Sulphur - Cursed Madness
Osmose

file under Black metal

Menno: The French extreme label Osmose Productions' latest infant is called Sulphur. Once started in the late nineties from the ashes of Taakeriket, the band recorded a demo, played a few gigs (with Hole in the Sky 2001 as a highlight) and, surprisingly, called it quits. The best way for an underground band to remain underground, one would say.

The truth is that Sulphur wasn't aiming for the underground at all. The band was revived in 2005, a new demo was recorded and they even managed to get a deal with Osmose. All this results in 'Cursed Madness', their first full-length. The first impression I get is the well-chosen mix of death and black metal which the band (with former Enslaved and Taake members) fires at the listener. Sulphur doesn't just take the clichés from both genres but weaves them in a brutal and melodic mix. Since the band hails from Bergen, they've had the possibility to record 'Cursed Madness' in one of the leading metal studio's and Bjornar E. Nilsen has given the record a brilliant mix. All the songs are well-composed and the record as a whole never tends to get boring. A comparable band is Behemoth, but Sulphur is far from a clone. I'm pleasantly surprised and curious about how far these guys are going to get.


Rating: 75/100 (details)

http://www.osmoseproductions.com

__________________