Although this 5-Track CD is not an official release you will be able to buy someday, it is still worth to be reviewed, because it draws attention on one of Sweden’s best Black Metal bands right now – WATAIN. The blackhearted four-piece was thrown out of the womb of Satan’s whore Babalon in 1998 and released a demo in the same year, afterwards a live tape and the excellent 7" EP "The Essence Of Black Purity" in 1999 followed. In 2000 WATAIN’s debut CD / LP "Rabid Death’s Curse" was unleashed upon the hordes and offered possessed Swedish Black Metal. In 2001 another live tape and a Split 7" with DIABOLICUM were released. The promo that I am writing about right now covers all releases of the band until now and confirms vehemently the impression that WATAIN are a fascinating Black Metal cult that is intentionally deeply rooted in the underground and musically absolute first-class: varied song structures, killing riffs that sometimes remind me of MARDUK’s "Those Of The Unlight" masterpiece, aggressive violent vocals and a surprisingly good sound. Besides acts like BESTIAL MOCKERY, NECROPLASMA or TERRORAMA this satanic horde from Stockholm is essential for every Black Metal fan who knows that this type of music has much more to offer than silly statements, BURZUM "Einsatzkommando" shirts and other infantile shit like this. WATAIN are certainly 100% serious about the dark art they create, but they are not kids or wannabes. If you are looking for a really excellent band you should support WATAIN and look out for their past and upcoming releases, they definitely won’t disappoint you. Check out some of their songs on http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/112/watain.html and have also a look at the following sites: www.grimrune.com/watain (obviously the band’s site, down at the moment, but maybe it returns), http://devoted.to/drakkar (label) and www.blazing.ws (promotion for various fascinating bands). Snail mail address: WATAIN, c/o Danielsson, Stralgatan 41, S-112 63, Stockholm, Sweden