Review 1:
I actually like this. Despite the negative attention this has gotten from close minded black metal fans, this is actually pretty good. And no, it's not disco black metal, this is industrial black metal. Having actually been to industrial raves, I can see what The Kovenant were trying to do. Is it a success?
Yes. If you can appreciate this on its own merit without comparing it to the original, it's a good album. It's nice to recognize the tunes and compare to the original, but to appreciate it, you really have to appreciate it as a standalone album, not as a gimmick. It will turn off a lot of metalheads, I know, because this is more industrial than black metal. Way more industrial. You actually have to like industrial to like this. If you don't like industrial, you won't like this.
Review 2:
The Kovenant is an easy band to bash, mostly for their really cheesy attempts at trying to make some sort of disco black metal. But I must say some of their releases do have a lasting appeal to them if you're into such a type of music. Ever since Covenant became the Kovenant, the change in the music has been in such a high magnitude. Covenant was actually a pretty good melodic black metal band that was far superior to the more popular Dimmu Borgir. Their first full length album, In Times Before the Light was absolutely magnificent. But then when they became The Kovenant, they remixed In Times Before the Light and completely fucked it up!
For those of you who remember the original In Times Before the Light, the remix is basically an electronic based version with a lower emphasis on guitars, almost no bass this time around, and well, just a very artificial sound that doesn't work.
Gone is the magic, atmosphere, darkness, gloom, and sorrow from the original album. Any sign of emotion found on this remix can mostly be considered fake and false. The production is actually WORSE. Nagash/Lex icon sounds like a baby screeching to compete with the out of tuned synths and guitars in the background. And from what I recall, there are no more very low-pitched spoken words that were prevalent on the original version, which was indeed a cool aspect of that release. |
