Entry 033 - Bethlehem - Dark Metal

 

On the list of albums that I never thought I would own this one was near the top. I don't think that Dark Metal has been pressed to wax for more than 20 years, and now out of nowhere 2022 gets a repress. Color me shocked.

Where do I even start with this album? I've rewritten this summary at least three times.

Dark Metal is amateurish, its inconsistent, its random, its frustrating... but despite all this - maybe even because all of this - the album is amazing. Bethlehem mix doom metal with black metal to frighting results: the raw terror and fear that this album evokes is just insane.

The songs meander through different riffs and notes - often randomly stitched together in such a way that the transitions are jarring and borderline amateurish. In that though lays the soul of this album. This album is raw, the riffs are simple, the vocals are monotonous, it sounds like it should be a disaster... but somehow its not.

When the music transitions suddenly instead of detracting from the music it adds to the insanity. The simple riffs linger in a way that they fester and rot. All this with the tortured vocals on top the album is something that must be experienced.

I have no idea if Bethlehem knew exactly what they were doing or if they just lucked into the sound on Dark Metal. One thing is for certain though: very few releases match the album title with the music held within as well as this one.