Old Man's Child - Defiance Of Existence
Century Media, 2003
Ten years ago a death metal band was born in Norway but shortly after the members changed their mind and turned towards black metal.
Old Man's Child are releasing their 5th album this year, still playing the same music they chose a decade ago. During the years several members have joined and left the band but now again Jardar, the original guitarist is back and joins Galder and the fantastic drummer, Mr. Nicholas Barker (Dimmu Borgir, ex-COF, Lock Up).
Just like before they improved their black metal melodies with the dynamism of thrash metal using its killer riffs. They still remained symphonic in their own way but just like before the music is still technical and fast with heavy melodies. Well structured, insane songs fill the album, without a single weak point. I don't know how much time they spent with the writing of the album, but everything works out. The rhythm section is amazing, you can easily get hooked on the dark melodies found in the album. The sound is also perfect, everything is clear and balanced. Galder himself was the producer and Fredrik Nordstrom engineered the album.
The opener 'Felonies Of The Christian Art' starts a bit dramatic with the bells in the background and the whole song has a kind of evil atmoshpere. Barker's drumming is giving even a heavier tone while the electronic, machine-like synth's sound weird, chaotic but majestic. 'Agony Of Fallen Grace' starts with a typical synth solo that ends up in storming black metal music. Just like all the songs it has several changes that doesn't allow you to get bored. The power of the rolling drum sound is really shown in 'Black Seeds On Virgin Soil', this song rips out from the speakers as it grows. It starts slowly and lightly before the darkness is unleashed around the first minute. I will stop analizing the rest of the album because every song has the same quaility but with some specific passages. It would be also hard to choose the stand out ones.
Again, Galder and his fellow musicians fulfilled the expectations we might have for an
Old Man's Child album. No more, no less but exactly the next product we were waiting for. It's the first one of the this year's main black metal releases and if all the next ones are as good as this one, we are definitely looking forward a strong year in metal.
Tracklist:
01. Felonies Of The Christian Art
02. Agony Of Fallen Grace
03. Black Seeds On Virgin Soil
04. In Defiance Of Existence
05. Sacrifice Of vengeance
06. The Soul Receiver
07. In Quest Of Enigmatic Dreams
08. The Underworld Domains
09. Life Depreived
Length: 39:46
Old Man's Child
Century Media
