DARKMOON RISING / PRIMITIVE ANGEL GOSPODEN

A split from two bands (Bulgarian ones again!) released by a label that calls itself "Little Norway" — a sort of unofficial embassy of the great Norsemen by the Black Sea. Naturally, the representatives of the proud Vikings deliver vicious black metal with a throwback to the most savage era of the genre's bloom (or darkness) — the early nineties. I had the honor of seeing the first band, DARKMOON RISING, live, and in that setting they come across far more powerful than on record. Endless guitar interplay and total devotion to the genre's forefathers (early EMPEROR, early ENSLAVED, and so on — everything "early"). The product is exclusively for fans of the genre. Although if you ever get the chance to catch them live, it's worth it. The second band on the split, PRIMITIVE ANGEL GOSPODEN, rather cleverly intertwined Slavic and English words in their name. Beyond that, distinguishing their music from the sound of a chainsaw or a running power drill (somewhere behind a wall, at that) is extremely difficult even for an expert. All instruments are thrown into one heap, and the music as a whole is very hard to decipher. Though if you recall that this is true black metal, everything falls into place.