Band: Ov Hell
Title: The Underworld Regime
Label: Indie Recordings
Distribution: Suburban - Bertus
Release date: 05/02/2010
Review: CD

After the sad history about Gorgoroth’s name dispute (which I’m not going to repeat), Gaahl (formerly also in e.g. Gaahlskagg, Trelldom and Sigfader) and King Ov Hell (also in Audrey Horne, I, Sahg and Jotunspor) started the project God Seed. Unfortunately, Gaahl decided to quit the Metal worlds (when will he return?), so King Ov Hell decided to continue under a new moniker, Ov Hell. And indeed, Ov Hell is God Seed, yet with ‘new’ lyrics. The latter have been done by Shagrath, known from bands as Dimmu Borgir, Starkness or Chrome Division, to name but a few, who also takes care of the vocals.
For the recording of this album, the duo worked with one of Norway’s best known Black Metal drummers, Frost (Satyricon, 1349, Zyklon-B, Gorgoroth, Gehenna, Keep Of Kalessin), and guitar players Teloch (Umoral, Condenado, 1349, NunFuckRitual, Nidingr etc) and Ice Dale (Malignant Eternal, Enslaved, Audrey Horne, I, Octavia a.o.). And the result: simply defined as ‘!!!’!
The Underworld Regime is a splendid realisation! This album is a moonlit, grim master piece of Nordic Black Art, unpolished and raw, and undeniable comparable to Gorgoroth (at least the last recordings). No, Dimmu Borgir have nothing to do with it; the whole is closer related to, let’s say, a band as Khold or Immortal, for example – no bombastic orchestrations, no symphonic additions, but post-industrialised filthiness in sound and approach. And what’s more, Ov Hell is both ‘original’ (read: the duo performs with an own vision) and superior. Every single track is of an excellent quality, the one even stronger than the other. Also the tempo varies a lot. Some hymns are slow and pounding, others are unstoppably brutal and abysmal, and all of them can be labelled as ‘underground supremacy’. Damn, what a qualitative compositions, and hat a superior craftsmanship!
I don’t think it’s a surplus to describe every single track, but I can assure you: The Underground Regime will certainly be one of Norway’s Black metal highlights from 2010!
Superb!
Only minor element: the album only lasts for thirty six minutes – a pity!

95/100

Ivan Tibos.