Spring Semester Courses

Taking a break from all the Metal mayhem, I’ll provide my traditional course assessment for the new semester. I’m turning up the heat and tackling 21, count ‘em 21 credits this spring. Among them are three languages, so it should be a lot of fun.

Italian I

Even before showing up I knew this class would be easy. Italian is basically a cross between French and Latin, two languages I’m very familiar with of course. I’m taking this course for two reasons. First, it will be useful when I travel to Rome (for sure the highlight of my life!), and it’s a part of my Honors thesis project, which involves Dante’s Inferno, my second favorite book of all time. Even more exciting about the thesis is that I’ll be translating part of my first favorite book, Vergil’s Aeneid.

 Latin Prose of the Late Republic & Early Empire

This next installment of the advanced Latin sequence focuses on the prose writings of Julius Caesar and Cornelius Tacitus and their discourses on Roman Britain. This class has only three people, the “Triumvirate” of James Brophy, Joe Mileson and myself, with Tina Passman ex cathedra. Since it’s just us, we’re shooting for a graduate-calibre pace. My first assignment was over 500 lines!

 Educational Psychology

This is the final entry-level requirement for secondary ed. majors, before I submit my “e-folio” and qualify for advanced teaching courses. As the name implies, this explores the role of psychology in accounting for students’ behavior and learning in the classroom. So far we’ve covered theories of learning/cognitive development and how they apply to the teaching practice.

 Civilizations: Past Present & Future IV

This final chapter of the epic Honors tetrarchy brings us to the threshold of the 20^th century. With thousands of years of history, philosophy and science behind us we now see how minds such as Nietzsche, Freud and Du Bois apply and synthesize ideas into a new century of modern thought. My love for antiquity will be challenged, but I anticipate on gaining more appreciation for more recent discourses. Better yet, Zev is in my preceptorial seminar, forming yet another intellectual triumvirate with our partner in crime, Quinn.

 Elementary Ancient Greek II

This is a continuation of the course with the book Athenaze, which is the Greek equivalent to Ecce Romani. This semester is just four of us: the Latin Triumvirate plus Megan. So now it’s more like the cast of Seinfeld. Now that we’ve streamlined we’re picking up the pace and should be reading Thucydides in no time (well not quite).

Introduction to Astronomy

I actually took astronomy in high school in place of physics. The subject always interested me, despite its use of mathematics. I needed to satisfy a science-lab prerequisite and this was more fun than geology or biology, but less math-intensive than chemistry or physics. The class consists of lectures by the eccentric Dr. Comins, and a laboratory unit taught by a Chinese TA whose English is barely intelligible. It’s a good thing I’m already learned on this subject or I’d be completely lost.

Deathspell Omega – “Manifestations 2002″

2007 saw the release of Fas – Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum as the second panel in a monumental triptych begun three years prior. It was a clear departure from many standards of Black Metal, even the revolutionary Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice. Many fans embraced this new brand of dark, calculated chaos. Abandoned were those too conservative to stray beyond their Black Metal orthodoxy.

For this latter group (but really all DsO fans in general) the Manifestations compilations are a glorious blessing. We feel like archaeologists who discovered a lost history. This is especially true on Manifestations 2002, of which no material was released prior. Like filling in gaps in the fossil record, we can now appreciate how these French Darkthrone worshippers evolved into the apotheosis of Black Metal’s 3^rd wave.

So you can see why those wary of the latest material are beyond excitement. Just the artwork itself foreshadows the storm of darkness and hatred unleashed upon pressing play. “Tyrants And Slaves” delivers such an assault, with relentless blast-beats and oppressive riffing. Rasping amidst the tempest are Shaxul’s shrieks, higher pitched than Mikko’s signature growls, reflective of the band’s adolescence. This track also showcases the haunting melodies their lead guitars are capable of.

As a transition piece, Manifestations 2002 reveals a step up in complexity and a firmer grip on their craft. With this they rise to a level beyond even their countrymen Antaeus’s latest output, Blood Libels. But amidst this passion and vigor we find elements employed in their later material. For example, “Procreation Epidemic” contains the same melody used to greater effect in “Kénôse II” three years later. With this compilation (though all from a single recording session) the jump from the formulaic Inquisitors of Satan to Si Monumentum… no longer seems miraculous, but a logical progression. The music itself is evidence of a turbulent era, from which Shaxul departed the band, citing the clandestine philosophy that DsO was adopting.

This is by no means a money-grabber compilation of B-sides. This was material intended for release, but pushed aside in preparation for the band’s monolithic breakthrough. Currently on their way to the trinity’s conclusion, the band has unveiled a hidden chapter crucial to understanding the coalescence of a cryptic vision. And even for those new to the band, this is the perfect place to start. For this is supreme quality Black Metal by any standards: vicious, melancholy, and dark as the depths of Erebus. Manifestations 2002 is further proof that Deathspell Omega are the pontifices maximi of post-millennium Black Metal. 

Limbonic Art – “In Abhorrence Dementia”

Too often an album is reviewed after only a few listens. This temptation befalls not only zealous fanboys and “noobies”, but also the more literate demands of a zine reviewer. I had belonged to both classes of writers, but after a long hiatus I have returned with a new idea of what it means to justly encapsulate an album’s merit into words. So I begin with In Abhorrence Dementia, one of few albums I have given so much devotion to fully understand and appreciate.

For the span of a year I honored Limbonic Art as my favorite band. I immersed myself in their works, giving every detail its due. At this moment only a fraction has withstood the test of time. Moon in the Scorpio captivates me with a transcendent aura, while Ad Noctum provides a malevolent catharsis to my deepest hatred. But in between these opuses comes the masterstroke, the pinnacle of complexity and creative energy: In Abhorrence Dementia.

I came to understand this monument not only as Black Metal or even symphonic Black Metal, but as the transcendence of the former and the quintessence of the latter. Imagine Black Metal as Judaism and symphonic Black Metal as Christianity. Limbonic Art as saviors have resurrected from the ashes of the 2nd wave a fresh interpretation of extreme music. They sculpt the maligned dualism of SBM not into a unity of opposites but a colossal symphony. For as Beethoven expanded the classical orchestra, Limbonic Art count guitars and percussion not as the base elements but as just another rank of instruments: stops on the console. 

Such a paradigm is unique to In Abhorrence Dementia, where on other albums the standard Metal template was favored. That’s not to say the aesthetic is gone; punishing drumbeats, atmospheric guitars and banshee vocals pervade the massive soundscape this album conveys. Through this ether the orchestra weaves melodies and harmonies at multiple levels. For example, the flutes take center stage opening songs like “Descend to Oblivion” while the piano shines on “A Demonoid Virtue”. The full range of synthesized instruments work in ensemble rather than taking turns backing up the guitars. One could listen to this album ten times and focus on a different layer each time.

This diversity flows with remarkable consistency, from ambient passages to majestic climaxes. The latter of which often demonstrates the best use of clean vocals in Black Metal (i.e. the title track). It runs the gamut of emotions, from brooding darkness to apocalyptic glory, to carnivalesque insanity. A church organist once called this the “soundtrack to a Hieronymous Bosch painting.” It is a must for any metalhead inclined toward classical music. So rarely is the synchronization of extreme metal and classical music so deftly executed: Limbonic Art’s finest hour.

Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2008

Happy New Year! 2009 has arrived, and it’s time to list my favorite Black Metal albums from the now previous year. As a bonus, I made a short film counting down each album, with a sample song and artwork from each. Enjoy!

 

And the list…

10. I SHALT BECOME – WANDERINGS

This USBM solo project, a decade dormant, resurges in a cloud of melancholy, atmospheric Black Metal. A stronger effort that the stale debut Wanderings, Requiem presents a clearer production and more use of synthesizers to paint a depressive picture. For fans of the mellower side of the genre. 

9. NEO INFERNO 262 – HACKING THE HOLY CODE

Industrial Black Metal is a hit-or-miss genre. This attempt is a French “supergroup” of members from Antaeus, Arkhon Infaustus and Vorkreist. They do it right, with twisted riffs and eclectic samples set over trance beats and inhuman blast volleys. There’s never a dull moment on this, one of the most unique albums I’ve yet to hear.

 8. LEVIATHAN – MASSIVE CONSPIRACY AGAINST ALL LIFE

This is Wrest’s magnum opus. Years of countless demos and splits culminate in this moment of grandeur. The Deathspell Omega influences help, but it’s Leviathan at its core. The scariest part, though, is that Wrest claims to have a few similar albums waiting in the wings.

 

7. VENEFICIUM – DE OCCULTA PHILOSOPHIA: A MISSAE TENEBRAE

 

This is symphonic Black Metal taken to the next level. Rather than laying synths over a Metal track, Veneficium play classical music with Black Metal instrumentation. Backed by strings and a mighty organ, the compositions ebb and flow with uncompromising power.

 

6. ARCKANUM – ANTIKOSMOS

 

Shamanistic ritual meets straight-up Black Metal styling. Their first full-length in a decade busts out crunchy, catchy and epic riffs, organic drumming and signature vocals.

 

5. NACHTMYSTIUM – ASSASSINS: BLACK MEDDLE PT. 1

 

2006’s Instinct: Decay was the perfect fusion of dark, ethereal Black Metal and psychedlic rock. This year’s output is the natural progression from that, and the Pink Floyd influence is now at the forefront. While they can never top their ’06 opus, Assassins delivers sufficient force drenched in trippy effects.

 

4. DARKESTRAH – THE GREAT SILK ROAD

 

I’m not much a fan of Folk/Black Metal, but when your native land is Kyrgyzstan, the ethnic flavors are most appetizing. This unique formula of Middle Eastern melodies and epic/melancholy riffing (provided by the German Anti) combine into a tour de force, celebrating centuries of tradition with a modern approach. And if their sound isn’t unique enough, they sport a rare female vocalist.

 

3. AVERSE SEFIRA – ADVENT PARALLAX

 

My first experience with this trio was at a show in New Hampshire. There I made this the first 2008 album I purchased (and got autographed) and it’s held up for many months against competing releases. Ironically, this band from Texas pen incredibly complex, “intellectual” Black Metal (just read the lyrics).

 

2. DARKSPACE – DARK SPACE III

 

This release blew through my soul like a supernova. This space-themed syndicate are masters of atmospheric Black Metal. Their third album combines their relentless debut with the maturity of its followup (Dark Space II), and stands a the Swiss’ best yet. My best description for this album is “being eternally blown in and out of a black hole.”

 

1. BEHEXEN – MY SOUL FOR HIS GLORY

 

This band took me completely by surprise. Since I picked up this gem in July I fell in love with these Finns’ whole discography. Of all the excellent efforts affording my ears this year, this is the one that struck the deepest nerve and gave me lasting pleasure through dozens of listens. Please check out my review of this victorious album.