Now this album is where the Quorthorn really realised his potential. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Bathory, and The Return, but Under the Sign of the Black Mark from 1987 is next level. This is when the band really could be taken seriously as contenders to the black metal throne after Venom. The sound while still raw, has improved out of sight from the last to albums and the songs are performed quite well, with the riffage and drumming being quite audible. No, point playing this well and nobody being able to hear it, I think!
The album opens up with Massacre, a pummelling black metal holocaust, it’s already apparant how much better BATHORY main man Quorthon has become at his instruments. As mentioned before everything has improved out of sight. Next up is the amazing “Woman of Dark Desires” Quorthon’s tribute to Elizabth Bathory the countess of blood who maintained her youth by bathing in the blood of virgins. There’s some unholy keyboard backing in this, the manner of which I can’t think of hearing anywhere earlier than this record. This is now not only a great record but ground breaking as well. The first use of keyboards in what I would call any form of extreme metal. And it worked so good.
“Call from the Grave” keeps the unholy feelng going with some very dark and disturbing slower passages. You just can’t fault the guy on this record. “Equimanthorn” is is just pumelling and heavy beyond what is being played. This is isn’t just extreme metal there’s a genuine feeling of darkness in this record that I don’t think was there on the first two.
Side two kicks off with “Enter the Eternal Fire” Again a bit of a slower number but heavy as all hell, and with the church bells and keyboards again has a darkfeeling that had not been heard before in extreme. The guitar riff on this once the song kicks in sounds like the viking riffs he’d later be coming up with like it was an embroyic version of what was to come next. The album closes off with “13 Candles” another very atmospheric and dark track again utilising keys and creating a beyond dark feeling and soundscape.
For anyone interested in extreme metal this is a land mark release and some thing that all metalheds should listen to even if you’re not particularly interested in black metal.
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