After releasing the sophomore effort ‘The Fourth Era’ the next step of Gorath was to take the then one-man affair to the stage. This ultimately led to the formation of a full band around main man F. Dupont, of which the addition of a drummer is most notable on the new chapter in the band history, ‘Misotheism’.
The replacement of the drum computer proves to be an excellent move in terms of variation and overall sound. But the music is also more mature and deep than the previous effort. The Satyricon influences are still present, but the addition of acoustic interludes, Gregorian chants and captivating melodies weave a well-spun web of modern Black Metal .The melody that is draped over the songs resembles that of Watain (in particular in the faster tracks), while at times Gorath also has similarities to a band like Windir, such as in ‘Apophasis’. Noteworthy tracks are amongst others aforementioned ‘Apophasis’, ‘Abufihamet’ (with a wicked Mayhem-esque riff after about two and a half minutes), epic 10-minute monster ‘Abraxas’ and closer ‘Sicarii’. You could almost say that both Gorath and fellow countrymen Panchrysia have gone through a similar sound enrichment, although Gorath has a more melodic, atmospheric and modern sound as opposed to the dark and raw nature of the latest Panchrysia material. Although I’d rank the new Panchrysia slightly higher, the improvement of Gorath on ‘Misotheism’ deserves plenty of praise!
