Rating: 8.9

Country: Sweden

Release Date:1992/2005

Track list:
1. Jen
2. Children’s Holocaust
3. In Honour
4. The Madman From Waco
5. Masters Of All Evil
6. Ode To Rebecca
7. High On Infinity
8. An Ordinary Loser
9. Traitor
10. The Dance
11. The Coming
12. Lost World
13. Cosmos
Chritte’s Triumph (Christian Linderson singing “Hippie’s Triumph”)

Band Website: Count Raven

Count Raven - High On Infnity (Reissue)

Dan Fondelius- Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Christer Petersson- Drums
Tommy “Wilbur” Eriksson- Bass

You can really sketch and observe a linear progression going through each of the first three Count Raven records. While the ubiquitous, unmistakable spirit of Sabbath continued to hover ominously over everything Fondelius put his name to, with each successive record Count Raven successfully superimposed more and more of their own personality on to a distinctive Sabbath Mark I foundation. Of course, this isn't to suggest that the Raven were ever a unique musical entity with an assertive sonic identity, for they never escaped the looming, leering presence of their foremost forefathers, but if 'Storm Warning' is Count Raven's doomiest record, and 'Destruction Of The Void' is their most consistently excellent, definitively representative platter, then 'High On Infinity' is unquestionably their most individualistic effort. Overflowing with vision and confidence that brazenly spits on the face of those who would peg Raven as little more than derivative, plagiaristic hacks, 'High On Infinity' thankfully has plenty of convincing songcraft to show for its gung-ho daring and intelligent arrangements.

Opener “Jen” ANNOUNCES itself with a salvo of pulsating, throbbing double bass, a lumbering, steamrolling jackhammer PULSE that is almost Bolt Thrower in balls-out HEAVINESS. Droning, blaring guitars slither ominously around the thunderous eruptions issued forth from Renfield before Fondelius' distinctive wail bleeds and spills all over the proceedings. DEAR BELIAL THIS IS FUKKING HEAVY! Somehow, the song manages to milk the same chord progression and vocal melody for an entire 6 minutes (providing brief reprieve with the chorus) without sounding tedious AT ALL. A remarkable achievement, I would say! “Children's Holocaust”, meanwhile, opens with dramatic, tearstained vocals and a mournful guitar figure before EXPLODING out the subwoofer with an amped-up interpretation of that same melancholy melody, Fondelius summoning forth all the vitriol and conviction he has latent in his body to nail one of the most convincing vocal takes to be featured on a Count Raven record. 02:30 in and we're greeted with a swirling vortex of AWESOMENESS, a depthless chasm of churning riffing that sucks up any reservations against headbanging and catalyzes your metamorphosis into blabbering, drooling METALHEAD. “In Honour” is lurching, skulking doom of the highest order, accented by a strange descending guitar melody following the Sabbathine plod, as well as exceptionally literate lead work.

And the awesomeness continues! “Masters Of All Evil” brings in the keys that Raven had flirted with on previous efforts, and once again utilizes them to stunning effect, providing a gentle yet nefarious counterpoint to the mind-meltingly HEFTY drone of the guitars. Again, Raven exhibit their understanding of space and atmospherics- this is a band at the zenith of their creative prowess. Just when one is lulled into a state of hypnosis and complacency, the band drift into a NECKSNAPPING bridge 03:45 through that shifts seamlessly into blissful, dreamy, synth-bolstered ethereality and, again, an excellent solo. “High On Infinity” shifts gears into overdrive and turns on the RAWK that was so prevalent on their pre-'Storm Warning' demos, a fierce backbeat, loose groove and bluesy chorus riff tugging at your head. “The Coming” and “Traitor” have less of an immediate impact, the former proving slightly tiresome in its repetitiousness, the latter showing far less imagination than we have witnessed from the band to this point.

It takes the spectral, foreboding strangeness of “The Cosmos” to revive the record. Effectively Raven's highly odd, atmospheric take on, say, “Solitude” or the first half of “Megalomania”, this is an exceptionally sparse track that couples Fondelius' distant, spacey vocal with a wash of ambient synths (imagine Nocturnus with the death metal taken out, haha), digital samples and what appears to be really schlocky Kenny G-esque saxophone. It all sounds so LUDICROUS, but the track actually works….in my opinion, at least. I do wish that the band indulged in such mad wizardry more often, wonder what would've happened!

Of course, the thing that absolutely WARRANTS the purchase of the record for all Raven fanatics is the bonus track, “Chritte's Triumph” (title should be pretty self-evident, it's Christian Lindersson's take on one of Raven's finest moments to date, “Hippies Triumph”). While I feel as though Fondelius' version is slightly superior (due in part, I think, to the fact that Linderson sustains the final syllable of every verse for far longer than I would like), it never hurts to have a fantastic slab of DOOM sung by one of the most overlooked vocalists in ‘90s and beyond heavy rock. I would certainly say this is the last Raven record you absolutely NEED in your collection, for their fourth slab 'Messiah Of Confusion' is, for the most part, incredibly bland and uncharacteristically uninspiring. Absolute class, this is!

March 15th, 2006