Maximum Metal Rating Legend
5 Excellent - Masterpiece. A classic.
4.5-4 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a lacking.
3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler.
3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio.
2.5-2 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
1.5-1 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
0 Terrible - Waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style. Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

Demos and independent releases get some slack since the bands are often spent broke supporting themselves and trying to improve. Major releases usually have big financial backing, so they may be judged by a heavier hand. All scores can be eventually adjusted up or down by comparison of subsequent releases by the same band. We attempt to keep biases out of reviews and be advocates of the consumer without the undo influence of any band, label, management, promoter, etc.

The best way to determine how much you may like certain music is to listen to it yourself.
Band
Charnel Valley
Title
The Dark Archives
Type
LP/EP
Company
Southern Lord
YOR
2005
Style
Black
12/3/2005 - Review by: Eric Compton
Charnel Valley - The Dark Archives - 2005 - Paragon Records

Track Listing
1. Catapult
2. The Drowning Forest
3. Demonic Science
4. They Sleep In Open Graves
5. The Beast Of Six Thousand Bones
Well I'll say it again, I am very much "in tune" with power metal and hard rock, but this night I'll give the extreme a listen or two.

From Paragon Records comes Charnel Valley, a new black metal collaboration between Worm co-founder and chief writer Marty Rytkonen and Metal Maniacs journalist S. Craig Zahler. Recorded in four days, "The Dark Archives" presents an old school approach to black metal. Certainly along the same lines as bands like Burzum, Darkthrone, and Enslaved, Charnel Valley showcases five strong doses of sadistic and epic black metal spirit, with each song delivering a raw, fast delivery. With songs like "Demonic Science" and"The Drowning Forest", the two pay homage to the corpse paint of long ago.

The end result is indeed an album for just about any fan of the extreme.



--EC 11.27.05

  • 1 :REVIEW COUNT
    N/A :AVE RATING

ALL REVIEWS FOR: CHARNEL VALLEY
TITLE
DOR
COMPANY
REVIEWER DATE MADE RATING
The Dark Archives
2005
Southern Lord
Eric Compton12/3/2005
-

ALL INTERVIEWS FOR: CHARNEL VALLEY
INTERVIEW INTERVIEWER DATE TAGLINE


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