Black Metal is not a Scandinavian monopoly. One of the world’s best Black Metal bands is from Russia. That band is the vicious Rossomahaar. Their 2003 opus, “Quaerite Lux In Tenebris (Exploring The External Worlds)” [Xtreem Music], is Poetic/Epic Black Metal at its greatest. This is melodic, sublime darkness surpassed by none.
Sharp, acidic shrieks slice through walls of masterfully executed guitar roar. Rhythms are tight, extreme barrages of fiery malevolence. Rossomahaar uses symphonic elements skillfully, without dulling their ferocity. (It enhances their edge, making it even more jagged and primal.)
Another outstanding quality of the Rossomahaar onslaught is the lyrics. Tenebrous and truly poetic, they avoid the Black Metal clichi?1/2s. Rossomahaar creates a unique form of aggression. Songs of exceptional note include “Quaerite Lux In Tenebris (Exploring The External Worlds),” “Me, The Misanthrope,” the blistering “Crescent Moon (The Final Celebration),” “Those Spectres Within (Eternal Is The Nothingness I’ve Emerged From),” and the spectacular and melodious “The Moon, The Sun, The Stars.”
In conclusion, Rossomahaar has made the BEST BLACK METAL opus of 2003. Few others can compare. Stay savage. Farewell.
Related Bands: Dimmu Borgir, Cradle Of Filth, Order From Chaos, Hate, Fog, Emperor, Sigh, Samael, Kult Ov Azazel, Beherit, Absu, Marduk, Immortal, etc.
