Band:	Dissection
Album:	Storm Of The Light's Bane
Style:	Melodic black metal, Melodic death metal
Release date:	November 1995
A review by:	KwonVerge

Disc I
01. At The Fathomless Depths
02. Night's Blood
03. Unhallowed
04. Where Dead Angels Lie
05. The Feathers Fell [Japanese bonus]
06. Retribution - Storm Of The Light's Bane
07. Thorns Of Crimson Death
08. Soulreaper
09. No Dreams Breed In Breathless Sleep

Disc II [2006 Re-release bonus]
01. At The Fathomless Depths [alternate version]
02. Night's Blood [alternate version]
03. Unhallowed [alternate version]
04. Where Dead Angels Lie [alternate version]
05. Retribution - Storm Of The Light's Bane [alternate version]
06. Feathers Fell [alternate version]
07. Thorns Of Crimson Death [alternate version]
08. Soulreaper [alternate version]
09. No Dreams Breed In Breathless Sleep [alternate version]
10. Night's Blood [unreleased demo '94]
11. Retribution - Storm Of The Light's Bane [unreleased demo '94]
12. Elisabeth Bathory [Tormentor cover]
13. Where Dead Angels Lie [demo]
14. Antichrist [Slayer cover]
15. Son Of The Mourning

Dissection is a cult name in the world of extreme metal. In a time when Euronymous and the Inner Circle had declared war to false black and death metal, "The Somberlain" and the first demos of the band exploded like dynamites in the underground scene combining the groove and aggression of death metal with the essence and grim feeling of black metal. Jon Nodtveidt and his nocturnal companions had achieved something extremely difficult for the current time, they had become acceptable by both the death and black metal audience shaking the underground scene.

1995 came and the long-awaited second full-length album of Dissection, "Storm of the Light's Bane", saw the light of day making the whole underground scene praise the Swedish band for one more time. The death metal influences are still vivid but not as many as on "The Somberlain", the razorblade black metal riffing is deeply inspired evoking a strange melody in the air, the eerie vocals of Jon are utterly descriptive and the frost-evoking and nocturnal with a sense of bitterness lyrics contribute to the overall atmosphere that the guitars and the brilliant cover of the album evoke and all of them make "Strom of the Light's Bane" a diamond of darkness. Unfortunately Jon got imprisoned for the murder of an Algerian homosexual and Dissectionm this very promising band that with only two official releases made the whole extreme metal scene talk about them, remained under the ice. "Wail oh desolate gale?"

The album opens as you start falling "At the Fathomless Depths", an instrumental composition with an imposing mourning tone leading to "Night's Blood". A death metal outburst opens the song and the razorblade riffing follows. The guitar work is fabulous and atmosphere-evoking filling the soundscape with nocturnal melodies accompanying the eerie howls of Jon interpreting in exceptional manner the poetic lyrics evoking visions of darkness, pain and frost. "Unhallowed" follows and the one great riff comes after the other with their razorblade melodies harmonizing wonderfully with Jon's grim voice spitting curses here and there. An utterly lyrical composition, "Where Dead Angels Lie", continues the album. Acoustic guitar chords open the song and the riffing follows to step on their melody, a guitar riffing that evokes a sense of freezing melancholy in the air as Jon interprets in an expressive way the utterly poetic lyrics giving meaning to every single word.

The album flows wonderfully with "Retribution - Storm of the Light's Bane" and the riff machine of Nodtveidt and Norman keeps on unleashing fiery riffs in the soundscape; the guitar work is for one more time stunning enchanting the listener with its dreadful melodies pacing with the wonderful lyrics that farewell the light once and forever welcoming the everlasting darkness with Jon summoning the eternal night. A monumental composition, "Thorns of Crimson Death", follows. The melodies that the guitars evoke literary kill painting the soundscape with melancholic colors pacing with the dark yet mourning lyrics interpreted by Jon's descriptive howls. "Soulreaper" continues the album and the inspiration seems to be endless since the guitar riffing is deeply inspired paving the way on which Jon's vocals step to express the, for one more time, bitter lyrics. The album ends in melancholic tranquility with "No Dreams Breed in Breathless Sleep", an utterly dreamy composition evoking pure melancholy and sweet sorrow as the piano piece caresses your withering by the frost heart.
The Rebirth of Dissection is reality, the Phoenix has risen from his ashes. All we have to do is wait?