One of Norways blackest bands, 1349, is back with a new album. ‘Beyond The Apocalypse’ is the title from this new pitchblack album, the follow-up after the very well received ‘Liberation’ CD. Because of that ‘Liberation’ album 1349 was voted as best newcomer in 2003 in magazines worldwide. They also did their very first European tour co-headlining together with fellow Norsemen Aeternus. As one could guess this tour was a huge success as it was the first time the European audience got the opportunity to witness the great live performances from this utterblack band. I can find myself lucky to have seen both gigs at the Inferno festival as well as the Hole in the Sky appearance in 2001. Especially the last Inferno gig was awesome with a fantastic light show, fireworks and pyro-techniques. I have never seen anything like this within Black Metal before.
Back to ‘Beyond The Apocalypse’ now. Just like ‘Liberation’ the speed is very high again and it is really amazing how Frost handles his drumkit with such a tight precision. In comparison to ‘Liberation’ there is more variation now within the music and even some Thrash rhythms can be found as well on this record. ‘Chasing Dragons’, the openings track for example has got a slower middle section which gives this track just that little extra: the finishing touch so to say. ‘Aiwass Aeon’ is an example of the fact that brutality and ultra fast playing can be combined perfectly together without losing the recognizability within the song. It sticks to your mind immediately and is typical for 1349. ‘Necronatalenheten’ starts a bit slower than we expect from 1349 but not long after the song explodes in sublime heaviness. Also worth mentioning is ‘Singer Of Strange Songs’ which has an eerie aura around the music. The song itself is also much slower than the rest of this album, except for the last part which is 1349 as we know it… hyperfast! After the ‘Internal Winter’ there is a mystical intro which leads us to the last track on this album, namely ‘The Blade’. I advise you to listen to this in the middle of the night in a dark room only lit by some candlelight and the volume of your stereo wide open. Excellent!
It may be clear that ‘Beyond The Apocalypse’ is the album I had hoped to hear from 1349 after their already great ‘Liberation’ album. The album is in the typical 1349 vein except that the new album is even way better. This is Black Metal at its best!
