GORGOROTH — Under the Sign of Hell (review)

GORGOROTH — Under the Sign of Hell album cover Album · 1997 · Black Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
Warthur
This furiously aggressive and unapologetically raw followup to Antichrist sees Gorgoroth cranking up their sound to the next level, creating a howling black metal masterpiece which makes their preceding albums seem positively mild in comparison. Although the production values aren't quite at the super lo-fi level of the likes of Transilvanian Hunger or Nattens Madrigal, the album still has a live-in-the-studio feel, creating the impression (whether it is true or not) that these songs are being ripped direct from the tapes without overdubs or other shenanigans.

There was a rerecording of the album put out in 2011, though I personally don't see the need for it at all; if you want raw Norwegian black metal that's as aggressive as it could possibly be, the original will do you just fine. On top of that, I think it's mildly tasteless to release a new version of the album when the original is the sole full-length studio album from the band to feature the late Grim; it comes across as erasing the guy from the band's history a little, and that kind of rubs me the wrong way.
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