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NARBELETH
A Hatred Manifesto

Folter (2014)
Rating: 8/10

Cuba may not been known for being black metal central, but this new record – the second – from Narbeleth (a one-man band project from former Ancestor guitarist Dakkar) is one that I’m sure will put this Caribbean island on the metal map.

This is a vicious record boasting eight solid black metal tracks, one of these being a more than adequate cover of Urgehal’s ‘Nyx’. While it’s easy to get overrun by hordes of squawking, corpse-painted black metal bands within the seething mass, there are a number of gems just waiting to be discovered and Narbeleth are certainly worth your time.

Although Dakkar does nothing out of the ordinary on this piece of work, there is enough engaging nasty melody to drown the ears. From the opening ‘Total Isolation’ there’s a magical blend of faster segments which act as cold wind-blasts which soon make way for slower, threatening stormy passages where the vocals become more effective due to their phlegm-ridden hostility.

It’s all rather negative stuff as one would expect and its influences, like so many contemporary bands, is rooted in the early-to-mid 90s Scandinavian black metal sound. This, unlike many bands of this ilk, remains rather convincing as ‘Breathing A Wind Of Hatred’ comes charging out of its dungeon featuring a killer, razor-sharp melody which, dare I say it, has a traditional rock ’n’ roll edge to it, but Dakkar’s vocals really do rise to the occasion here as he gurgles with the same vigour as Quorthon Seth on those early Bathory abominations. Again, there is a nice mix of tempo with the track initially starting out as a bracing roar before melting into a colder, darker and slower traipse before returning to the abrasive and downright frosty haste.

As the album unveils itself, one finds themselves worshipping this unholy chamber of hate. The gloriously titled ‘Fuck Off’ is as spiky as its title suggests and ‘Rotten To The Core’ keeps the atmosphere all rather malodorous as the putrid guitar emerges from the bank of black fog like a spectre on a mission to rid the planet of all that is pure. Dakkar literally vomits his messages out of the arctic plateau like a man tormented by his demons, and with that cool air of melancholy caressing just about every instrument he takes on doom-laden qualities with the Nordic trudge of ‘Land Of The Heathen’ and then the barbed-wire assault of ‘Posercorpse’.

And so, with an air of the twisted and the negative about this batch of blasphemies, Narbeleth succeed where many have failed in revisiting the early 90s wave of black metal. And just like those original masters of mayhem, A Hatred Manifesto refuses to clear its throat and remains as stark yet suffocating as the oubliette it was conceived in.

Neil Arnold

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