1999.
Symphonic Black Metal, Progressive Metal.
Symphonic Black Metal, Progressive Metal.
Peccatum is an interesting curio that Emperor fans will be interested in. This side project by Emperor frontman Ihsahn and his wife Ihriel sounds very similar to Emperor on paper, Symphonic Black Metal with elements of Prog and Avant-Garde. But in reality, there are numerous differences in the sound and especially the writing approach.
This debut album was notably released the same year as Emperor's "IX Equilibrium" album. You can instantly hear that third track "The Change" has a very similar sound to Emperor! The dense tremolo riffs, blastbeats and use of keyboards and the chaotic arrangement could almost make this a long lost Emperor track and it is my favourite on the album. Of course not every track is so similar to Emperor. In fact "Speak of the Devil" is much slower and leans towards Progressive Metal territory. Ihsahn uses much more technical guitar playing on this album, such as pinch harmonics and shredding riffs and solos, and the song arrangements are much more erratic and complex.
"Strangling From Within" is also noticeable for its use of Neo Classical symphonic parts and Ihsahn shows his love for Classical music even more than in Emperor. If you have ever heard the soundtrack to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night it sounds very similar (especially the album intro). But if you haven't, there are basically a lot more parts on the album similar to Emperor's "The Oath" intro track to their "Anthems..." album.
As a whole it is a mixed big. There are some really awesome parts, with a strong gothic vibe, and there are parts that Emperor fans will love. But as a whole I found there are also some really cheesy parts. The use of 3 vocalists doesn't always feel justified, and some of the song arrangements are just too erratic and messy. But if you love Emperor and haven't heard Peccatum before, I would definitely check them out. 6/10.
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