Gehenna's 'Ancestor Of The Darkly Sky' though cryptic in title, is without doubt one of my most revered Black Metal records. As I don't intend to fill Black Metal Revolution with submissions written by myself (my piece on Burzum's 'Hvis Lyset Tar Oss' can be viewed here) I can live in hope that one of the 333 submissions that make the final publication will profile this melodious, yet odious benchmark Norwegian Black Metal EP.
I did however find inspiration to write a few words about it myself...
GEHENNA ‘Ancestor Of A Darkly Sky’
Country: Norway
Year Of Release: 1994
Label: Necromantic Gallery Productions
‘Ancestor…’ is five or so minutes of black metal supremacy. Two things radiate for me on this record. The keys are number one without question; jubilant and uplifting, completely overpowering the guitars but sounding so natural, they really carry these songs that I expect would have been listenable at best were it not for the strength of the synths. I also relish the vocals. Unlike many BM vocalists of the day, Sarabb’s delivery is raw and guttural, controlled and convincing, without appearing shrill and desperate. The Norwegian bands really knew how to write a song for the most part and unlike Emperor who improved exponentially from a demo band into their debut full length, Gehenna really nailed it here on this 7” and for me it was a magick they never realized beyond this release.
7” EPs of the early 90’s were not so hot in terms of quality. Thin vinyl prone to warping, the covers printed on undernourished stock, readily susceptible to wear, this was probably one of the earlier records to get the hand numbered treatment and it saddens me to say that I have played it so much that it is starting to sound worn. Spare no expense in pursuing this offering, I cite these songs as perfect.
I believe these tracks are to appear on the expansive vinyl offering that The Crypt have planned for later this year. For more info...
