7 years is a long time between records for any band, but for the U.K.'s Written In Torment whose first release The Uncreation surfaced back in 2006 to decent acclaim. So I can honestly say that I wasn't sure what I was getting into with new album Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes released early this month by up and coming U.K. label Glorious North Productions. Opening salvo Earth Decimated is a blazer that in all honestly has a bit of mid period Gorgoroth stuck to it. The one thing that I noticed on this released compared to the previous, was not just better songwriting, but also multi instrumentalist Leviathan's development as a guitarist. The guitar solo isn't something you hear a lot in Black Metal but Leviathan distributes them throughout the album without giving away a sense of instrument masturbation which this writer no doulbt despises. Beast of the depths is a standout track for me with it's thundering double bass and mid pace riffing. It's obvious to me that there is more then a strong Scandinavian influence in these songs as I hear a bit of traditional heavy metal in there as it is quite obvious Leviathan is quite capable of handling his instrument without over doing it. I also have to mention the vocals, they are deeper, less raspy, almost in Hate Forest territory. Track 7 brings forth the instrumental track, Solitude which isn't your typical Black Metal instrumental, no sampled sounds of wolves howling, wind blowing, satanic rituals etc. I think the album could have done without the particular track as it does nothing but take up space. On a positive note, it's a nice tribute to Taake. The album continues on with another track that I dug quite a bit, Behold the Trinity Maimed and Rotten. Again nothing special but just solid as fuck Black Metal. The big thing overall that stood out to me about Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes is the production. Most bands with only 2 releases and 1 member have shit production( yes there is such thing in BM!) But this album sounds killer from front to back!! No triggered drum bullshit, everything is clear but still has that nastiness to it. The production was done by Jonny Maudling of Bal Sagoth fame. The bottom line is this, is the album great? Fuck No! But it is a damn fine solid slab of music that I will listen to again. My main complaint is that the record is way to long at 57 minutes!! Unnecsesary in my opinion. So while this isn't going to burn the world down anytime soon, Written In Torment has my attention as I will be waiting to see what Leviathan does next. Worth your time.
7.5/10
The Asshole
7.5/10
The Asshole