy and a long seven year wait…
