Jewel-case CD with OBI
Starting off with this review, I have to say that I don’t agree when people describe this band's genre as black metal. I just don’t notice any spark of black metal on their music and in my opinion this is hard to describe, I feel the clearest sounds of obscure and macabre music, the deepest emotions metal could offer to the human race and other creatures; This is doom / death metal using common words, I mean the Argentum music would be analyzed with such higher words. Well described by front man Khabee this way: "de mortis allegoric obscurantist music”.
This is the second Argentum creation and I will not take earlier and later releases as a sort of reference, each one of them are great and different, each one of them are special and memorable. The year is 1994 when all the metal styles in the underground scene were strong and growing up, then Argentum appeared with this release conquering the scene in Mexico and worldwide. This time with a better production and clear sound which I’m not satisfied at all, even so a finely polished style. The originality of Argentum is based on a complex concept taking lyrics in different languages like english and latin among others; The doom death metal styled music as mentioned before is presented here in four tracks with a running time of 34 minutes, unique sounds of death metal emerged from great guitar player Chebb Maelstrom, his riffs and sounds of evil shocked me since first listening; other noticeable elements are the keyboards and sound effects. Exothaernium is my all time favorite demo by a Mexican band, let’s analyze the reasons why, what a difficult task! In early 90’s I never knew about any Mexican band playing like Argentum; this style used to be around in Europe, Sweden and Finland mainly or a closer sound.
The whole cassette has a special kind of magic featured, the first track: Mortuus Infradaemoni starts with a long riff along with keyboard sound which makes me feel immediately the deeper and obscure sounds expecting more like this since the beginning and throughout the tape waiting for something weird to come out of the speakers or even so the earphones, in fact is suggested to listen to this with earphones and any dark ambient in order to feel more deeply. The guitar tones stay the same way all the time, they are unique and never heard before in 1994. This emotive track has the death metal mark with great and emotive rhythms, one of the best parts is where suddenly appears fast riffs accompanied with a high pitched scream which remind me the ghouls from the lords of the rings by Tolkien, the voice is very strong and, I just can say this is the true voice of death! The whole track is very fast with a kind of bewitching guitar solos. The second track: Ad Posthumum starts with the same formula as the previous, not necessarily the same, here is a buzz effect with a slow guitar path, this lasts about one and a half minute then the drums unleashes the darkness, this is my favorite track because is the perfect mid tempo I enjoy in this kind of bands, also the guitar solos are the emotive touch, a strange detail, this is my favorite track and the shortest one which is a bit strange. The third track: Isolated Obscurations is the difference, this is the slowest one and with the doom metal feeling staying with the same melody let’s imagine a procession through the most somber places your mind is able to conceive. The right slow tempos are always at the same level, they are just perfect; the synthesizer is always supporting the guitar and drums and they are not used as a base of the entire tune as used to be in some doom metal bands in those years, so is Isolated obscurations the best proof that this band’s genre has nothing to do with black metal, well, is not the main goal for this review but I´m still wondering why the black metal label has been awarded to the band often. The last track is titled Suspiria, the song with more variations on the arrangements with a variety of tempos including both death and doom metal, the perfect combination of styles giving as a result occult sound and a brilliant assortment of elements, every one of them are just sublime.
Every track is different each other, providing obscure music inspiring a bit of depression, transporting you into an unknown dimension, every track is a surprising emotion emerged from inner places and strange eons. I wonder where the inspiration comes from for such music. This demo tape is a masterpiece and I feel this is the right switch on their career and the catapult to be recognized in the underground, I wonder too why this is not a well recognized band in Mexico and it is in the rest of the world. With Exothaernium they just innovated the death / doom metal on this planet, a high value release with no doubt. That’s why this is the true metal of death.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=uAqRV00zV-c&list=RDuAqRV00zV-c&start_radio=1&t=233s
