Band:	Reverorum Ib Malacht
Album:	What Do You Think Of The Old God, We Call Him Judas?
Style:	Dark Ambient, Black metal
Release date:	July 2005

01. What Do You Think Of The Old God, We Call Him Judas?
02. ...And Bathe In Cold Holy Water

Our precious genre of 'Heavy Metal' is now, say, about forty years old. In these forty years there have been quite a few bands that tried to scare us. From Black Sabbath through Demilich to Darkspace and Esoteric. Occult symbolism, harsh noise, whirlwinds and sandstorms, underground caves, mad monks, labyrinths and cosmic terrors, we've seen much and by now we're used to much. Right?

Well, if you're really all that tough and masculine, and want to prove yourself, allow me to introduce you to Reverorum Ib Malacht. Or more in particular, their first demo What Do You Think Of The Old God, We Call Him Judas? (from now on referred to as Judas). Sounds tacky? Think again...

Judas opens up with howling winds and screaming voices. But soon enough an ardent stream envelops you. Within seconds your cosy living room has disappeared and you find yourself in the catacombs of an ancient abandoned monastery, where monks that once resided there suddenly disappeared seemingly without reason, until rumours of an allegiance with the Devil spread in the surrounding villages. It is the production that is largely responsible for the eerie vibe, as it is cataclysmic at the very least. The guitars, keyboards and drums are running rampant, but they're largely indistinguishable. They're morphed into one single stream, one smooth flow of sounds because of the awful (yet amazing) way it is all produced. It's as if every sound echoes through the infinite labyrinths of madness, forever and ever.

"...And Bathe In Cold Holy Water" continues the devilish insanity portrayed in "Judas" and tops it. What a breathtakingly delusional hymn! A beautiful intro slowly dissolves into harsh noise until the hellish stream-of-consciousness takes over again. One last element remains to be described: the vocals. No screams, no shrieks, no growls. No, only hallow, distant and hymnic vocals. Vocals with a confusing warmth to them, all the while remaining eerily estranging, utterly fanatic and despaired beyond words. There are no words.

Judas is Black metal in essence, but Black metal morphed beyond recognition. Amidst the large, ambient walls short bursts of rage spawn and dissolve. These burst seem largely improvised due to their chaotic, sloppy nature and their inconsistent appearances. Still, all the hellish, haunting and horrifying elements of Black metal are kept, intensified by evil Dark Ambient.

So, What Do You Think Of The Old God, We Call Him Judas? I have no choice but to fear and worship him. Unique. Breathtaking. Horrific. Fanatically fantastic.