Vehemency
Mikko Aspa’s first full-length effort under the name Clandestine Blaze provides masculine, filthy, grim and monotonous underground black metal: in the very same vein the project has continued to this date with only minor changes.
It is easy to hear that Clandestine Blaze is in its first stages here, and that’s part of the charm. Sound-wise, this is probably the most lo-fi sounding output the band has released, and it might turn off some people - especially those who also expect to hear innovative song structures, because from the core Clandestine Blaze is nothing fancy at all, and in all its greyness I’ve grown to love the band’s trademark sound that is somewhere close to Darkthrone but with some own twists - such as the lower grunts that are developed further on the next albums.
While ”Fire Burns in Our Hearts” can be criticized due to its lack of dynamics, I personally won’t underestimate the greatness of such songs as ”Native Resistance” with its inflammatory lyrics (”Gather the forces and prepare for revenge / We have been pushed down too long time”) and the interesting guitar work of ”Icons of Torture”. It is not the strongest album from Clandestine Blaze but a great debut album nonetheless from 11 years back.