Spill Magazine Review

By: David Meredith
April 22nd, 2013

VON - Dark Gods Seven Billion Slaves Album Review

When the Dark Gods arise, and you gaze upon them, you will hear VON and then you will die. Do not worry and do not be frightened because it is only your soul that will be dragged into the primordial black ooze from which they came, to be eviscerated for their sick amusement, for all eternity. There is no escape. Accept the sweet embrace of madness.The essence of Primordial Archaic Black Metal is being summoned on VON’s second full length opus entitled, Dark Gods: Seven Billion Slaves. Purists have issues with VON’s line-up as to “who is who” and “who did what” and “it’s not VON” because “this guy” isn’t in the band anymore. The truth of the matter is that if you strip away the names of the players involved and leave their identities completely unknown, THE ALBUM STANDS FIRMLY ON IT’S OWN! The naysayers can blab and exhale until their heads collapse. This is a damn fine album. It’s dark, it’s raw, it’s primitive, it’s completely and unrelentingly sinister. It’s one of the nastiest Black Metal releases I have heard in years. If the first wave of Black Metal had a mission statement, VON is sticking to it. There is a legacy that has been forged, which was started by bands like Hellhammer, Bathory and Venom. VON carries that torch proudly.

The album opens with “They Have Come,” an instrumental piece drenched in phantasmagoric atmosphere created by swirling guitar leads and punching mid paced drumming. “Ancient Flesh of The Dark Gods" lumbers forth bringing slow leads mixed with tremolo picking and then the rupture of putrid nauseating vocals. This is a truly successful mix of Doom and Black Metal. At the 4:16 mark, the throat cut is executed via furious tremolo picking and blast beats bringing this hearty slab of wretched darkness to the 10:10 mark. "Hands of Black Death" unfold a mid-paced Doom laden Black Metal masterpiece layered with haunting guitar leads and completed with snarling wretched vocals. "Dark Gods" take their thrones within this white-knuckled, blasting, offering. "MONSTER!" carries the pacing started by "Dark Gods" and rips through your ears like a tornado full of straight razors. "DevilWhore" swirls out of control, displaying a difference in tonality and distortion, adding a needed variance to the album. "DevilWhore" is one of the more melodic tracks on the album, but is no less hellish than its predecessors. "iAmInHuMan" is a high speed cluster fuck, nearly careening over the edge. It’s held together by demented break downs that relent, spilling forth a full blown psychotic episode. "RawRot" is much in the vein of "iAmInHuMan,” it’s a furious outbreak of madness varied by sickening break downs peppered with sinister tremolo picking and finally closed out with this repetitive but successful guitar riff varied by tremolo picking, blasting and samples that sound like a marching military regime. “Black Eyes" closes this first chapter of the Dark Gods Trilogy. It’s a perfect balance of repetition and variance. It is the herald of the Dark Gods speaking to their congregation.

The album engulfs the listener in absolute darkness and madness. VON is the sound of H.P. Lovecraft’s Absinthe-induced fever dreams. This is the soundtrack for the “Old Ones” coming back to devour the light. Before God created light the “Old Ones” ruled the earth. VON has set chaos in motion. The end is nigh!

(Source: spillmagazine.com) *site defunct

VON - Dark Gods: Seven Billion Slaves (Open Edition) (Digital Album)

vVurMzflessshhh Publishing

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Cat/Sku#: VR D0009 Artist: VON Title: Dark Gods: Seven Billion Slaves (Open Edition) (Digital Album) Volume: Dark Gods Vol.I Audio Format: Digital Publisher/Distributor: Von Records (USA) Digital Release Date: 2013 Read more

1

They Have Come (Digital Edition) 3:23

0:00/3:23
2

Ancient Flesh of The Dark Gods Feat. D & C (Coffinworm) (Digital Edition) 10:09

0:00/10:09
3

Hands of Black Death (Digital Edition) 6:14

0:00/6:14
4

Dark Gods (Digital Edition) 2:59

0:00/2:59
5

MONSTER! (Digital Edition) 5:32

0:00/5:32
6

RawRot (Digital Edition) 7:40

0:00/7:40
7

DevilWhore (Digital Edition) 6:02

0:00/6:02
8

iAmInHuman (Digital Edition) 6:03

0:00/6:03
9

Black Eyes (Digital Edition) 6:07

0:00/6:07

vvurmzflessshhh publishing

VON - Dark Gods: Seven Billion Slaves (Open Edition) (Digital Album)

vVurMzflessshhh Publishing