Stormnatt
Resurrection Ov The Kult
8
Reviewing this album is really a bit futile, because I think it will be easy for the reader to decide whether or not he is interested in this band. Ask yourself the question, do you like Darkthrone? If yes, then ask yourself, do you like bands that sound very similar to Darkthrone? Yes? Good. Because although Resurrection ov the Kult, a CD that I thoroughly enjoy, draws influence from a variety of black metal artists, the “Norsk” element seems to be the strongest. The droning, repetitive melodies highlighted on such albums as Transylvanian Hunger are very present here, especially on the track “Within the Void of Existence.” What this really comes down to is a matter of taste. If you think that Darkthrone “clones” (and I am loathed to use this term, since the band certainly has original elements) are cheesy and pointless, you’ll want to steer clear of this. If you enjoy them, you know exactly what to expect. Dissection’s peculiar melodies are also something that I hear shades of on Resurrection ov the Kult, to point out another influence that seems to be present.
Songwriting is always hard to judge for this genre. It’s never quite clear what one is looking for, and one finds oneself getting back to the idea of how evocative the music in question is. If it conveys emotion, I’ll usually give it a high score, and that’s what Stormnatt have managed to do. The band is technically proficient, and the production is pretty strong as well.
Black metal has never been about originality, experimentation, or artistic growth. To me, at least, it’s about creating raw, impassioned music that transcends the often limited quality of the production, musicianship, and even songwriting. Stormnatt happen to be quite strong in all three of these areas, but this fact makes their playing no less sincere. If you put aside the issues of influence and imitation and judge this record solely on its content, I think that you will be quite impressed.
