ONSLAUGHT 004
XASTHUR
SUICIDE IN DARK SERENITY
MLP
Tracklisting:
1. Intro/Instrumental
2. Suicide In Dark Serenity
3. With Hate Freezing My Veins
4. Storms Of Red Revenge
5. Middle Ages Return - HEAR IT
The Ides of March of 2003 have brought forth the long-anticipated debut vinyl release of XASTHUR. SUICIDE IN DARK SERENITY features 5 tracks of cold, cursed black metal, with haunting atmospheres guaranteed to pull your mind into the depths of madness. Prepare for an epic and disturbing descent into dark serenity!
Release date: March 15th, 2003
CURSED Edition:
100 copies of this MLP released on blue vinyl, with a SUICIDE IN DARK SERENITY shirt exclusive to this edition (as well as a XASTHUR logo sticker and insert). SOLD OUT
FREEZING HATE Edition:
100 copies of this MLP released on blue vinyl, with a XASTHUR logo patch exclusive to this edition (as well as a XASTHUR logo sticker and insert). SOLD OUT
Regular Edition:
800 copies of this LP released on black vinyl (with a XASHUR logo sticker and insert).
REVIEWS
Artist: XASTHUR
Album Title: Suicide in Dark Serenity
Label: Bestial Onslaught
This is a mini-LP from Xasthur, a one-man American band that
plays cold, depressive black metal.
Side A of "Suicide in Dark Serenity" starts off with an instrumental
that has to be one of the strangest intros ever put to record. It's a
wall of synth, effects, and tortured vocals, so bizarre that it was
difficult to decide if I was even playing it at the correct speed.
Next, a simple drumbeat kicks in, and the black metal begins. The key
word here is "obscure" - the guitar, synth, samples, and vocals are not
so much layered as they are blended, creating a mass of noise. Here and
there, the other instruments drop out, leaving one to stand alone in
haunting counterpoint to the previous melody. Sound by sound, the
melody is then rebuilt. This constant tension between clarity and obscurity
gives Xasthur's music a deeply depressive quality.
Once again, I find myself impressed with the production on
Xasthur's albums. Important melodies are clearly discernable, but
everything else fades to a drone that gives amazing depth to the
music. Even the vocals share this treatment. They're perfectly audible,
yet distant, as if heard underwater. It's quite a distinctive effect,
and one that fits the music well.
This album is similar in style to "Nocturnal Poisoning", but "Suicide
in Dark Serenity" seems to advance the ideas of its predecessor,
leading to a more unique sound. Hopefully this is a taste of what's in store
for Xasthur's next CD, as a full-length album of this quality would be
impressive indeed!
Standout tracks: "Suicide in Dark Serenity", "With Hate Freezing My
Veins"
GREYANDBLACK.COM
XASTHUR
"Suicide In Dark Serenity" MLP
It's hard to believe there's bands like XASTHUR existing in places such as smoggy Southern California. For those not familiar with XASTHUR, they create a bleak, lifeless form of black metal in company of some of the most nightmarish vocals I've had the (dis)pleasure of hearing. XASTHUR's first official work was "Nocturnal Poisoning", the band's excellent full-length CD. Now they've crawled out from the pits once again to administer another dose of deadly art with "Suicide In Dark Serenity". This time they've opted for something less rough. The production is a few notches up from the debut and the music is more solid and structured. The vocals are still done in the traditional XASTHUR style and fucking sick as hell. The LP format compliments the music well here... Raw, atmospheric metal at its best for fans of early Norwegian and French style BM. This MLP can be found through BESTIAL ONSLAUGHT PRODUCTIONS.
(Wilhelm)
ALLIED METAL LEGIONS NEWSLETTER #4/SPRING 2003
Band: XASTHUR
Album title: Suicide In Dark Serenity
Country: USA
Release date: 2003
Label: Bestial Onslaught Production
Style: Suicide Black Metal
Format: MLP
Image on the picture disc: 0°
Cover quality: Glossy
Gatefold: No
Disc weight: 140 gr
Disc colour: Blue
Booklet info: Yes
Booklet Quality: A3 xerorxing pagewith title tracks and thanks list
Number of tracks: 5
Bonus tracks: No
Number of copies: 100
Interest of the vinyl: Fucking great production of nihilist, cold Black Metal
Comment: This MLP edition, called "Freezing Hate", contains none less than a XASTHUR logo patch, and a XASTHUR logo sticker and insert. The label did a marvelous work here to unleash an collector edition.
FRANANG ZINE
XASTHUR "Suicide In Dark Serenity" -- 8/10
Misanthropic Black Metal
Bestial Onslaught
www.blackmetaltomb.com/xasthur/
Mettere gli Xasthur come gruppo sorpresa non rende giustizia a questa one man band americana. Chi ascolta un certo tipo di musica non può non conoscere il progetto del mio quasi omonimo Malefic, che solo poco tempo fa ci aveva deliziato le orecchie con l'ottimo album "Nocturnal Poisoning". Nel giro di qualche mese però ecco che grazie alla Bestial Onslaught la band ci dona un oggetto stupendo, un mlp formato 12'' che definire stupendo è decisamente poco, a mio avviso una piccola pietra miliare nella storia di certa musica. Ecco quindi che in un momento in cui alle parole black metal viene avvicinato il nome Dimmu Borgir, non si poteva non mettere in risalto un album come questo. Il titolo stesso, "Suicide In Dark Serenity", incredibilmente riesce a raccogliere quello che la testina del vostro giradischi sparerà gracchiante dalle vostre casse tramite questi 5 pezzi fottutamente neri, sulfurei, ora lenti e sofferti come l'incedere della morte, ora veloci e taglienti come l'odio e la follia. Un concentrato di acidità nera, un inno al suicidio (quello delle pecore umane) più convincente di un video propagandistico di Bin Laden, una massa nera melmosa che incute terrore solo ad osservarla. L'intro che ci accoglie nel vorticoso mondo di Malefic ti lascia un senso strano sulla pelle, fa presagire che si sta entrando in un mondo dal quale solo i più forti possono tornare, e la successiva titletrack è la sintesi di un concetto misantropico che rende Malefic e gli Xasthur un'entità unica e totalmente distaccata dal resto del mondo. In molti hanno trovato punti di comune con Burzum per questa band, io direi invece che le uniche influenze velate che si possono trovare in questa band sono da ricercare nei primi Graveland, quelli più sulfurei e maledetti. Malefico, maledetto, e terribilmente pervaso da un feeling horrorifico da brivido. Un disco che ormai ascolto assolutamente più di una volta al giorno, per quel senso morboso che ti lascia addosso, per quel distacco che crea dal resto del mondo e anche per quel gustoso piacere di sentire il piatto gracchiare come tanti anni fa. Io non perderei altro tempo, chi ha capito sa cosa deve fare. Fate attenzione alla prima edizione di questo mlp, la Cursed Edition, limitata a 100 copie su vinile blu con sticker e tshirt!
Malefic Butcher
XASTHUR "Suicide In Dark Serenity" -- 8/10
Misanthropic Black Metal
Bestial Onslaught
www.blackmetaltomb.com/xasthur/
Putting Xasthur on "Surprise" album doesn't give justice to this american one man band. The project of Malefic strike again, after the great album "Nocturnal Poisoning", and after some months the mighty Bestial Onslaught give to us the chance to have this wonderful object, a 12 inches mlp, a great stone for this music. In a moment where black metal is unfortunately associated to acts like Dimmu Borgir, the only thing we can do is to elevate and spread to all this great opus. The title himself, "Suicide In Dark Serenity", describes in a perfect way what your stereo will shot, through 5 fucking black tracks, now slow and full of pain like the march of the death, now fast like hate and madness. Pure black hate, a suicidal hymn (for human sheep) better than every
propagandistic Bin Laden's videos, a black mash full of terror. The intro welcome us in the chaotic world of Malefic, a particular feeling on our skin, like we are entering in a world without an exit, and then the titletrack is a sum of a different misanthropic concept: Malefic and Xasthur are weird entity that lives in a world outside this fucking earth. A lot of reviews try to put Xasthur near Burzum, but I think that Xasthur is unique, i just found some little points that remind to me to the old (and great) Graveland, the sulphureous one. Maleficent, damned, rich of an incredible horrorific feeling, not a film but the horror of the true life. I listen to this album everyday, because leaves on me this morbid sensation. Don't hesitate, buy this item. Look at the first edition of this mlp, the Cursed Edition, limited to 100 copies on blue vynil with sticker and tshirt!
Malefic Butcher
FROM THE CAVE - THE BASTARD ZINE
Xasthur - Suicide in dark serenity
Etichetta: Bestial Onslaught
Passati pochi mesi dall'uscita dello splendido "Nocturnal poisoning", Malefic torna con i suoi Xasthur - ridotti ormai a one-man band - con un MLP 12" in edizione limitata, un 5 pezzi diabolico chiamato "Suicide in dark serenity", e mai titolo fu più azzeccato. Per chi ancora non avesse incontrato lungo il proprio 'iter collezionistico' la creatura in questione, la musica di Malefic è un depressive black metal d'altri tempi capace di instaurare un senso di tristezza e depressione nell'animo di chi lo ascolta, lasciandolo ipnotizzato ed incentrato sull'onnipotenza di così grande maestrìa nel comporre pezzi così fottutamente sconcertanti ed annichilenti. Non credo che il paragone con Burzum possa essere valido, o almeno lo è solo in parte: quello che esce fuori da "Suicide in dark serenity" è roba molto più estrema e pericolosa per il nostro organismo, musica che per la sua glacialità e senso di claustrofobìa induce davvero a istinti suicidi. Il Conte Vikernes metteva le note in primo piano, negli Xasthur invece quello che viene fuori è un tutt'uno di suoni e rumori provenienti dall'inferno, che filtrati da una produzione opportunamente minimale se ne escono come un grido di disperazione e dolore. Davanti ad un capolavoro del genere occorre andare oltre il black metal stereotipato e scontato per proiettarsi in una nuova dimensione, quella dominata dall'istinto più selvaggio e autodistruttivo che giace nel proprio io; solo così il messaggio lanciato da Malefic potrà essere interpretato e capito. Se "Nocturnal poisoning" mi aveva fatto impazzire per la sua bellezza (anche se a tratti prolissa) e per aver sentito - finalmente - un lavoro degno delle primissime produzioni norvegesi di inizio anni '90 pur essendo gli Xasthur statunitensi, con questo 12" viene a mio avviso toccato l'apice compositivo di un Malefic sempre più in odio contro l'umanità, come da lui esplicitamente espresso. Inutile sarebbe passare in rassegna tutti i brani, il lavoro ha un senso solo se ingerito tutto d'un fiato e assimilato in ogni sua parte, è necessario entrarci, ascoltarlo da soli e senza alcuna distrazione, è fondamentale viverlo, come da vivere è il black stesso. Non c'è spazio per tutti i ciarlatani che sanno inveire contro l'oscura Fiamma, questo è un disco che solo in pochi potranno realmente capire e osannare, facendone tesoro in quanto di rado ci si imbatte in creature del genere. Altamente sconsigliato a chiunque abbia istinti suicidi…
Voto: 9
Fearaxes
Xasthur - Suicide in dark serenity
Label: Bestial Onslaught
Several months after the release of the brilliant “Nocturnal poisoning”, Malefic returns with his Xasthur - reduced now to a one-man band - with a 12” MLP in limited edition, 5 diabolical pieces called “Suicide in dark serenity”, and never was a title more accurate. If someone didn’t meet yet along his “collectors’ journey” the creature in question, Malefic’s music is a depressive Black Metal of bygone times able to give a sad and depressive feeling in the listener’s heart, hypnotizing him with the almightiness of a great mastery in writing disconcerting and annihilating pieces. I don’t think that the comparison with Burzum can be correct: “Suicide in dark serenity” is much more extreme and dangerous for our organism, this is music that for its iciness and sense of claustrophobia really induce one to suicidal instincts. Varg Vikernes put the notes in the foreground; in Xasthur instead there is an all one of sounds and noises coming from hell, which filter opportunely through a minimal production, they go out like a scream of desperation and pain. In front of this masterpiece it must go further the conventional Black Metal to cast one’s mind in a new dimension dominated by the wilder and self-destructive instinct which lay idle in the oneself; in this way only the message from Malefic will be understood. I have liked “Nocturnal poisoning” for its beauty because that was a work worthy of the first Norwegian releases; with this 12” Xasthur reach the apex with Malefic ever more in hate against humanity. It’s pointless to describe all the tracks, the work has a sense if only ingested in one gulp and assimilated in every part; you have to come into it, listening to it alone and without inattention, is essential live it like to live is Black Metal. There isn’t space for those who go against the Black Flame, this is an album that only few people can really make out and acclaim, because seldom do we find creatures like that. Strongly not recommended to whoever has suicidal instincts…
Rating: 9
Fearaxes
METAL MANIACS WEBZINE
Xasthur
By Keith Bennett
XASTHUR
Suicide In Dark Serenity
Holy frikkin' lo-fi. Now listen here, I'm as "KVLT" as the next fake Viking, but when the non-production on a record prevents me from really getting every pleasure out of something I enjoy, I'm gonna have to call bullshit. Ahem... BULLSHIT! This is one of the best USBM releases I've heard all year, and the previous few sentences aside, you should drop some cash and pick this up. But be warned, you're going to be turning this waaaay loud on your system of choice to be able to really sink your teeth into it. Attention all one-man BM bands: There's a middle ground between a basement tape and Bob Rock. Check it out - no one will call you a poser. (Bestial Onslaught) www.bestialonslaught.com
THE WEEKLY DIG
May 5-12, 2004