Chronicles of Chaos Reviews

Arckanum - _Fran Marder_ (Necropolis Records, May 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)
Draped in mysticism and  darkness,  the  latest  release  by  Swedish primitive death metal outfit Arckanum is one of the  most  intriguing releases I have heard in some time,  due  in  part  to  the  skilful stylings of the album's music provided by  sole  musician  Shamaatae.
Their debut album for Necropolis Records,  _Fran  Marder_  (From  the Forest), is an
interesting look into the lifestyle of those that live for, respect, and worship the way of the wilderness and for  the  god Pan (God of the Forest). The music here is simple and
primitive death metal with screams and heavy  clusters  of  guitar  bursts  but  when
enhanced by the sounds of nature and sung in old Swedish dialect,  it makes  for  a  rather  dynamic  combination  that  sheds  light  on Shamaatae's creativity and his passion for his work. Hard to deciphe the names of several tracks (as they are written in ancient  Swedish) but worthy and enjoyable listens are "Hbila  Pa  Tronen  Min",  title track, "Sbinna", and "Gaba Fran Trulen".  After  listening  to  _Fran Mader_, my thousands of hours playing Dungeons &  Dragons  as  a  7th  Level Druid character seems lifeless  and  uninspired,  the  complete opposite of the realism and  authenticity  Shamaatae  reveals  to  us about his experiences "in the woods."



Arckanum - _Kampen_  (Necropolis, May 1998)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (2 out of 10)
When I come across someone who hates  black  metal,  I  wonder  which
bands the individual came across that would  cause  such  an  extreme
sentiment towards this particular sub-genre of metal. Arckanum  could
very well be forming deep seeded hatred for black metal in people all
around the world as I write this. All I hear  on  _Kampen_  is  badly
written/recorded music, with vocals equally as bad. Also thrown  into
the mix are various nature sounds (like birds chirping, for example),
a total gimmick so you can tell Arckanum apart from the other  clowns
who play similar shit. The biggest kick to the balls for me  was  the
70+ minutes I had to endure while reviewing this. Arckanum's debut CD
_Fran Marder_ showed some promise, so I'm forced to ask myself  "what
happened?" And I'm sure that later it'll be pointed out  to  me  that
Arckanum play "true" black metal. The only thing "true" about this is
that people will go out and  buy  this,  no  matter  how  many  times
they've been warned. Yes indeed, sad but true.
(Avon would like to take this opportunity to say 'Adam Wasylyk, fuck off!')


Arckanum-_Kostogher_ (Necropolis, 1998)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (9 out of 10)
It seems quite fitting that I'm writing this shortly  after  watching everything in sight get viciously pelted with 
hailstones  almost  as big as baseballs. (That is no exaggeration!) For like the unrelenting hailstorm which I just witnessed, the music of one-man  forest  metal batallion Shamaatae just bombards you with a  barrage  of 
atmosphere and aggression, fueled by nature's harsh, primal vibe. Like the debutCD _Fran Marder_, this is straight-ahead, aggressive black metal with an expansive guitar sound, catchy vocal  phrasings,  great  drumming,
and heavy forest atmospheres. Ambience is built up not  only  through the tasteful use of nocturnal  wilderness  sound  effects,  but  also through distortion-dripping guitar  tones  which  somehow  manage  to sound loud, clear, and faraway all at once -  like  an  earth-shaking roar, hearfrom over the horizon and through the  trees.  Turned  up loud, Arckanum has a thick, enveloping sound which  benefits  from  a good, live-sounding mix. Thankfully free  of  more  mainstream  metal influences, this is unswerving aggressive black metal with underlying  catchiness and surprising power  and  weight.  There's  also  a  good number of varied embellishments to the core sound. Shamaatae's  voice is pushed to its limit,  and  perhaps  even  beyond  it,  in  places. Chanting, uncaring female vocals are used sparingly  but  well  on  a number of tracks, as is a violin. Or maybe it's a cello, or a  viola. Hell, I don't know. (I also don't know what the laughable  screeching which opens the first instrumental track  is  doing  there.)  Anyway,even with the occasional weak spot, _Kostogher_ really succeeds  when regarded as it was clearly meant to be regarded: as  an  album-length synthesis of creativity and true blackened harshness.

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