Rating: 9.4

Country: Sweden

Release Date:1992/2005

Record Label: Cyclone Empire

Track list:
1. Until Death Do Us Part
2. Hippies Triumph
3. Destruction Of The Void
4. Let The Dead Bury The Dead
5. Northern Lights
6. Leaving The Warzone
7. Angel Of Death
8. The Final Journey
9. No One’s Hero
10. Europa
11. Point Of Youth
12. Sworn To Fun

Band Website: Count Raven

Count Raven - Destruction of the Void (Reissue)

Dan Fondelius- Guitars/Vocals/Keyboards
Christer “Renfield” Patterson- Drums
Tommy “Wilbur” Eriksson- Bass

Having parted ways with the legendary Christian Linderson (whom Fondelius described as an enfants terribles who made Count Raven's touring future very dubious indeed, fucking up the band's chemistry, though I shan't speculate further), Count Raven strode forward undeterred, Dan Fondelius volunteering his strikingly similar, equally Ozzy-esque strains to this, the unquestionable masterpiece in the Count Raven pantheon.

Still very Sabbath-esque in execution, still bearing slight resemblances to countrymen Candlemass (being somewhat of a more digestible and less dramatic version of the Candlemass template), particularly in the vastness of the production and apocalyptic, unyielding wall-of-guitar approach to melancholy doom, 'Destruction Of The Void' is certainly the sensible continuation of the ideas germinated on 'Storm Warning', though the songs truly are more enduring, offering spectacularly memorable hooks that etch themselves into your consciousness and haunt you following extended listening sessions. “Until Death Do Us Part” utilizes the sparse and unforgiving simplicity of 'Epicus Doomicus Metallicus', synthesizing a droning, blaring, outrageously thick guitar melody with equally oppressive rhythms issued forth from a HUGE sounding drum kit, really great stuff. “Hippie's Triumph”, meanwhile, is slightly more upbeat in feel, the production lending everything tremendous heft and depth (vocal production is perfect!!) and allowing the excellence of this band to come to the fore. The melody here is so goddamn infectious, it should be OUTLAWED. Reading the lyric booklet, it is evident that while Linderson, the band's main lyricist, has now departed, Fondelius' lyrical output is very much aligned to the approach of Christus, dealing with tangible, relatable urban issues as opposed to the esoteric spiritual tangents explored by many fellow doom bands. Indeed, one could suggest similarities to Vitus in this aspect, “Killing Yourself To Live” etcetera.

Then there's “Destruction Of The Void”, very much the greatest song in Count Raven's extensive armory. Monstrously heavy yet boasting an ethereal weightlessness, I can't help but feel as though this is the song Starchild ripped off for an entire record (2004's stunning self-titled record, very much one of my favorites from that year). It's rather difficult to cohere in words just how majestic and immaculate this song really is, though it does very much smack of similarly atmospheric, esoteric Sabb pieces such as “National Acrobat”, “Megalomania” and “Wheels Of Confusion”. Yes, this truly suggests the spacier affairs penned by the greatest heavy band to ever walk the planet, and I genuinely do hold it in similarly high esteem.

“Let The Dead Bury The Dead” follows in FINE fashion, a maelstrom of flesh-shredding, carnivorous riffing, cascading into a GREAT instrumental section where Wilbur really comes into his own, breaking away from his typically straight playing to engage in some loose playing while Fondelius unleashes a terrific solo and Wilbur pounds away at his caskets. Minor gripe about “Northern Lights”, being an utterly expendable slab of keyboard wankery that does absolutely nothing for me or the record. “Leaving The Warzone” is excruciatingly bare bass and cymbals skeletal doom, a ghostly, phantasmal number that shifts between stomping stampede and despondent drudge, flaunting a far greater understanding of dynamics and texture than they could have hoped for on Storm Warning. “The Final Journey” HAS to be the most Sabbath-y track on this outing, Fondelius positively projecting the despairing desperation of Ozzy throughout, while “No One's Hero” breaks out into a quasi-speed metal frenzy periodically throughout the bluesy whimsy. The two tracks culled from the Indignus Famulus demo are very characteristic of the more ‘'rocking'' feeling that Count Raven strove to radiate on that particular recording, the band showcasing a swinging groove that wasn't always a Raven trademark. “Sworn To Fun” in particular is pretty quaint and unconventional, an off-balance number that utilizes a rather strange verse riff that swells into Saint-Vitus-meets-Celtic-Frost chorus and bridge sections. Very interesting, to say the least.

So yeah, this is very much Count Raven's masterpiece (though Rich Walker would state with assured confidence that 'High On Infinity' is his favorite on 'HOI''s liner notes), and considering the amount of care put into the remastering and repackaging of this doom monument, you would indeed be a great fool to pass up on this reissue. This is, without a doubt in my mind, the definitive Count Raven release, and required listening for all aspiring doom understudies.

February 23rd, 2006