Stutthof - And Cosmos from Ashes to Dust...

Apart from the obvious controversial bandname i cant find anything that could really be considered as some nazi-whatever and i guess that most of the people thats reading this blog knows that this is more about Drakkonian Witchcraft, luciferianism etc and that this band changed its name later to Acherontas.... as the man himself commented in some old interview that the Stutthof incarnation had "bite its own tail" and had to die...only to be reborn as something stronger.

Anyway! Over to the actual album, this is/was a watershed record (year 2004)  that  together with a couple of other albums a new force that cut a fresh wound in the BM world, they combined strong melodies with multilayered chaos and song structures drifted away from any comercial standards. Beside from new brave compositions the more serious occult lyrics and stand points gave way for a whole lot of new bands with similar inspirations.

It all starts with a very atmospheric orchestral piece borrowed from the soundtrack of the movie "The Ninth Gate"... after that all hell explodes!



Wampyric Metamorphosis  is one of Stutthofs best songs i must admit! The winds from the 90´s is here but in a more wall-of-sound kind of way with its drum blasts fills the vast sky and fresh sharp riff structures rips your face away !
 It really feels like the cosmos is trembling as the ancient kings arise!
The serpents puls echoes as it shatters the stars.

The production is well fitting with working dissonance & strong & harsh groundstructure, the singing is combined with deep chantings and highpitched screams just as it should be.

The 20 minutes song "Crossing the Ninth Gate to the Kingdom of Shadows  " is also one of the bands best (in that era), it has so many layers and twist and turns thats a bit hard to explain... and i would bore you. haha! Best is that you listen to it your self of course.

All the incarnations is vivid and when it all is finished you will feel like you been both punched out of orbit and then given primordial knowledge... or something.

I could go on and on about every great little detail on every track but i think its better you pick it up yourself and just devour it!

The only minor critic i have is the bad picture resolution on the cover (and some in the booklet, the vinyl is better but with another coverpicture), other then that this is a must have record!

Track list:

1.     An Invocation to Those Who Have Risen    
2.     Wampyric Metamorphosis        
3.     Κερασφόρος Σελήνη         
4.     Crossing the Ninth Gate to the Kingdom of Shadows         
5.     Δράκων Ό Μέγας        
6.     The Breaking of the Seventh Seal