ARCKANUM
Kostogher
(Debemur Morti Productions)
57:51min

The Metal year 1997 must be definitely mentioned if it comes to the extreme commercialization of the Black Metal cult with the “joining” of Nuclear Blast as the record label number one – even if they rejected over years to sell some of these ‘evil’ satanic bands via their mailorder – and the release of everybody’s darling “Enthroned Darkness Triumphant” the megaseller by megaseller DIMMU BORGIR. But not all hope was gone because the year also offered such great releases as the second output from the Swedish Pan fanatics ARCKANUM. I’m more than grateful for this re-release via Debemur Morti Productions mainly due to one fact – the sound. The original is offering such a bad / low one that you must bring your speaker to the maximum to hear the presented 13 songs in a proper way and some sources are speaking of an intentional act to support the dark side of this release. Intentional or not the new sound – again thanks to Andy Classen – is not the only reason to review this album here. “Kostogher” is a great release because it’s the necessary bridge between the Black Metal rooted debut “Fran Marder” and the final act “Kampen”. The album starts with one of the best ARCKANUM songs ever (‘Skoghens Minnen Vaekks’) a song which roughly shows the new direction. The main structure is still Black Metal but the archaic / pagan influences – and this time we are talking about the true sense of the world Pagan and not a wild horde of cute and drunken trolls from Finland – becoming more obvious a matter which is later on furthermore proved by the instrumental ‘Gamall Uvermark’. If I turn back the time and remember the original Necropolis Records release “Kostogher” never made such an intensive impression on me than the follow up “Kampen” but today – 12 years later – the album shows once more why the ARCKANUM Pan trilogy must be mentioned if it comes to the most influential releases of the late 90s even if the terminus true Black Metal has never been completely applicable for this release. www.debemur-morti.com, www.arckanum.se, www.myspace.com/officialarckanummyspace

Matthias Auch

Matthias Auch

Related reviews / interviews:
ARCKANUM - Första Trulen (Julián "Bærghet" Núñez)
ARCKANUM - Kaos Svarta Mar / Skinning The Lambs (Stefan Franke)
ARCKANUM - Kampen (Matthias Auch)
ARCKANUM - Fran Marder (Matthias Auch)

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