Housed in a standard jewel case CD with transparent tray; it comes with a 16-page booklet with printed credits and lyrics.
I’m not going to pussyfoot about how I felt after witnessing Unanimated’s reformation: I knew it would rule regardless of what these nebulous Swedes produced, classic Gothenburg or not. Hell, I’ve been personally magnetized by Unanimated’s secluded slabs of melodic-based death/black metal that, if you excuse the opinion, rip overrated selections like “The Gallery” a new pooper, simply because the group’s original duo of full-lengths are dominant in melody and potency, balanced and brutal, nuff said. Those days have been gone for years now, but Unanimated makes a triumph return fourteen years after those pitch-black months with “In the Light of Darkness.” I must say, however, that there is nothing arduous about Unanimated’s latest expedition; purist black/death metal parallel to Dissection or Watain with dazzling touches of melody for good, clairvoyant measure…what else could you ask for?
The approach taken during “In the Light of Darkness” resembles a more retrogressive blitzkrieg equalizing the blueprints found on Unanimated’s early years as a rule, leaning towards an equally balanced perimeter of death and black metal with a melodic attitude avenging the likes of “The Ancient God of Evil.” I could rant about how original or intelligent “In the Light of Darkness” sounds, but in reality, it isn’t, and doesn’t need to be special in its own way. The name of the game is simple: nasty, sinful tremolo riffs summoned onto rapid percussion with tasty melodies for additional enchantments. Only in this situation, Unanimated delivers riffs and instrumental ideas that are cleverly powerful and remain true to the band’s habitual nature through qualities they themselves once mastered. Nothing technical or trendy; just stellar death/black metal surrounded by glorious melodies. In a spectacle sense, Unanimated never appears exhausted or outdated through their snazzy mayhem, but infinitely lost in a dark, hazy trance of nightmarish chaos. Really, this is the kind of thing Jon Nödtveidt should have achieved when “Reinkaos” was conceived, minus the mediocrity. I was tempted to make a gay joke, but that’ll do instead.
Interestingly, Unanimated’s ever-evolutionary situation progresses once more into groovy genetics à la Bolt Thrower, lumping towards the record’s illusive spinal column of blackened fissures, yet does not derail the faction’s ethereal spirit. While not overtly ambitious, Johan Bohlin’s colorful riffing animates the groove-laden sections into catchy, memorable bridges working wonderfully for choruses or verse structure for an open-ended display of instrumental mist, if you will. These mid-paced tendencies reveal stronger ideas despite simplicity, executing different textures unbeknownst to what usually is associated with Unanimated. Still, such formations are actually beneficial towards the extreme edge present on “In the Light of Darkness,” because once these waves settle the band can act intrinsic once applying groove or death/black metal, keeping both theories fresh between intervals of use.
Highlights? “Retribution in Blood” probably takes the cake right off the gun; those Dissection-orientated riffs are unstoppable, and the group’s overall performance is nothing short of admirable. I’d be crazy not to mention the stellar black metal riffing at the end of “Death to Life” as well, since that final section is musically flawless, no doubt about it. However, it would be incredibly ghastly to overshadow the album’s hyperborean conclusion “Strategia Luciferi,” as the tranquil exit showcases mellow acoustics tied by a depressive, unified epoch while a wintry riff howls in its solemn eclipse. Once again, something like a film’s final credits finds folkloric solitude between the emotional and the hateful; if there is one gift Unanimated has acquired over the years, this is the one, and perhaps the most important aspect of their infallible identity.
Obviously, the emerging form represents smoldering flames coexisting with layer upon layer of frozen madness, which in turn, creates an illusion in Unanimated’s murky, aesthetic shade that lingers in its opaque, awesome foundation through wind and blaze; it is too obvious few bands of past and future planes are this naturally charmed. There’s no disputing “In the Light of Darkness” fails to achieve the identical sum of its revolutionary elder of evil gods, yet one cannot plausibly argue Unanimated’s first opus in over fourteen years resembles that of a faction withered by modern bias or the steady flow of hours past. Indeed, this embodiment strikes the very core of death/black metal with awe-inspiring results, and was certainly worth the wait.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=OqPlzniqk-g&list=RDOqPlzniqk-g&start_radio=1
