⛧
Dark Metal (1994)
In 1991, four miserable spectres of negativity and despair came together, bonded by a common sense of loss and hopelessness. The dark entity that emerged from this gathering would come to be known as Bethlehem. After a few years of cultivating their sound, the Germans released Dark Metal in 1994, creating something that truly lived up to the album's title.
I was first exposed to Bethlehem through a penpal from Sweden who sent me several songs on an old battered cassette. At the time, I often journeyed to an old cemetery on or around the night of the full moon to soak in the atmosphere and get away from the filth of living humans. Occasionally, I would take music with me. Listening to depressing music was nothing new, and random doom metal bands often filled that role when I was already feeling low. However, the feeling that came from the first Bethlehem album was something different. That night, among the graves of those who had already served their time on this earth and passed beyond the gates of the mortal realm, a new kind of darkness opened its gaping jaws before me.
Musically, Dark Metal moves between black, death, and doom metal in a manner that was highly unusual for its time. The opening moments of "The Eleventh Commandment" possess more of a black metal feel before slowing considerably and giving way to oppressive doom riffs, mournful leads, and deeper vocals. In the course of one song, elements of black, death, and doom metal are brought together in a very unique manner, creating something that can only be described by citing the album's title: Dark Metal. The relatively clean production allows every note to have its fullest effect, while the hauntingly miserable guitar melodies remain the primary focus throughout. A mournful lead often slithers through the heavier riffs before giving way to ominous tremolo passages and mid-paced drumming. The songs move between glacial doom sections and faster bursts that lend the album its black metal character without allowing either style to dominate.
"Apocalyptic Dance" best demonstrates this approach. The song includes subdued moments with little more than a few spoken words and brief utilization of clean guitar before introducing higher-pitched vocals, subtle keyboards that resemble a funeral organ, and a section consisting largely of bass guitar and keyboard effects that sound almost like a cello. These passages are contrasted by blasting drums, higher-pitched vocals, and sorrowful clean guitar melodies emerging from the shadows. Likewise, "Funereal Owlblood" shifts from some of the deepest vocals on the album to faster sections with much thinner vocals, giving the record its black metal feel while never abandoning its mournful atmosphere. Even "Vargtimmen", despite lacking some of the dismal qualities that characterize the rest of the work, serves as a brief respite from the mental and emotional onslaught.
With Dark Metal, Bethlehem created something so bleak and depressing that to listen to it is to tempt fate itself and to descend into the depths of the abyss with no guarantee that you will ever again see the outside world. Whether it owes more to black metal or doom metal is inconsequential, as this record should appeal to anyone wishing to immerse themselves in something truly dark. Take it for what it is and get this immediately.
I was first exposed to Bethlehem through a penpal from Sweden who sent me several songs on an old battered cassette. At the time, I often journeyed to an old cemetery on or around the night of the full moon to soak in the atmosphere and get away from the filth of living humans. Occasionally, I would take music with me. Listening to depressing music was nothing new, and random doom metal bands often filled that role when I was already feeling low. However, the feeling that came from the first Bethlehem album was something different. That night, among the graves of those who had already served their time on this earth and passed beyond the gates of the mortal realm, a new kind of darkness opened its gaping jaws before me.
Musically, Dark Metal moves between black, death, and doom metal in a manner that was highly unusual for its time. The opening moments of "The Eleventh Commandment" possess more of a black metal feel before slowing considerably and giving way to oppressive doom riffs, mournful leads, and deeper vocals. In the course of one song, elements of black, death, and doom metal are brought together in a very unique manner, creating something that can only be described by citing the album's title: Dark Metal. The relatively clean production allows every note to have its fullest effect, while the hauntingly miserable guitar melodies remain the primary focus throughout. A mournful lead often slithers through the heavier riffs before giving way to ominous tremolo passages and mid-paced drumming. The songs move between glacial doom sections and faster bursts that lend the album its black metal character without allowing either style to dominate.
"Apocalyptic Dance" best demonstrates this approach. The song includes subdued moments with little more than a few spoken words and brief utilization of clean guitar before introducing higher-pitched vocals, subtle keyboards that resemble a funeral organ, and a section consisting largely of bass guitar and keyboard effects that sound almost like a cello. These passages are contrasted by blasting drums, higher-pitched vocals, and sorrowful clean guitar melodies emerging from the shadows. Likewise, "Funereal Owlblood" shifts from some of the deepest vocals on the album to faster sections with much thinner vocals, giving the record its black metal feel while never abandoning its mournful atmosphere. Even "Vargtimmen", despite lacking some of the dismal qualities that characterize the rest of the work, serves as a brief respite from the mental and emotional onslaught.
With Dark Metal, Bethlehem created something so bleak and depressing that to listen to it is to tempt fate itself and to descend into the depths of the abyss with no guarantee that you will ever again see the outside world. Whether it owes more to black metal or doom metal is inconsequential, as this record should appeal to anyone wishing to immerse themselves in something truly dark. Take it for what it is and get this immediately.
(19 Sept. 2011)
Dictius Te Necare (1996)
Dictius Te Necare is the second full-length album from Bethlehem, and represents somewhat of a departure from the sound that they established on 1994's Dark Metal. The title is Latin and translates to "You must kill yourself". Inside the booklet, one can see the dedication to all suicide victims. Released in Aprl 1996, through Red Stream, this record introduces a new member of the band and a different approach to creating the same type of atmosphere as before. Replacing Andreas Classen as vocalist is a character by the name of Landfermann, whose style is quite different and much more extreme than what most were doing around that time. This is most notable because it is the vocal performance, more than anything else, that has managed to polarize the opinions of listeners for the past decade and a half.
"Schatten aus der Alexander Welt" was the first song that I heard from this album, and it begins things with a high level of intensity. From the opening moments, the terrifying shrieks of Landfermann grab your attention and one only notices the musical differences after taking time to digest this shocking change. For those familiar with Varg's vocals on the early Burzum albums, this is still a little much to take in, as it is far more over-the-top. There is some variety in the vocal delivery, but the insane screaming and demented howling dominate the sound. Musically, this track sounds more like black metal than doom, sort of like Dark Metal in reverse. The fast drumming and tremolo riffs, along with the tortured wailing gives one the impression that this is a different band, altogether. There are brief sections that are very calm, utilizing clean guitar to create a dismal feeling, but these serve only to bridge different parts of the song, really. Near the middle, there is a riff that sounds as if it was inspired by Hellhammer / Celtic Frost, so there is even more of an argument for the black metal material that is present on this record.
The next song is "Die Anarchische Befreiung Der Augenzeugenreligion", which starts out with a much slower pace while retaining the tormented screams and the overall depressive feeling. With that said, this does not come close to the darkness found on the previous L.P. There is a decent amount of variety in the riffs and tempos, but they do not work together to create a cohesive feeling. Instead, it seems very inconsistent and each riff has a purpose all its own, having little or nothing to do with the track as a whole. The song is not bad, but it does not accomplish enough to justify the fact that it stretches beyond nine minutes in length.
"Aphel - Die Schwarze Schlange" is one of the highlights of the album. It begins with a tremolo riff that instills a sense of tension and dread in the listener, with distant howls that soon come to the forefront with a venomous fury. This tempo does not last long before a thrashier riff comes along and alters the vibe for a few moments. As this schizophrenic piece continues, a calm section with only clean guitar and the ravings of a total maniac soon explode into a black metal-inspired frenzy. This carries on, with the pace changing quite often, until the latter half of the song. Things get very quiet and subdued, with a clean melody that comes to you like a cloaked figure offering a fresh blade. The almost muffled vocals urge you to take the knife and to caress your flesh with the cold steel. And then, it happens... all conscious thought fades as you are overwhelmed by the utter misery of the riff that follows. With ease, the blade slides into your skin and the blood comes gushing out. The wound is deep, and the tormented howls and anguished cries echo those that reside within your feeble spirit, as your body collapses to the ground in a crimson pool.
The pace picks up a bit with "Verheißung - Du Krone Des Todeskultes", which is absolutely necessary to ensure the listener is alive long enough to hear the entire album. There is some odd effect on the vocals, and the riffs are not as overtly bleak, but it improves as it goes along. The main feeling is negative and somewhat sombre, but not to an agonizing extent.
"Verschleierte Irreligiosität" is a re-recorded version of "Veiled Irreligion", from Dark Metal. As with the rest of the album, the lyrics are in German this time, which actually adds something to the atmosphere. There are some changes in the arrangement, helping to accentuate the style of this album, but in the end the original possessed a much darker and more depressing atmosphere.
The next song is "Tagebuch Einer Totgeburt", which is one of the other highlights of this record. From the acoustic intro to the mournful guitar riffs and woeful cries, this is utter misery and hopelessness captured on tape. Whereas many of the songs feature sections that do not mix well with the rest, everything here comes together to build a sense of despair and sorrow. Rather than being filled with the urge to end your own existence, this inspires more of a feeling of laying in the floor, lifeless, waiting for death to come to you instead.
"Dorn Meiner Allmacht" brings the album to its conclusion, utilizing much less despondent riffs and going for a heavier doom approach, in a way. It is the second-longest track on here, and is somewhat disappointing. While it works well as a doom metal song, it does not convey any powerful feeling, so it comes across as a bit of a letdown.
Dictius Te Necare is a good album and contains some of the best songs of Bethlehem's career. As opposed to the last album, where there was a mixture of black, death and doom metal, this is mostly a combination of black and doom. However, when all is said and done, it lacks the oppressive atmosphere of pitch-black darkness that characterized Dark Metal. It is almost as if they counted on the vocal performance to take care of that moreso than the music, itself, and did not put the same effort into all of the songs. At any rate, this is a solid album and well worth picking up, though it could have been even more essential had it possessed a similar vibe to the previous record.
"Schatten aus der Alexander Welt" was the first song that I heard from this album, and it begins things with a high level of intensity. From the opening moments, the terrifying shrieks of Landfermann grab your attention and one only notices the musical differences after taking time to digest this shocking change. For those familiar with Varg's vocals on the early Burzum albums, this is still a little much to take in, as it is far more over-the-top. There is some variety in the vocal delivery, but the insane screaming and demented howling dominate the sound. Musically, this track sounds more like black metal than doom, sort of like Dark Metal in reverse. The fast drumming and tremolo riffs, along with the tortured wailing gives one the impression that this is a different band, altogether. There are brief sections that are very calm, utilizing clean guitar to create a dismal feeling, but these serve only to bridge different parts of the song, really. Near the middle, there is a riff that sounds as if it was inspired by Hellhammer / Celtic Frost, so there is even more of an argument for the black metal material that is present on this record.
The next song is "Die Anarchische Befreiung Der Augenzeugenreligion", which starts out with a much slower pace while retaining the tormented screams and the overall depressive feeling. With that said, this does not come close to the darkness found on the previous L.P. There is a decent amount of variety in the riffs and tempos, but they do not work together to create a cohesive feeling. Instead, it seems very inconsistent and each riff has a purpose all its own, having little or nothing to do with the track as a whole. The song is not bad, but it does not accomplish enough to justify the fact that it stretches beyond nine minutes in length.
"Aphel - Die Schwarze Schlange" is one of the highlights of the album. It begins with a tremolo riff that instills a sense of tension and dread in the listener, with distant howls that soon come to the forefront with a venomous fury. This tempo does not last long before a thrashier riff comes along and alters the vibe for a few moments. As this schizophrenic piece continues, a calm section with only clean guitar and the ravings of a total maniac soon explode into a black metal-inspired frenzy. This carries on, with the pace changing quite often, until the latter half of the song. Things get very quiet and subdued, with a clean melody that comes to you like a cloaked figure offering a fresh blade. The almost muffled vocals urge you to take the knife and to caress your flesh with the cold steel. And then, it happens... all conscious thought fades as you are overwhelmed by the utter misery of the riff that follows. With ease, the blade slides into your skin and the blood comes gushing out. The wound is deep, and the tormented howls and anguished cries echo those that reside within your feeble spirit, as your body collapses to the ground in a crimson pool.
The pace picks up a bit with "Verheißung - Du Krone Des Todeskultes", which is absolutely necessary to ensure the listener is alive long enough to hear the entire album. There is some odd effect on the vocals, and the riffs are not as overtly bleak, but it improves as it goes along. The main feeling is negative and somewhat sombre, but not to an agonizing extent.
"Verschleierte Irreligiosität" is a re-recorded version of "Veiled Irreligion", from Dark Metal. As with the rest of the album, the lyrics are in German this time, which actually adds something to the atmosphere. There are some changes in the arrangement, helping to accentuate the style of this album, but in the end the original possessed a much darker and more depressing atmosphere.
The next song is "Tagebuch Einer Totgeburt", which is one of the other highlights of this record. From the acoustic intro to the mournful guitar riffs and woeful cries, this is utter misery and hopelessness captured on tape. Whereas many of the songs feature sections that do not mix well with the rest, everything here comes together to build a sense of despair and sorrow. Rather than being filled with the urge to end your own existence, this inspires more of a feeling of laying in the floor, lifeless, waiting for death to come to you instead.
"Dorn Meiner Allmacht" brings the album to its conclusion, utilizing much less despondent riffs and going for a heavier doom approach, in a way. It is the second-longest track on here, and is somewhat disappointing. While it works well as a doom metal song, it does not convey any powerful feeling, so it comes across as a bit of a letdown.
Dictius Te Necare is a good album and contains some of the best songs of Bethlehem's career. As opposed to the last album, where there was a mixture of black, death and doom metal, this is mostly a combination of black and doom. However, when all is said and done, it lacks the oppressive atmosphere of pitch-black darkness that characterized Dark Metal. It is almost as if they counted on the vocal performance to take care of that moreso than the music, itself, and did not put the same effort into all of the songs. At any rate, this is a solid album and well worth picking up, though it could have been even more essential had it possessed a similar vibe to the previous record.
(25 Sept. 2011)
Sardonischer Untergang im Zeichen irreligiöser Darbietung (1998)
With their first two offerings, Germany's Bethlehem established a style of music that really defied all traditional labels, so much so that their music was known as 'dark metal'. The band's approach blended elements of black, death and doom metal to create something so dark and miserable that it likely pushed a good number of unfortunate souls to an untimely end. In March 1998, Bartsch and Matton (aided by a new line-up) returned with the third morbid chapter of Bethlehem's career, titled Sardonischer Untergang im Zeichen irreligiöser Darbietung (S.U.i.Z.i.D., for short). It was at this point that they lost me. Unlike Dark Metal and Dictius Te Necare, this record fails to create a dark and miserable feeling and is far too experimental for its own good. There are a few good ideas, here and there, but they are buried inside this hideous and foul exercise in mainstream flirtation.
The prevailing atmosphere of this L.P. is one of failure and missed opportunities. There is an overwhelming sense of misery and despair that is conveyed by some of the material, yet the majority is laughable and hard to stomach. There are some stylistic changes that make quite a difference in the overall presentation. In a sense, this record is the beginning of Bethlehem's experimental phase. While the music still consists of a mixture of mid-paced doom riffs and fast tremolo melodies, interrupted by woeful clean guitar passages, there are some riffs that sound more rock-based and several aspects that give the album a gothic vibe. A handful are even reminiscent of the type used on Katatonia's Brave Murder Day. Also, the drumming is somewhat mechanical and overactive, at times, which gives the album hints of an industrial feeling. The vocals are another source of disappointment. Marco Kehren's performance is not that bad, but he fails to really do anything to stand out from the band's previous vocalists. In fact, he seems to be trying his best to mimic Landfermann's tormented howls, from Dictius Te Necare. His attempt is a little over-the-top, but not horrible. On the other hand, the clean vocals are utterly ridiculous. His voice has a comically deep tone, the sort that cartoon vampires use, which does nothing but add an unnecessary layer of cheesiness to the proceedings. Even worse, the band recruited a woman to pollute much of S.U.i.Z.i.D. with her worthless goth mumblings. This, along with the overuse of the softer parts, helps to soil what could have been a decent album.
The songwriting is absolutely atrocious. There is one good song on here, being "Durch befleckte Berührung memer Nemesis". Starting out with this track, one would expect a continuation of Dictius Te Necare. Sadly, only disappointment would follow. "Du sollst dich töten" is passable, but the drumming and the clean vocals really hold it back from being as good as it could have been. Similarly, "Luftstehs'Ibläh" is also somewhat alright, though some of the riffs kill its momentum. The rest of the songs are pure trash, ruined by clean vocals, female rambling and incredibly inconsistent compositions.
On top of all of the other problems that hold this record back from being worthwhile, the production is far too clean and overdone. The drumming is too high in the mix, only making more obvious the many poor choices regarding percussion. Dictius Te Necare was a little too overproduced for its own good, but the quality of the material made up for it. In this case, going further in that direction was just another in a long line of bad decisions. Everything is too polished and sterile, which does not work in favour of a record whose success hinges on its ability to create a bleak, dismal atmosphere or imbue the listener with dark feelings.
In the end, S.U.i.Z.i.D. is a terrible album that should have been much more. The addition of the goth / industrial elements makes this one difficult to take seriously, at times, which is a death sentence for this style of music. As well, the fake and plastic production would have ruined it, regardless of how the songwriting turned out. In many ways, Bethlehem tried too hard, losing the genuine darkness that made their first two efforts so successful. Those new to this band should bear in mind that Dark Metal and Dictius Te Necare are the only essential releases, with the rest being rather worthless by comparison.
The prevailing atmosphere of this L.P. is one of failure and missed opportunities. There is an overwhelming sense of misery and despair that is conveyed by some of the material, yet the majority is laughable and hard to stomach. There are some stylistic changes that make quite a difference in the overall presentation. In a sense, this record is the beginning of Bethlehem's experimental phase. While the music still consists of a mixture of mid-paced doom riffs and fast tremolo melodies, interrupted by woeful clean guitar passages, there are some riffs that sound more rock-based and several aspects that give the album a gothic vibe. A handful are even reminiscent of the type used on Katatonia's Brave Murder Day. Also, the drumming is somewhat mechanical and overactive, at times, which gives the album hints of an industrial feeling. The vocals are another source of disappointment. Marco Kehren's performance is not that bad, but he fails to really do anything to stand out from the band's previous vocalists. In fact, he seems to be trying his best to mimic Landfermann's tormented howls, from Dictius Te Necare. His attempt is a little over-the-top, but not horrible. On the other hand, the clean vocals are utterly ridiculous. His voice has a comically deep tone, the sort that cartoon vampires use, which does nothing but add an unnecessary layer of cheesiness to the proceedings. Even worse, the band recruited a woman to pollute much of S.U.i.Z.i.D. with her worthless goth mumblings. This, along with the overuse of the softer parts, helps to soil what could have been a decent album.
The songwriting is absolutely atrocious. There is one good song on here, being "Durch befleckte Berührung memer Nemesis". Starting out with this track, one would expect a continuation of Dictius Te Necare. Sadly, only disappointment would follow. "Du sollst dich töten" is passable, but the drumming and the clean vocals really hold it back from being as good as it could have been. Similarly, "Luftstehs'Ibläh" is also somewhat alright, though some of the riffs kill its momentum. The rest of the songs are pure trash, ruined by clean vocals, female rambling and incredibly inconsistent compositions.
On top of all of the other problems that hold this record back from being worthwhile, the production is far too clean and overdone. The drumming is too high in the mix, only making more obvious the many poor choices regarding percussion. Dictius Te Necare was a little too overproduced for its own good, but the quality of the material made up for it. In this case, going further in that direction was just another in a long line of bad decisions. Everything is too polished and sterile, which does not work in favour of a record whose success hinges on its ability to create a bleak, dismal atmosphere or imbue the listener with dark feelings.
In the end, S.U.i.Z.i.D. is a terrible album that should have been much more. The addition of the goth / industrial elements makes this one difficult to take seriously, at times, which is a death sentence for this style of music. As well, the fake and plastic production would have ruined it, regardless of how the songwriting turned out. In many ways, Bethlehem tried too hard, losing the genuine darkness that made their first two efforts so successful. Those new to this band should bear in mind that Dark Metal and Dictius Te Necare are the only essential releases, with the rest being rather worthless by comparison.
(16 Feb. 2012)
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