Band:	Ondskapt
Album:	Draco Sit Mihi Dux
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	August 15, 2003
A review by:	Jeff

01. I
02. II
03. III
04. IV
05. V
06. VI

Ondskapt is the one-man project of Acerbus, Swedish musician and of course Black Metal specialist. "Draco Sit Mihi Dux " was recorded in 2003 and released on the label Selbstmord Services, but here, we are in presence of a new edition on Oaken Shield, the subdivision of Adipocere Records. This production is really intimist, a very simple booklet of two pages with not any information on the band [nothing really] no tittles for the songs, only some numbers, I, II, III etc only a logo and the name of that band and the one of the album? However even if all that seems to be really underground, the music of this artist deserves to be know?

Only six songs but 46 mins of great Black Metal. "Draco Sit Mihi Dux " is a really good album, honestly I think that this band could do something in reason of the great quality of composition of Mr Ondskapt, Acerbus. Musically speaking this is Black Metal, but however like a Forgotten Tomb, I have the feeling that Ondskapt is flirting with Doom Metal. With on a side the fast tempo, and the oppressive and very dark atmospheres of Black Metal and on the other side, the numerous breaks really slow and depressive of Doom Metal. We are on the edge of the these two Metal styles and that's really interesting.
Acerbus plays all the instruments of the band and it's hard to blame him. He is a really good singer in my opinion, with a lot of variations in his voice, which can be tortured but also beautiful, only the good can give this feeling. For the guitar, the bass or the drums, here again that's same, then ok maybe we don't have the best musical technical level but who care ? This is not the style of the music, here the ambiances are the most important, and the great dark melodies and arpeggios on each songs are really impressive.
The production of the album is also not bad at all. Excepted for he booklet, all the rest is good. The sound is well mixed and with a really good quality, and believe me, that you could feel all the the great tortured atmospheres of the album. Because that's the great point of the album, it's not really common to have this badly feeling when you listen to an album, and "Draco Sit Mihi Dux " will give you it. That's really amazing and honestly I can only congratulate Acerbus because if it was his wish, he did well, that's perfect.

For all the fans of Extreme Metal, if you like Doom or Black, I can only recommend you this album. If you knew Forgotten Tomb, now you'll have to know Ondskapt a really good and promising band from Sweden. The new full-length album "Dodens Envangelium" was supposed to be released during Summer 2004 but was cancelled. I only hope that Adipocere will give the luck to Ondskapt to release it, first because Acerbus deserves it, and 2nd because I would like to hear again something from this band? You must remember this name, Ondskapt ?