Band:	Azrael
Album:	Obdurate / Unto Death
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	2008

01. Tenebrous Winds
02. Obdurate
03. Inhuman Scourge
04. Intro
05. Frozen In Death
06. Opening Of The Tomb
07. Unto Death
08. Chtonic Gurgling
09. Noise Ritual (Outro)

The Post-Apocalyptic Black Metallers Azrael have been around since 1999 and claim to be the first band that broke Black metal barriers. Well, that's a load of ____ as far as I am concerned, as the "rules" of Black metal have been broken more often than anyone could count. But still, their full-lengths have their unique touch to it so let's not write them off just for that.

"Obdurate / Unto Death" is not a new album, but a re-release of their first MCD and the third demo, in that order. As such it represents the probably hard-to-find roots of this Avant Garde Black metal band. So how where they, a mere seven years ago? Not very far. The first three songs, which are from the EP, are still quite ok. Actually they are pretty good, though very monotone. Probably not something I'll play very often. Still, the droning sadness is something I love and though it is not always as enveloping as I'd want it to be, these three songs are a good attempt and worthy of an MCD-release. Shame the drums sounds like bags of rice falling on the ground.

After that it is time for the songs of their earlier demo, the third one, titled "Unto Death" and it is immediately obvious that these songs are much older. The first track from the demo, for the first time with proper titles, is called "Frozen In Death" and is a very badly-executed, badly written song. For the most part all you hear are faint, boring drums and sharp, lame guitars. It reminds me of my own old "black metal songs": playing three or four power chords in groups of four, constantly repeating that, without having any clue on where to go with the song. And finger-tripping over the chords often, too. Playing perhaps there is more going on, but that is then buried because of the rotten production. The low grunts are still hellish though, and after a while it gets better and it even ends ok-ish. The rest the songs are not really atrocious, but nothing I would voluntarily listen to either.

This release of Azrael's older stuff shows their progression in one year, albeit in reversed chronological order, and in hindsight it is unbelievable that the band of today is the same band that released the "Unto Death". That knowledge gives me plenty of hope for the future, the boring bands of today could be the innovators of tomorrow. As you probably understood already, this is mostly interesting for die-hard fans of Azrael as either a collector’s item or a representation of the past.