Band:	Gorgoroth
Album:	Destroyer
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	1998
Guest review by:	Prugor

01. Destroyer
02. Open The Gates
03. The Devil, The Sinner And His Journey
04. Om Kristen Og Jødisk Tru
05. På Slagmark Langt Mot Nord
06. Blodoffer
07. The Virginborn
08. Slottet I Det Fjerne [Darkthrone cover]

With this album, the line up is swelling with new faces and the same faces from the last one, there are almost twice as many members in transition from the time between the gap of this album and Under The Sign of Hell. This is also the time that Gaahl comes into the band, he can be heard on the opening track, Destroyer and gives some help with the clean vocals from time to time. There is also the addition of a session member now, Daimonion, who has done work with Borknagar and other different Black Metal bands around this time. He does the keyboard and synth work for now, giving the album more of a quality of Atmosphere here and there, but not much and its hardly overdone. There is also a new drummer in the band as well, Vrolok, which his drumming is superior to the earlier Under The Sign of Hell release. Sometimes, Infernus and Vrolok drive the songs, continue them on while nothing else is going on, some slight hints of repetition but over all, it's a good sign.

Starting off, the opening and title track of the album is very loud, very extreme with screams and rasping voices of pain from Gaahl. The guitar work is superb, the drumming is fast and driving, but not overpowering. From what you can tell with the future releases from Gorgororth, Gaahl has a very distinctive voice and this sets the change for the better, his voice is actually unchanged in this song when you listen to their later releases. Honestly, from what I seen and heard, this is the best song on Destroyer and the one that makes this album recognizable. The second track, Open The Gates, is decent but slightly repetitious of their older sound, but the one thing that does stand out is the guitar work from Infernus, it sets a good stage for the song and doesn't let it fall into the generic you've heard that before and its getting old category. The third song; The Devil, The Sinner, And His Journey, is fast and very pulsing, very grim but has a hint of synthesizers in the mix of the sound, good or bad, this might make the sound somewhat annoying and overall actually hurts this song. If it didn't have it in their, it would be a good song, but with the extra help from the keyboards, it hampers this song and makes it only decent. Skipping ahead, Gorgoroth took their chance at covering a Darkthrone song, Slottet I Det Fjerne, which doesn't sound bad and it doesn't sound like something extravagant, it sounds exactly what most covers sound like, decent.

Now, as I said before, this album sounds exactly like the older and new releases from Gorgoroth combined into one 8 track album. Some like it, some don't. And that's something most people are going to have to accept, but over all this album deserves attention from everyone that listens to Black Metal, because it sets a stage for the turning point of a very influential band that would set a benchmark for others to base themselves off of.

Tracks I recommend, Destroyer, Om Kristen Og Jødisk Tru, The Virginborn