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Ancient (1994)
Blackthorn's second demo, Ancient, was recorded in December 1994. This was a one-man project from Poland that only existed for a couple years. The style here is very minimalist black metal with obvious influences from Darkthrone and Burzum.
The sound is extremely raw and lo-fi. The guitars have a sharp, thin tone and the drums are barely perceptible. Meanwhile, the shrill vocals cut through like a knife. The songwriting is very basic, with fast tremolo melodies that could have fit in well on Transilvanian Hunger, with mid-tempo parts that seem borrowed from the Aske E.P. There is nothing original here but it's done well and is at least better than the numerous Polish bands that use those annoying polka/waltz drum beats and goofy folk elements. Blackthorn isn't trying to pretend to be something it isn't. My only complaint is that "Gniew" features some clown called Lord Abraxas on vocals and it's unlistenable. The guy is shrieking like a little girl, thinking he's evoking Varg but sounding castrated and weak.
At any rate, two of the three songs on Ancient are well worth a listen if you're into raw, minimalist black metal in the northern style. Of course it's derivative but that's the problem with black metal sometimes; it's either too similar to what came before or it strays beyond the bounds of what is acceptable.
The sound is extremely raw and lo-fi. The guitars have a sharp, thin tone and the drums are barely perceptible. Meanwhile, the shrill vocals cut through like a knife. The songwriting is very basic, with fast tremolo melodies that could have fit in well on Transilvanian Hunger, with mid-tempo parts that seem borrowed from the Aske E.P. There is nothing original here but it's done well and is at least better than the numerous Polish bands that use those annoying polka/waltz drum beats and goofy folk elements. Blackthorn isn't trying to pretend to be something it isn't. My only complaint is that "Gniew" features some clown called Lord Abraxas on vocals and it's unlistenable. The guy is shrieking like a little girl, thinking he's evoking Varg but sounding castrated and weak.
At any rate, two of the three songs on Ancient are well worth a listen if you're into raw, minimalist black metal in the northern style. Of course it's derivative but that's the problem with black metal sometimes; it's either too similar to what came before or it strays beyond the bounds of what is acceptable.
(23 June 2025)
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