Band Names Not Brand Names

When I think of the cold frigid, bleak north I don’t typically think of Pennsylvania. Of course, I also don’t think of black metal, I think progressive metal and hip hop. However, a one-man hate machine has spawned from the unholy depths of somewhere in Pennsylvania in the form of Satanic Dirge, the latest artist to hit my desk. Outfitted by Wight, the band play quite the modern yet kvlt mix of US black metal, with tracks ranging from atmospheric and ambient to more mainstream and orchestra-laden. The album Tribulation is the only full length so far put out by Wight although a demo was released back in 2005 and then re-released by Burnt Oak Productions.

Despite the fact that Wight’s probably younger than I am, the press pack sent to me was still professionally put together. Complete with press release, the CD looked to had been professionally labeled although I was very surprised to find out it was actually a Lightscribe’d CD label. Call me fooled but if it weren’t for the slimline jewel case, I would have sworn it was from a small label, given the attention to detail of the CD itself and the press release even though it was lacking a catalog number. Seems my disc was number 10 of the batch Wight’s put out as indicated by the handwritten number on my liner notes, something the collector in me loves to see. I’m sure his next release, due out sometime next year, will have improved aesthetics over this CD although I can only imagine the next step would be professional production of it. Off to the real guts of the release.

Tribulation is a 10 track blister pack. I remarked to Wight in an email that I was surprised this was a one-man show given the tightness of the songs and the overall production. Each song sounds very well engineered and produced, they do not sound like they were recorded inside a garbage can inside a frozen garage that is so commonplace in underground black metal. The production on this album is fantastic. It starts off with Venom which pummels you with drum machine blasts from the start that are unrelenting and could play out well if Wight ever wanted a session drummer for live shows. With an overall mid-paced tempo, this gives the song a lot of room to work from guitars to Wight’s subdued — via production — vocals to the powerful choruses composed only of drawn out wails. The riffs are strong and if you didn’t pay attention, you’d think the drums track was done by some of the best in the business, it’s a great way to begin a debut full length album. Each track from then on is strong, each showing progressive tendencies. There are two interludes on the disc to help break up the incredible tracks and give your ears a quick release from the pummeling drums.

Track 5, Stages of Rapture, begins the album’s somber slide into depressive and melancholic black metal intermixed with blackened ambient. Given the first half of the album and the second half, if there were a few more songs of each style, this could easily be released as a two disc set; one disc the up tempo and hate-filled black metal, the second filled with despair and despondent suicide dirges. While each song after track 5 has some upbeat/up tempo bridges, they have an overall dark feel that’s best listened to on a bleak day. Perhaps my least favorite track is number 7, Torrent of Souls. That’s not to say it’s a bad song, I’ve just got a library full of songs just like it. The track is slow, brooding, mechanical and makes you want to kill yourself. Its strong use of organs overlapped with a slight amount of reverb give the track a destitute and doomy feel which I do like however, I do have songs very similar to this on other CDs and it’s like I’ve heard the song before. This is nothing against Wight himself, I just own a lot of melancholy black metal similar to Torrent of Souls. The next track Aerial View continues this downward spiral into nothingness with an even slower tempo, just above cold molasses that you’d find in Pennsylvania in December. Atmospheric, doomy, utterly slow, hateful, excellent score. Once again, there’s a good use of organs in this track that really add to the overall depressing feel of the latter half of the album. Clocking in at 7:51, it’s definitely a doom inspired song that Wight could play out on a concept album.

The album itself closes out with Chaos, a 15 minute candle burner, best played alone in the solitude of your own depression. Since the album took a swift turn from faster paced black metal to black ambient/doom, it’s an excellent choice of closing track. Satan himself would be proud to have something so hateful played on his own stereo.

At 10 tracks, this CD is just shy of 60 minutes with an average track time in the neighborhood of 6 minutes. Each track does well to showcase Wight’s abilities and talent as a multi-instrumentalist. From mainstream black metal to misanthropic elegies, the songs are well varied and keep the listener’s attention with relative ease. The first half of the album is mid-fast tempo black metal with progressive elements scattered throughout while the latter half is straight to the doom/ambient depressive tempo. I’ll be waiting with abated breath for the next Satanic Dirge album entitled Revelation which should be out in early/mid 2008.

You can purchase this album from Wight himself at satanicdirge.com or Satanic Dirge on Myspace.