GORGOROTH – Instinctus Bestialis
- Posted on 06-05-2015
Fucking finally! I have waited so goddamn long for this album to be released. I thoroughly enjoyed the previous album, «Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt», that came out back in 2009, and albums such as «Pentagram» and «Antichrist» are some of my all-time favorite black metal albums. In other words, I like Gorgoroth an awful lot. Apart from the music I have a hard time putting into words what it is that I like so much about the band, but the thing is that Gorgoroth is one of the few Norwegian black metal bands that has an authentic aura of danger and sickening intensity to it. An unpredictable beast, if you will.
«Instinctus Bestialis» contains 8 songs that all reek of classic Gorgoroth, which is to say that all the Gorgoroth trademarks are firmly in place. While Bøddel (bass) and Tomas Asklund (drums) are still key members of the band, there is a new vocalist in place on this album, a Serbian guy named Atterigner. Truth be told, the vocals are simply great and are better than those Pest laid down on «Quantos…» as they are deeper, more varied, and more dynamic. As much as I like the vocals of Pest, the ones on «Instinctus Bestialis» rule. The production is also better this time around in that it sounds darker and more organic compared to the previous album. As much as I love «Quantos…», the drum sound on that album bugged me a little as it sounded a tad too clinical and sterile compared to the rest of the instruments, but there is none of that to be found on «Instinctus Bestialis». Everything sounds powerful and more alive than ever somehow.
Infernus has a special way of crafting riffs that have an almost classical structure and atmosphere to them, and the opening song, «Radix Malorum», is centred on one of the strongest and best riffs I have heard in ages. We are off to a great start, that is for sure. There is no let-up following the opening song. There is only quality here, ladies and gentlemen, so expect no fillers. The songs are varied, and those slow, moody passages that are scattered throughout the album rule beyond belief. The riffs and melodies are catchy while the vocals match and enhance them perfectly. The bass lines are great and strong, and Tomas Asklund is simply a superb drummer. Songs such as «Burn in His Light» and «Ad Omnipotens Aeterne Diabolus» are some of the best Gorgoroth songs yet. So, in summing up, «Instinctus Bestialis» is a must-buy and a hauntingly brilliant album.