Osmose Productions - 1993
8.5/10
Much like several of their counterparts, Greece's Rotting Christ played a crucial role in the black metal genre's evolution. Sticking to the first-wave line of emphasizing gruff riffs while borrowing from the atmospheric grain that covered much of the Norwegian scene, it's no surprise that the warmer approach is more appealing to yours truly. The debut record Thy Mighty Contract, however, is now known to only be a sampling of what the Greeks would become, evolving into a more gothic-tinted project. Perhaps they just needed to get the God-hating flavors out while they were young?
Jokes aside, I actually find that Rotting Christ's first full-length already hinted at the direction they would go, despite the emphasis on such a sinking feeling around evil and damnation. No doubt, this record is swarming with proverbial demons, giving an even more zombified sound with the loose production and degrading guitar tones. Hateful drum blasts often take the forefront (one of my only criticisms) that nonetheless still give a harder punch to the otherwise rusty riffing. But for every time we find this happening, we also encounter crystal clear synths, and a vocal approach that matches them with clarity, despite their ugliness.
That's probably what I love so much about Thy Mighty Contract, how hideous it sounds without being overly in your face. If that's not enough, the jammy rhythms that touch melody on the likes of "Fgmenth, Thy Gift" or "His Sleeping Majesty" are so memorable, despite this sheen. Those synths near the end of "The Coronation Of The Serpent" work as a cool break from the otherwise crushing drive of this song. Even closer "The Fourth Knight Of Revelation" gleans this a bit, loading the horrendous base with prettier toppings in a near-epic fashion. It makes me wonder if the band always wanted to go the way of the more accessible, concept-based direction from the start, but just weren't committed to the bit yet. Regardless, I'm glad they weren't, because that also made room for furious ragers such as "Dive The Deepest Abyss" that shed any ounce of emotion for ugly, burning hate.
For many reasons, I certainly need to be in a specific mood for this flavor of metal, but when it hits, it hits hard. The band would evolve in ways that are clearly more refined, with more purpose, if not more reaching more impactful heights. But the first few albums cast the familiar flame that I tend to remain in. As the saying goes, go with the devil you know, and in this case, it's like the fallen angel himself is right there with me.
No comments:
Post a Comment