This is the debut EP from Swedish solo black metal act Shatterer.
The Shatterer style is atavistic, violent, and moody. It’s firmly rooted in the 90s second wave, with suitably raw and unpolished production values. Mainstream black metal this is not. It’s a journey back in time, to the dawn of the genre, and burns with passionate zeal because of this.
Fire contains three songs, with a total duration of 15 minutes. We open with I Aflame, a sharp and obscure hymn to darkness. The blackened melodies sing of the ancient times, while the riffs and rhythms provide an atmospheric beating. Vocally, the singer does a really good job. Mixing a few different styles and arcane utterances, his voice adds another layer of emotion to the music.
The next song is Fire of Satan’s Love, which takes an atmospheric approach to grim majesty, conjuring a bit of an epic first wave aura around itself. The feeling-rich melodies hit the spot, and once again the vocals stand out as expressive beacons in the dark. It’s slow and malevolent, but carries an occult urgency that’s infectious. This might be my favourite track out of the three.
Finally we get the very enjoyable Burning All, a song that opens with mournful blast beats and harsh scathing screams. The combination of aggression and despondent auras is well-judged, and the songwriting skills of the artist really comes through loud and clear. Maybe this is my favourite after all? It certainly closes the release on very nicely.
Shatterer’s first introduction to the world is not for the uninitiated, but the quality here is hard to deny. I thoroughly enjoyed Fire, and look forward to what comes next.
Highly recommended for black metal connoisseurs.
Wonderbox Metal 