THREE FROM LUPUS LOUNGE

DRAUTRAN - THRONE OF THE DEPTHS
Norse in nature, yet not Norse in nature. Make zero sense? Yeah, probably. Drautran defies typical convention of black metal with heavy Norse mythology themes in that it's pretty fast, raw, and wicked when compared to many of their contemporaries. Granted there's plenty of imagery of oceans, trees, and warrior-related things, but the sound, oh my the sound! It starts off mellow, your expectations seem pretty low, then BAM!, it justs unleashes a massive artillery barrage! Nothing relenting here and certainly no such thing on the horizon. My cup runneth over with wickedness, and here I am practically begging for more! (FA)
LUPUS LOUNGE
www.lupuslounge.com, info@prophecy.cd, www.drautran.com, www.myspace.com/drautran

FARSOT - IIII
I gather that's four of the letter "I" in the album title. Don't really get the significance, nor do I care. Farsot is kickass mix of various tempos and crystal-clear production delivering an intense black metal concoction. Each track is followed by a short interlude and it all finishes with one 20 minutes track that I'm sure must have been death in the studio to play, given its epicness.While they may be a bit more mellow in their "extreme" approach to black metal, therein lies the appeal of the solid, stunning piece of art which should always, always be the focus over mean dick-hanging contests of "extreme evil". I would consider Farsot leaps and bound above anything so trivial. (FA)
LUPUS LOUNGE
www.lupuslounge.com, info@prophecy.cd, www.farsot.de, www.myspace.com/farsotband

HELRUNAR - BALD OK ISS
Now seriously, if you've been pursuing this music for any decent length of time, you know that the band name and album title just scream Vikings, and not the Minnesota kind. Helrunar dig their paganism and have all the makings of old Enslaved and Einherjer to boot. We get some acoustics, some spoken word, and a whole lot of blazing ferocity. Where it really shines is in the clean, hymn-like singing that paints the picture of a Norseman calling to Valhalla from atop an icy mountain somewhere where giants once roamed. Good for bands like Helrunar who embrace a past that I'm sure certain establishments would so love to see forgotten. Not as long as artists like Helrunar roam the lands! (FA)
LUPUS LOUNGE
www.lupuslounge.com, info@prophecy.cd, www.helrunar.com, www.myspace.com/helrunarhorde