![mactätus – provenance of cruelty [re-release]](https://www.vm-underground.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Mactatus-Provenance-of-Cruelty-Re-Release-cover.jpg "Mactätus – Provenance of Cruelty [Re-Release]")
Info
- Band(s): Mactätus
- Label(s): Northern Silence Productions
- Release Format(s): 12" vinyl, CD, Re-Release
- Release Year: 2023
- Review Date: April 30, 2025
- Author(s): Ricardo
In the twilight years of tape trading and the moment when CDRs made their entrance, I received a cassette in 1998 with ‘Provenance of Cruelty’ written on it. A period in which I travelled a lot by train and could listen to many cassettes. Good times…
Mactätus is typically one of those bands where you know they never made a bad record, but you still wonder why they or their reputation didn’t become bigger than they did. Was it the momentum? Lack of luck? Not the right promotion? Not the right tours? Just too much competition in terms of releases around the time of releasing an album? We could discuss it for hours, but despite the very good ‘Sorgvinter’ demo (1996) and debut ‘Blot’ (1997), this band didn’t get the recognition that, in my opinion, it deserved with its first two records.
‘Blot’ was released by Embassy Productions, who were also responsible for Gorgoroth’s ‘Pentagram’, the split with Vlad Tepes and Belkètre, and Vlad Tepes’ ‘War Funeral March’ demo. After the release of ‘Blot’, this French label went bankrupt, but in the meantime, Mactätus had found a home with Napalm Records to release their second album ‘Provenance of Cruelty’, partly thanks to that strong debut but also due to a demo called ‘A Dark Journey’ that was sent to labels to secure a deal. Guitarist and original band member Gaut indicated around that time that he basically sees ‘Provenance of Cruelty’ as their debut album, as Embassy Productions, in the band’s opinion, had messed things up so badly that almost no one had heard or had been able to hear ‘Blot’.
Despite the fact that in terms of release, only one year lies between ‘Blot’ and ‘Provenance of Cruelty’, the sound on the follow-up can be called more accessible. The symphonic Black Metal gains just a bit more melody and just a more bombastic and fuller tone than on ‘Blot’. In addition, female, witch-like, somewhat theatrical vocals can be heard on ‘Sleepless Souls’, which is definitely a love-or-hate moment.
In terms of synths, you can hear similarities here and there with Emperor’s ‘In the Nightside Eclipse’ (Gaut indicated in an interview that Ihsahn provided some samples), Ragnarok’s ‘Arising Realm’ or Dimmu Borgir’s ‘Stormblåst’, which goes hand in hand with the riffs and ideas of Dimmu Borgir’s ‘For all Tid’ and ‘Stormblåst’ or Cradle of Filth’s first 3 records. Strangely enough, Gaut indicated in that period that he didn’t like the musical excesses of either Dimmu Borgir or Cradle of Filth, while vocalist Hate Rodvitnesson said in an interview that he was a big fan. In addition, you can certainly still hear ‘Blot’ in ‘Provenance of Cruelty’. Despite the mentioned similarities, it is by no means a copy, although that opinion was present at the time.
Where the cover indicates that Emperor’s Samoth was partly responsible for the production, this is denied by Gaut. Coincidentally, Emperor had the studio at their disposal after Mactätus for the recording of ‘IX Equilibrium’ and was brought in for a few pointers because Mactätus had been pondering the production for too long. A fresh pair of eyes, we shall call it.
Tracks like ‘King of the Dark Side’, ‘Sønn av torden’ and ‘Dark Journey’ still sound good in the year 2025, and as far as I’m concerned, this album is not a classic, but as a sub-top release, it is certainly still relevant nowadays.
