Liste der Bands Black Metal The Beast Of The Apocalypse Henosis

While the bands poorly chosen moniker might lead to a few raised eyebrows, the quality of the work will outshine the oddity. TBotA's newest release, Henosis, is one of this years finest experiments in the occult. Reeking of evil and the stench of Brimstone, the ritualistic ramblings of Henosis are immediately fascinating and all consuming, while repeated listens bring more depth and intensity to the forefront. There is a certain comfort in the bands bestial barrage, but at the same time Henosis is unafraid to challenge listeners with a thick, static laden production and blasphemous noises straight from Hell.

On the surface, TBotA is straight forward enough to be instantly accessible: a healthy does of early Beherit and Archgoat is apparent from the first riff, and provides the demonic lubricant for Henosis to really get its engine moving. Once sucked into the blackness however, Henosis is filled with nice surprises: snippets of melody, crushing rhythms, effective use of symphonic elements and hypnotic use of riff repetition create a level of immersion unmatched by most albums released this year. Clearly influenced by Mories various projects, particularly in the manic vocal attack, as well as acts like Mitochondrion and Ulcerate, TBotA channel their various influences in such a way as too be greater than the sum of its parts.

The level of accessible complexity in this album is what makes it stand out from a lot of bands in this newly crowded genre of Occult Death and Black Metal: unlike other bands in this vein, TBotA have the songwriting chops to draw you in instantly and keep you interested, as opposed to merely challenging the listener every step of the way and depending on their endurance to get something from the album. A truly great feat for a relatively young and unknown band.

Part of the reason this band may be so unknown is that in a crowded genre, they fail to stand out in certain areas: from the bands awkward name, to their cover art which seems lifted from various other bands(Henosis has cover art that looks almost exactly like the cover art for Parasignosis, Swarth, and the Aethyrvorous demo), to their Deathspell Omega/Mitochondrion-esque song titles, TBotA have done a terrible job selling themselves to fans who would gladly eat this stuff up if they knew about it.

Truth be told, nothing about Henosis is inherently original: all of its disparate elements have been done and done very well by countless bands. What makes Henosis so damn good it that the band have found a way to present all of these well worn aspects in interesting new ways. TBotA are not inventors: Henosis is not the work of men looking to bring forth something we did not know we wanted. Henosis is the product of a master-craftsmen, using the ancient techniques handed down by those in the past to create something viable and quality.

Rating: 9/10

Dutch black metal duo The Beast of the Apocalypse returns this year with their third full length album, Henosis, continuing to spread their brand of ritualistic extremity after 2 critically acclaimed albums in 2009. Being the first album of the band that I encounter, it would be interesting to see how the band has managed to garner such a following with just 2 members behind the madness and chaos.

The opening track One might trick listeners into thinking that this is going to be yet another ambient black metal project, but not so once the insanely distorted guitar riffs begin on the track. Slow, doom-paced and ominous, it brings a sense of unease to the listener, feeling almost as if the end is nigh, and there is nothing that can be done to ensure one's survival. Yet, this is merely the beginning of the end, as The Beast of the Apocalypse crushes anyone in its path, and ensures that nothing is left standing with the remaining 35 minutes of the album.

Vision of the Twelve Priests Before the Altar presents a sharp contrast to One, with duo H.T. Mozes and S. Serpentijn going into breakneck speed without any warning at all, yet constantly keeping the heavily distorted guitar tone. The shared vocal duties provides a good effect, with each of them having different vocal styles, alternating undecipherable guttural, gurgling growls (who cares for what they say exactly, since death and destruction have no language barrier?) and inhuman shrieks, punctuated by whispers at the background at times, sounding almost as if witches were discussing about and deciding what curse to place unto mankind. The layering of the different vocal styles are prominent on tracks such as I Am Not Worthy to Utter Thy Name, an example of how the band has managed to utilise the variety of vocal stylings to their advantage.

The music is not without variation as the band at times go into seemingly random softer sections, but these moments are merely the calm before the storm as the band breaks into insanity once more in no time. The influences from various other black metal bands are evident. For example, the riffs on title track Henosis almost reminds the listener of Behexen's Mouth of Leviathan, with the heavily trem picked riffing. The song sounds almost like a cross between the aforementioned Behexen and Satanic Warmaster, only made dirtier and more blasphemous. The brilliant usage of keyboards also add to the ambience of the music, such as on An Enlightened Aeon, where the haunting keyboards add a sense of discomfort in the listener. Yaldabaoth provides some sort of closure with a somewhat more melodic progression of the song, with keyboards this time more prominent in the mix, and just as suddenly it started, the song disappears into silence, seemingly marking the end of everything.

Dissidents may argue and complain about how the repetitive guitar riffs and the extremely raw and dirty production that the band has chosen to utilise has caused the album to falter, but isn't this what black metal is all about anyway? The dirty production ensures that the weak and uninterested are kept out, and is definitely suitable and complements music as chaotic as such.

The Beast of the Apocalypse's Henosis is one of the ugliest and most abrasive records that I have encountered thus far in recent times, and it certainly is shocking how a duo can come up with something as twisted as such, pushing the limits of normality. Not recommended for the weak. Or rather, recommended for the weak and faint-hearted to ensure their elimination from the gene pool.