This lavishly designed split 12” EP represents both the promises and failings adherent to the contemporary resurrection of the so-called Hellenic Black Metal style. For the record, I have a long-standing passion for the Greek scene. What bands like Rotting Christ, Varathron and Necromantia summoned up in the 1990s was unique and every bit as classic as the Scandinavian output. However, despite the intrinsic powers granted in recreating the archetypical Hellenic BM sound (it all sounds great on a cursory listen), we need to dig beyond the external sonic markers to discover the true value (or lack thereof) of these later disciples. Pairing together Funeral Storm and Celestial Rite proves to be a good exercise in said endeavor.
There is much to like about Funeral Storm. They have done their homework as far as paying tribute to their influences (Varathron along with the ”gothic/romantic”, keyboard-enhanced melodic BM emblematic of the mid-1990s). They are also competent in terms of technical performance AND they have Stefan ”Necroabyssious” of mighty Varathron providing vocals. Yet, despite of them coming across like a competent approximation of great music, Funeral Storm’s contributions to this split release bore me to bits. The songs are not blatantly bad, but neither do they evoke anything beyond sounding like Greek Black Metal. The riffs and melodies fail to arouse any particular feelings or sensations, except for sounding relatively pleasing to the ears to the point of coming across as rather fey and, frankly, weak. There is too much delicacy here. Sorry, but this is a far cry from the damp atmosphere and mystical riff incantations of His Majesty at the Swamp, despite the vocal accompaniment of Mr. Necroabyssious himself.
Does the other split side fare better, then? Compared to the outward flamboyance of Funeral Storm, the two tracks by Celestial Rite may seem rather rudimentary or even crude, though I prefer to view Celestial Rite’s approach as ”essentialist”: sticking solely to the basic elements of the Hellenic style, but pushing them to their absolute in the form of stripped down yet layered, borderline hypnotic compositions. The tedium of the droning Black Metal trope is luckily avoided as the songs doesn’t lose neither direction nor momentum. The resulting listening experience is one of immersion (as hinted at in the song titles: ”Into the Gorge”, ”Rites of the Sea God”) and a heightening/deepening of the senses, as if entering a cave from bright sunlight and gradually adjusting to the darkness. One could draw parallels here between Celestial Rite and early releases by Thou Art Lord. Not exclusively in the sense of sounding similar, but the way both bands attempt to maximize the impact of melody, rhythm and texture in a minimalist setting.
In conclusion, Funeral Rite proves to be not only an adequate introduction to two concurrent acts involved in reinstating the classic sound of 1990s Greece Black Metal, but also works a pointer to its graces and shortcomings. Imitating the external markers of the past will only take you so far if you lack vision and gut feeling. Better then to use tradition as a springboard for genuine creative approaches in order to reach beyond the tedium of our current era of mechanical reproduction.
