First I had hostile feelings towards this CD, simply because it is about -again- Black Metal with all the clichés attached to it: nationalistic vibes (the band claim to play "Celtiberian" Black Metal, well maybe in the future we will see some "Fidjian" Black Metal emerge?), stupid nicknames and grotesque outfit based on corpse paint (wow, how unusual...). Personally I am tired of this, I rather go for repeated listening of "Satanic Rites" or "The Return" to get my dose of Black Metal, oh well... But I don't want to be unfair to this Spanish outfit, because their music offers some bits of interesting moments, with an obvious concern for crafting good songs. Of course, the whole album is a little monotonous, like it is the case with the majority of the Black Metal disciples, I mean the chords are always the same (even if some progressions are extremely pleasing to hear), the pacing stays in the red zone almost all the time. Yet the seven songs on offer here are very pleasant to listen to (even the moody instrumental piece 'De Este A Oeste', inspired by the ancient Galician culture), and I am sure that BERSERK can appeal to all serious Black Metal freaks around. Some keyboards layers can be heard here and there, and the overall production is more than satisfying. But like I said above, this is nothing particular or to be sought after with rage. Only for fanatics! www.berserkhorde.com.

Edouard Vergriete

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