PEST (Sweden)
"Blasphemy is my Throne" EP
Bloodstone Records, 2002
The sound of this band its pretty much in the Norwegian old school style and nothing of Swedish melodies are present on this EP, however the opening track reminded me a little bit the vibe of Throne of Ahaz's "Nifelheim" with a lot of the old Darkthrone sound between the "Under a Funeral Moon" and "Total Death" albums. Celtic Frost riffing are without a doubt part of the style of Pest with some Burzum evocations here and there.
Alhough you might think this could be another Black Metal record it has some interesting tracks like "Along the Path of the Fallen" and "Circle of Damnation's Fire" with some mid-tempo riffs and classical speed of the genre. The production its how it must be in this kind of Black Metal, raw and cold but not rehearsal sound at all.
Tracks "When Darkness is Complete" and "Thorns from Underneath" are bonus tracks taken from the "Black Thorns" demo and are only available on the CD version.
This is considered as an EP, however bonus tracks extend the running time of CD version beyond 40 minutes.
So, If you are into old Norwegian Black Metal and into bands like Armagedda, Beastcraft, Vargsang and Tsjuder this is for you.
Points: 4 of 5
To listen: Pest - Blasphemy Is My Throne