Band:	Teitanblood
Album:	Seven Chalices
Style:	Black metal, Death metal
Release date:	March 2009
A review by:	Lucas

01. Whore Mass
02. Domains Of Darkness And Ancient Evil
03. Interlude (Arabian title)
04. Morbid Devil Of Pestilence
05. Interlude (Cuneiform title)
06. Infernal Dance Of The Wicked
07. Interlude (Sanskrit title)
08. Seven Chalices Of Vomit And Blood
09. Qliphotic Necromancy
10. The Abomination Of Desolation
11. The Origin Of Death

Music is a powerful drug. Somebody should write a 'MiHKAL' - Music I Have Known And Loved. If you're the least bit into psychedelic exploration you know 'Sasha' probably won't do it, so somebody else should. Music has the ability to entrance the listener and bring him or her into virtually any state of mind. And besides that music has one huge advantage over other drugs - bad trips can still be good trips.

Death metal is one of those genres that perfectly lends itself for an awesome bad trip. Unfortunately, many bands have lost their ability of being delusionary and intoxicating in their quest for speed. But that's not the issue today, today the issue is one of the bands that does it right. I'm a positive-minded person after all... Teitanblood does it right, and they immediately do it ri-fucking-ight! Seven Chalices, their '09 sacrificial offering, is one hell of an album. From the very first seconds, after the theatrical intro that is, damp riffs project dark caves on the mind's eye, whammy bar shredding grimier than Slayer could ever imagine swarms like a cloud of rabid bats through the cavernous labyrinth. Azerate roars, screams and moans. Welcome to hell.

Musicianship is not the sole bone-crushing factor of Seven Chalices. In fact, if it wouldn't be for the production, this album wouldn't be half as impressive as it is now, I'm sure. You can view that as a bad thing, or you can just accept it as it is. Blood is thicker than water, but nothing is as thick as the guitar sound on Seven Chalices. Holy mother of Mary, gather a dozen of chainsaws, a couple of meatgrinders and a bunch of obese people with a massive diarrhoea attacks and you're still nowhere near. I can't remember the last time I heard a guitar sound this good. Seven Chalices has a production that gives the impression the music was recorded on tape, then buried for twenty years and eventually exhumed to finally be made available for us slimy Deatheads to relish in.

If you're not into obscure and occult Death metal, you will not like this. If you're looking for technical prowess, progressive bridges and/or sing-along choruses, get the hell out. If you're looking for... aaaah shyte, forget it. Just check this out man! If you don't like it, be glad, because in that case Satan doesn't want your soul anyway.