'Ice Palace' Demo (2001)

Review by Hugh (www.filosofem.com)

Soulblighter, a one man project, is a new and worthy addition to the already

strong ranks of Australian Black Metal. "Ice Palace" is the first demo release

of the band and a strong one at that. Overall the production values are

appropriate to the music, without the lack of clarity that plagues so many bands

first demo release.

The first track "Hydra" opens with a pitch shifted demonic voice growling "Chaos

is truly a beast with many heads" before kicking into some very Burzum-ish

riffing, which sets the mood for the rest of the demo. This song is probably my

favourite on the demo, due to the effective use of melodics and the simple

rhythmic drive. The vocals are powerful, impassioned and evocative; reminiscent

of early Burzum in some respects, but without sounding like an imitation of

Varg.

The next piece "Lycanthropic Warrior" begins with what I think is the only use

of synthesizer on this demo; appropriately sounding somewhat similar to the

sounds used in between tracks on Ulver's "Nattens Madrigal". Following this

short intro, come some crushing power chords and then a disjointed sounding drum

machine rhythm, leading into a more typical BM blast beat and back again.

Although this is quite a decent track, I find that it doesn't seem to flow as

well as the other two on this release.

The title track is quite a driving number, still in the Burzum-ish realms, but

with an effective flow of riffs and what I would class as more solid drum

programming than on "Lycanthropic Warrior". The general feeling of the track is

slightly interrupted a couple of times by the use of a single note riff. I'm not

sure if this is for better or worse, although I tend to prefer a more flowing

atmosphere, which this track has besides those brief moments. As this song fades

out, I am left thinking that although this demo clocks in at over fifteen

minutes, it could still have been a bit longer and more drawn out. The first

track in particular could have been augmented to nearly twice it's length rather

effectively.

The only other slight complaint I would have with the demo, is that the

packaging is highly minimalistic and does not include lyrics. I know that these

are available on the website, but I feel that this sort of thing can add a lot

to a release; especially as the lyrics are very good. All things considered,

this is a great demo release from a promising Australian BM act and I certainly

look forward to hearing more from Soulblighter in the future.