Rating: 9.3

Country: Netherlands

Release Date: 2005

Track list:
1. My Sword Never Sleeps
2. Holocaust Of The God Believers
3. Het Woud Der Verdoemden
4. Clarion Call Of Destiny
5. Sogdian Rock
6. Rebel Stand
7. Black Crusade
8. Lof Der Gemaskerde
9. Columbine High Blues
10. Horror Of Harlot Hill
11. Black Metal Storm
12. Lage Landen
13. Messenger Of The U.W.

Band Website: Countess

Countess - Holocaust of the God Believers

Orlok - all

I am rather surprised that a Countess album released this quickly after last year's stunning 'Spawn Of Steel' + has turned out sounding quite as good as this- the last time Countess was this prolific, the results were, in my view, incredibly subpar (the 'Revenge Of The Horned One' saga). No shit of focus here- Orlok continues to flesh out the epic/traditional leanings first put forth on modern classic 'Heilig Vuur' and perfected on 'Spawn Of Steel', though the compositions perhaps are a tad less drawn-out than 'Spawn Of Steel', opting a slightly leaner approach that retains all the proud, sabre-hoisting stridency of the previous two pieces, harnessing and amalgamating a host of simple ideas to forge a product that is far more than the sum of its parts. The touchstones remain 'Blood Fire Death' Bathory, 'Apocalyptic Raids' Hellhammer and 'Into Glory Ride' Manowar, though those well-acquainted with Countess' unmistakable would tell you that such cosmetic comparisons are very tentative, and do little to truly describe a visionary who has been following his own muse since the momentous 'Return Of The Horned One'.

Describing Countess in superficial terms, identifying the fundamental components of their sound, is a rather simple exercise- simple, bludgeoning riffcraft (ala Quorthon and Thomas Gabriel Fischer), supple, supportive and thoughtful bass work, competent mechanized percussion, distorted/overdriven black metal shrieks that bear vague similarities to Quorthon on 'The Return', all accented by an assertively individual approach to wandering, intricate and exquisitely melodic twin leads, which waltz nimbly atop the proceedings, presenting an eloquent counterpoint to the more single-minded, primal chords beneath them. Choruses are insistent and anthemic, and it all comes off like a bizarro mutant cross-pollination of first wave black metal and throbbing US epic metal, infused with a defiant, irrepressible sense of martial pride that lends Countess a dimension that cannot be articulated simply via descriptive blurbs. At their very best, Countess transports you to a mythical plane of consciousness, that same haven of HEAVY that houses the hallways of 'Crystal Logic', 'Iron Maiden', 'Blood Fire Death', 'King Of The Dead', 'Battle Cry', 'Sign Of The Hammer' and the like, distilling the elusive zeitgeist of a hallowed age and propelling it into a bright new age.

I will not get into my typical garrulous analyses here, for describing this album as the logical continuation of ideas presented on 'Heilig Vuur' and 'Spawn Of Steel' (I actually think the album bears more of a resemblance to 'Heilig Vuur', strangely enough, it has a slightly more nefarious feel than the minutely more traditional-minded 'Spawn Of Steel') should suffice for seasoned Countess enthusiasts. The sound of Countess has not undergone any significant metamorphoses since 'Heilig Vuur', from an aesthetic OR a technical perspective, and really, if one were to slap the triumvirate on to a double CD set and put the collection on shuffle, a novice ear would have considerable difficulty determining which record each number is from. The album is perhaps a tad too long, a complaint that might also be lodged against 'Spawn Of Steel', and I do find “Horror Of Harlot Hill” (apparently an old nugget from 1993) a little bit cumbersome and ungainly, but one cannot help but commend the heights that Orlok reaches with seemingly rudimentary ingredients, a convincing sense of grandeur that has perhaps not been attained since mid-period Bathory. There is no dispute on my end that “Holocaust Of The God Believers” is one of the most BRILLIANT tracks in Countess' corpus of work thus far, either, it really is one of the most succinct summations of the sincerity, ingénue and sheer brilliance that has defined the latest phase in Orlok's career. Note also that the album closes with gonzo bravura- the swelling, burgeoning ritualistic war march of “Lage Landen” truly EXEMPLIFIES the Countess “less is more” aesthetic, and a great cover of “Messenger Of The Underworld” from the severely neglected Alastis debut illustrates a kinship that Countess shares with a band that operated under similar principles, to similarly wondrous effect.

At the end of the day, you either ‘'get'' Countess or you don't, and understanding Countess is coming to terms with the esoteric, immutable but intangible spirit of Heavy Metal. Countess make no attempts to disguise their agenda- each composition is a rousing and reverential hymn to this inexplicable and ineffable energy, Countess almost deifies it. With Countess, as with a sparse handful of bands before them, this spirit is crystallized and presented in unadulterated form, unobscured by dishonesty or artifice. If you really love heavy metal, you will no doubt fall in love with this record (and I do urge you to buy the two albums before it). If you don't, well, I pity you.

August 9th, 2006