PACT – The Dragon Lineage of Satan
- Posted on 24-12-2011
Pennsylvania act Pact are so fresh out of the gates of hell that as yet no website exists for them and it is difficult to get information on the band. That is something which is sure to change over the next while, once people get to hear this amazing debut and the band begins to gather the momentum they deserve.
Pact play straight up BM characterised by simple, repetitive riffs, furious blasting and caustic vocals. The production is lo-fi with primitive leanings, adding to the coldness and general infernal atmosphere of the record. On this release, you will not find keyboards, long mid-paced passages or symphonic intros. What you get instead is an acid drenched assault that sweeps over you like a hell-storm. While the music is by no means without dynamics, Pact rarely take their foot off the gas for long enough that the listener can catch their breath or get to safety.
This album works so well because the atmosphere is so seemless and the brutality and evil so consistent. It captures that kind of seething darkness that black metal is supposed to be about but that we actually see so little of these days, the kind of thing that first drew us to early Possessed, Bathory, Mayhem and Darkthrone all those years ago. Of course, none of that would count if the songs didn’t stand up. Not only do the songs stand up, but any one of them taken on their own would be enough to convince the curious that this is a very special release.
I was starting to despair a little because I had seen so few really outstanding releases this year – thank Satan then for ‘The Dragon Lineage of Satan’. All Hail!