Crest Of Darkness was formed in 1993 by bassist/singer Ingar Amlien (Conception), and it was his desire to produce music combined with his devotion to the LaVey’s Church Of Satan ideology and his interest in vampirism which formed the foundation. The line-up has been stable in recent years as Bernhard (drums) joined in 2014 and Rebo (lead and rhythm guitars) has been there for nearly 20 years, and this is their ninth full-length album. Structured as a ritual, what we have here is a concept album meant to be played as a whole, taking us on a dark and evil journey so by the time of the final song the listener completes their initiation and is ready to enter the Ninth Portal.
The band have used a guest keyboard player, while a trumpeter also joins for a few numbers, but for all the dark and evil imagery, what they have produced is an album which at times is very melodic indeed for a black metal act. I did find Amlien’s vocals harsh and grating, which I guess is the point, but they are somewhat at odds with the intricate and clever arrangements which are far more than the one-dimensional approach we sometimes get in this genre. I mean, a trumpet? It’s almost as if we are getting jazz metal with low bass vocals, very strange (but interesting). This is a very broad album, with nuances which make sense and while I fully understand why they have had such a long career and am not surprised they have been with the same label for 20 years, I find it hard to grasp why I have not come across them prior to this. The production and overall performance stands up well against much more well-known acts, and the result is a black metal release which while not perfect certainly has a great deal going for it.
This Norwegian trio are certainly worth investigating by anyone who enjoys this genre.
Rating: 8/10
Links:
https://www.crestofdarkness.com/
https://mykingdommusic.net/