Through a veil of lo-fi production, the undeniable ring of Departure Chandelier's riffs speaks like dusty legends exhumed from the crypts of the past. The tyrannical spirit of Napoleon is conjured in every song, to some degree, giving Antichrist Rise to Power a unique vision that drives an equally unique and memorable album.
Songs like "Forever Faithful to the Emperor" evoke the gallop of proud war horses, carrying their riders on to glory. "A Sacrifice to the Corsica Antichrist" also brings to mind the golden light of an imperialist dream. Such resplendent visions are made ever more palpable through the knife-sharp implementing of keyboard, which, rather than make songs cheesy or laughable, infuse a heightened drama and ethos into the overall primitive instrumentation.
When Antichrist Rise to Power is not revelling in the majesty of historic victories, "Life Escaping Through the Candle's Smoke" and "Re-Establish the Black Rule of France" carry a sombre, tragic air to them, offsetting the triumph with equal mourning.
Antichrist Rise to Power is a revelation of the power that raw black metal is capable of conjuring. It's that lack of polish that makes Departure Chandelier's music seem that much more steeped in a time long past. There is a sense of rejuvenation to be had here, too, as yet another fascinating inspirational bedrock (Napoleonic history) offers a variation from depression or Satanic esotericism, and fittingly informs the music to make it equally off kilter and absolutely fantastic.
(Nuclear War Now!)Songs like "Forever Faithful to the Emperor" evoke the gallop of proud war horses, carrying their riders on to glory. "A Sacrifice to the Corsica Antichrist" also brings to mind the golden light of an imperialist dream. Such resplendent visions are made ever more palpable through the knife-sharp implementing of keyboard, which, rather than make songs cheesy or laughable, infuse a heightened drama and ethos into the overall primitive instrumentation.
When Antichrist Rise to Power is not revelling in the majesty of historic victories, "Life Escaping Through the Candle's Smoke" and "Re-Establish the Black Rule of France" carry a sombre, tragic air to them, offsetting the triumph with equal mourning.
Antichrist Rise to Power is a revelation of the power that raw black metal is capable of conjuring. It's that lack of polish that makes Departure Chandelier's music seem that much more steeped in a time long past. There is a sense of rejuvenation to be had here, too, as yet another fascinating inspirational bedrock (Napoleonic history) offers a variation from depression or Satanic esotericism, and fittingly informs the music to make it equally off kilter and absolutely fantastic.
