Gorgoroth

The infamous declaration of undoubtedly one of the most well-respected and musically endowed black metal bands in history brought many a tear to the eye of the metal world in October of last year. Gorgoroths separation left many fans surprised and unsatisfied, but what was to come made the whole situation worse. It was almost immediately announced that the band would continue as two separate parties, however, it soon became clear that this was not a mutual decision; months of court over the rights to the name followed and further soured what, lets be honest, was not the most peaceful of break-ups.

Before the split they were working on what I will call a 'Semi-live' album. I say this because, while they claim that it is live, it is actually just a studio recording where the parts aren't recorded separately…no crowd or anything like that, and absolutely no gig atmosphere. As far as I can gather, even after the split they continued to record the last of the album which lies before me; I suspect for financial reasons. Anyhow, there is no new material on the cd, just 'semi-live' recordings of the 8 tracks that they deem to make up the core of their live set.

Obviously I'm not going to go through each track and analyse it musically because there are no songs on the record that any fan of Gorgoroth would not know well, and if you want to start listening to the band then I warn you now, this is not the place to start. The song list is fantastic, I cannot fault that in any way. In fact, if I was to pick my favourite 8 songs from the band's repertoire then I would say at least 6 of mine are on the disc. The aspect of the album I do have a problem with, however, is this whole 'live' (or semi) thing that is going on. The difference between the songs on the album and the original's is so slight that I see no real point in the record at all! I would buy a live album for the atmosphere, the crowd and the combination of the two which in some way enhances the music and involves you in the show. While I say that I'm trying not to analyse the songs, the melodic power of 'The Rite Of Internal Invocation' - whichever form it is played in, studio, live, or even semi-live – never fails to put a smile on my face. Oddly disturbing considering the lyrical content of the song!

All in all I say this...what the hell? I just cannot comprehend the bands reasoning behind the release. I am genuinely finding it hard to give this one an honest mark because it really deserves a good 8.5...but that's what I would give the original songs not this, 'True Norwegian Black Metal', which is essentially a 'best of' album. It's decided then…I'm gonna give it a 7. I'll knock a mark and a half off for the concept of the album, but the mark is still high because the fact remains; what we have here is 8 of the best black metal tracks ever released. If you have all the original albums then I wouldn't bother with this one. If you are just starting out as a fan then I wouldn't bother with this one. If you are just looking for something to boost your collection...go for it!