Maximum Metal Rating Legend

This is probably the ten millionth split release coming from Norway's faceless Black Metal horde, thereby begging the question: with so many obscure demos/albums/EP's/LP's cluttering every distro and forgotten corner of cyberspace, how can another one matter?

To their credit, the personas behind 'Dawn of Satan' have the right to consider themselves the trvest of the trve. For starters, they're from frosty Norway and in the grand tradition of Burzum, work separately on their own one-man projects. On the occasion of the rare alliance that produced this split, Vasago-Rex and Hordagaard crank the blasts and furious guitars layered with abominable vocals. In keeping with their twisted standards, the unsuspecting listener must be warned of singing on this record; it's vile, buried under cacophonous layers of static and barely discernible croaks. But the musical barbarity is executed with class, most evidently heard on the instrumental 'As I Lay Dying,' which is total unadulterated guitar worship metal, and then starts to punish your ears with 'As Sorrow as Joy.' An aural nightmare in the five songs it contains, 'By War They Came' is the sonic stampede to contrast the vampiric 'Cursed to Live.' While 'Night and Her Blood' is the pure horror preceding the frosty atmosphere of 'Oath and Awe.' Respite only comes when the somber notes of 'The Spirit Beyond' soothe the listener's frayed nerves.

A chaotic frenzy of thrashing arrangements and raw production, 'Dawn of Satan' comes from Black Metal's darkest school. These guys keep medieval weapons in their closets and hate religion 24 hours a day. It shows in their ugly music. On a closing note, this might not go head-to-head with Satyricon's new album, but hey, these guys really don't give a f***.