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(January 2009)
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EMINENZ (Deu): "The Heretic" CD
(Neon Knights)
At last! After seven years of lies, stupidity, and ignorance, I discover one Karsten of Neon Knights finally saw the light two years ago and did a service to the human race by re-issuing this masterpiece of East German Black Metal. Originally released by the crooked Lethal Records in 1998, this has remained without a doubt one of my long-term favourite Black Metal albums - and precisely because it has not fit the classic Black Metal mold. EMINENZ' formula has a Death Metal component in the riffing, they tune their guitars like a Death Metal band, and they tend to favour slow tempos and deliberation over hysterical, ultrasonic, blasting madness. Upon this foundation, however, they add what to my mind makes all the difference, stately leads and simple but highly effective and atmospheric synthesisers, set up to produce a solemn choral sound full of reverberated majesty. The spacious darkness these weave are juxtaposed against rough thrash outs lasting for short intervals, thus keeping one constantly engaged through the exploitation of contrast and texture, and maintaining tension between the many gems one encounters along the way. The result is an obscure and hugely enjoyable evocation of the band's themes of Occultism, demonology, and Mediaeval Satanism. This digipak re-issue comes with six bonus tracks, taken from their "Preachers of Darkness" demo from 1992. Reviewed by AK-47.
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