Lista de los grupos Brutal Death Satanochio Pandemonium

Well, Split-CDs are fun! Someone gets to know two (or more!), usually underground, bands at once, and the limited number of songs present there should force them to provide pieces of their work that stand on their own instead of hiding in a full length. “Pandemonium” is a death/black CD that consists of Mexico’s “Benatnash” and “Satanochio” who hail from Romania.

Benatnash’s “side” comprises 3 songs, plus a small “nightmarish” intro. They are now entering their second decade as a band, and this release follows 2 full lengths and a couple of demos. Their line-up is a bit confusing but it seems that the whole project has been built around two members: Baal Taran who is in charge of the music, and Salai Ereshkigal that provides the vocals. From what I’ve been able to listen of their previous releases (which I have to admit isn’t much) they don’t seem to have changed their style of music. And that style is symphonic Black metal in the vein of Dimmu Borgir or Emperor’s ‘Prometheus’. The symphonic part of this marriage is fairly well executed as the composer specializes in such sounds by being part of various other projects for several years. The metal part though, leaves us with the feeling that could have been arranged better. This could be due to the lack of real drums or the absence of heavy guitars in most of the mix (although their bio implies the use of 2 guitarists). Apart from those parts of the songs that become more aggressive, the keyboards overshadow any heaviness needed for a Black metal band and dictate the rhythm and atmospheres created. On the other hand, this enhances the “medieval” mood they wish to create and the melodies used here have definitely their moments. The lady’s vocals are decent and persuasive, pleasing the fans of aggressive female singers. In total, Benatnash’s part of the split-CD is for fans of keyboard-laden and melody-fuelled “Black” and they should find them, at least, interesting, especially if heaviness, darkness or straight-forward simplicity isn’t their prerequisites.

The other “side” of Pandemonium consists of another 3 songs, created by Satanochio. The track-listing is the same as their ‘Vagrant Matter Heritage’ EP released in 2007, so I assume this to be a kind of a re-release, coming to be added to their 2 full-lengths. The music here is more in the Death metal path with touches of melody. The riffs are heavy, ranging from the Black Sabbath-style rhythm of their first song to the Morbid Angel doomy arrangements of the second. The third song is an odd one as it sounds like a Dark Throne rehearsal tape lasting less than 2 minutes! There aren’t many ultra-fast moments here; instead they let their songs ‘breath’ in a more mid-tempo environment that allows changes to happen. Their sound is “warm” as they are a full band and each instrument has its proper role. The rhythm changes don’t take the listener by surprise as they seem to fit nicely wherever they appear. The guitars play appealing melodies when not riffing and the bass fills any spaces that have to be filled. The vocals follow the mood of each part of their songs, be it Black screams or Death growls. A good effort in total, with the biggest disadvantage being its really short running time.

Summing up, the contents of Pandemonium, bring together two different styles of extreme music. I’m not sure if the majority of the listeners will appreciate both, but this release serves as a fair introduction to these bands. Some things could have been made better, others bring a smile on the face!

15/20