Limited to 500 jewel case copies with OBI-strip. 8-pages booklet.
Track 9 is a Frédéric François Chopin symphony (hidden track on CD, play after more than 20 minutes of silence on track 9).
"Verwüstung" is dedicated to Varg Vikernes.
Special mastering for CD version were done.
In the past, Moloch has definitely been one of the most divisive bands in black metal. Much has been made about the sheer amount of output that Sergey has made in his 10 year history. Looking at his page right here, Verwustung is his 12th full length record in that time period. But he has amassed over 100 releases in varying formats in that time period too. Which leads to his most common criticism; how can all of that material, in such a short time, be any good? Well, I would call myself a fan of Moloch, and I like both "sides" of the band, the dark Burzum influenced black metal, and the dark Burzum influenced ambient music. People can prattle on all day about how the material is sub-par, and there is too much ambient, or the songs are too long, and the criticisms are plenty. Fans of the band love everything that he puts out (I'm not THAT big of a fan, but I don't hate any of his releases) and wait for every 3 months or so, until he drops a new one(or a split, or compilation, or a 7").
Which leads me to Verwustung, as stated before, Moloch's 12th full length record. Right from the beginning we get the picture that this is an altogether different beast, that he has produced. The obligatory ambient intro/song, takes on a new tone that has never been explored before in a Moloch recording. Usually there is that omnipresent "Casio Analog" sound that can sometime overtake the music. "Todesstille" begins very quietly but erupts into a dark and loud rumbling, much more bass and low end that has ever been present in Sergey's recordings. But when the first proper song kicks in, that's when you realize that there is a whole new approach to black metal at work here. "Blutmond" has a very concise and snappy sounding riff that actually has it's roots in early dark thrash like Slayer and Dark Angel. Usually Moloch records are loose, and very unstructured, but these tunes are so tight, they sound as though they were constructed by a machine, and that is definitely a compliment. I have never recalled wanting to headbang to a Moloch record, but this one definitely fits that bill.
The sequencing of the record, is another strength, he wisely kept the ambient moments down to 2 songs. He also placed those in the rightful position of the first and last tracks. He is usually one who wears the Burzum influence proudly, however, this record only has very minimal moments of it. "Du bist nichts in dieser sterbenden Welt" is one of those evil and suffocating songs that has a snaky guitar riff, and minimal drumming, and chant-like vocals that just makes me imagine a cult ritual of some sort. His vocal performance is as varied as the guitars this time. He can quickly switch from a suicidal shriek, to guttural throat-scraping demon the next. Lastly, the drums on Verwustung are nothing short of amazing. I honestly don't know if they are a drum machine (the tape says nothing of production credits), but if they are, he did a fantastic job making them sound real. Much like another black metal pioneer, Rob Darken, who also chose to beef up the drums on his newest, and that record like this one, is all the better for it.
By combining these new techniques like the vastly improved drum sound, vicious guitar riffing, and more quality control on the ambient sections. Moloch has most certainly produced their best record yet. It is also at a much better length for digesting the music. At just under 45 minutes, it short enough that after it's over, I want to hear it again. In the past, a lot of his records were well over 70 minutes, and most listeners(especially casual ones), will never make it through a record that long the first time! So in addition to writing the best songs of his career, Sergey has used these other attributes to create Verwustung, an album that I will be coming back to time and time again. Here's to hoping this is a new beginning for the band/project.
Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
