I first heard this band on a Baphomet Records compilation. At the time they sounded like a mix between Burzum and Darkthrone and they captured the feel of Black Metal perfectly, especially for a U.S. band. That one song got me really interestedin hearing what else this band had to offer. I got my hands on a copy of Joined In Darkness shortly after. This album is not the one that had the song I heard on the comp. That one is called Within The Sylvan Realms Of Frost. Anyway, on with the review.

Immediatly upon hearing the material, I was surprised at the sound of the recording. Not your typical black metal sound like what was on Within The Sylvan Realms Of Frost. The sound of the album is deeper, perhaps even the guitars are downtuned a bit. It kind of reminds me of the sound of the song Abruptum contributed to the Nordic Metal compilation. I really like the sound of the recording...its a little different and very very dark.

However, the good production has its drawbacks. With such a sound many of the songs sound the same at first. This made me a little bit dissapointed with the material at first as I dont usually like albums that sound the same all the way through. But after repeated listens the differences in songs become more clear. Another thing I really like about this album is the vocals performed by Ixithra (actually he perfoms everything on this album though apparently other albums have other members). They are whispered black metal vocals with a lot of conviction. Very sick. They kind of remind me of Mysticums vocals with a little more personality. The riffs are in the line of a Darkthrone style, but more doomy and usually slower. There are no leads on this album. The drumming isnt real spectacular, but plenty adequate. There is a keyboard intro and outro and it does add to the dark atmosphere of the recording...they certainly are not out of place like those found in many black metal wannabes.

I think this album shows that there is hope for the U.S. black metal scene. Perhaps I gave it a little higher rating than what it actually deserves, but I did that in hopes that people might take interest in the band. I feel that in the future this band will put out better and better records. Like I say, at first its a little monotonous, but after awhile it really grows on you. I think it captures the darkness of the Norse horde without really ripping them off like so many other bands do.

This review is credited to:
jim jones