French black metal sickos Karne unearthed and unleashed this malevolent and rather sinister ten-track effort entitled ”Symposium of Torments” a few months ago and I must say that I am quite impressed by the whole affair. There is hardly anything original or innovative on display here, but the songs are well-written and oppressive, the riffs are strong and rotten, the melodies reek of decay, and the vocals conjure up glorious visions of death. Ah yes, this is more like it.

 

One does get the impression that the members of Karne are all more or less inspired by orthodox black metal in general, but that probably comes down to the way in which the different layers and parts are woven together and just how memorable so many of the songs are as well as the deranged moods that they evoke. The vocals are truly demonic, the musicianship is pretty damn good, and the raw yet strangely defined sound of the album fits like a glove. Highlights include the slightly melancholy and varied ”Enlightenment of the Flayed”, the cold and majestic ”Sempiternal Shackles of Savagery”, and the despair-ridden closer ”Among the Void”.

If you are on the lookout for a compelling and repulsive black metal record, look no further than ”Symposium of Torments”. Not only is it a cool addition to the French black metal canon, but it is interesting and captivating nearly all the way through. Only a couple of songs fall by the wayside and fail to ignite any real sense of excitement or danger, but in the overall perspective, Karne have managed to craft an album that is a raging vortex of madness on the one hand and utterly disciplined and structured on the other. Definitely one to check out for all you lovers of pure musical carnage.