HERESI

I'm not sure about this whole black metal vision thing, but one-man band Skamfer (ex-ONDSKAPT) with his project HERESI has put together a hardy 28 minutes of ripping, if unoriginal, black metal. Skamfer plays all instruments on "Psalm II: Infusco Ignis" (originally released on Sweden's Total Holocaust Records),and the result is not too shabby. A tight rhythm section attack with a taut drum sound and molten guitars combine with the man's standard mid-range croaky vocals with lyrics sung entirely in Swedish. Lots of blasting goodness and crackling riffs make the effort a solid one.

Though there is a modicum of melody in the guitar work, there is nothing here that is catchy per se. It is basically a go-for-the-throat speed fest shrouded in a generally maleficent atmosphere (though not in a XASTHUR despondency kind of way). With the exception of a break for some mid-tempo nefarious ooze that soon turns rabid again on "Dionyssosinitiationen", HERESI puts the pedal to the metal and does not let up. It is not as though the songs bleed into one another, only that variation is limited. The man clearly does not mess around when it comes to force-feeding his message to the lambs of God. The sound mix is exceptional: professional sounding, but not glossy, and full of rawness and rage. And if the artwork looks familiar, it is because it was done by Wrest (LEVIATHAN).

"Psalm II: Infusco Ignis" should do the trick for those looking to get their hateful and anti-Christian groove on. Considering the song styles, 28 minutes is just enough to time to get in, get punished, and get out. I'm still a little puzzled by the hype though. What exactly is so visionary about him? Maybe it has something to do with that whole thing about "several years spent rotting in various Swedish mental institutions." Enlighten me, please.