The Beast Of The Apocalypse is a black metal band (surprised?), well a duo really, hailing from the Netherlands. Their debut effort A Voice From The Four Horns Of The Golden Altar released through Transcendental Creations out of Canada is an absolutely primal and uncompromising piece of work.
While the production here can definitely be considered lo-fi, these two musicians, H.T. Mozes (guitars, vocals, synths, drums) and S. Serpentijn (bass, vocals, synths, drums) turn things in their favor by successfully utilizing their thickly layered, distorted guitars, (which are pushed to the forefront in the mix), distant, howling vocals, and an ever so sparing usage of the odd synth passage, to create an album that is full of cold atmospherics, and not to mention some of the harshest black metal you're likely to come across. For example the relentless and repetitive riffing employed throughout "The Key of the Bottomless Pit", which on the surface appears to be rather simplistic in nature, is extremely effective for that very reason, because it's this simplicity which lures the listener into an almost trancelike state, while they repeatedly defile your eardrums over and over with razor sharp precision. As mentioned the vocals here are really nothing more than a lot of distant and largely inaudible, tortured sounding screams, but then this record isn't as much about the lyrical content as it is about conveying an absolute feeling of dark and perpetual isolation.
If you're a fan of esoteric and atmospheric black metal then adding A Voice From The Four Horns Of The Golden Altar to your collection is nothing short of a must.
Track Listing
1) Etemenaki: Temple of the Foundation of Heaven and Earth
2) The Key of the Bottomless Pit
3) A Voice From The Four Horns Of The Golden Altar
4) The Hypothasis of the Archons
5) And they Withdrew Up to their Heavens
6) Twins of Jesus
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