This is the album that was supposedly released by Morphine Records, before they went into 'kick the band off the label' frenzy. Consisting of 9 songs, including 3 previously released songs on Northern Lights - "Inmost Fear", "Thoughts" and "Mercy Lord" alongside 6 other new songs, including my current favorite, a beautifully composed "Depressed" a slow and haunting song full of piano parts. On this pre-release, you will hear the old Antestor in action. Unlike the new Antestor style that uses only black metal vocals, Martyrium uses chant-like singing, spoken voice, growls and the black metal vocals. Musically it incorporates doom and death together with black metal making it so heavenly. Martyrium blows the new album The Return of the Black Death to shreds, I tell ya. This one completely rules! Hands or pants down.
From the opening doom/black "Spiritual Disease" to the instrumental title track "Martyrium" you can see the ingenuity of Antestor at work. "Spiritual Disease" open with the shrill sound of their guitars, the slow doom style and the low growl that is so unearthly. It slowly quickens and as it does, shriek styled vocals are used to capture the feel, but never does it go so fast that it loses the doom feeling to it. "Materialistic Lie" quickly takes over the pace that "Spiritual Disease" left off, but this time with more black influences than the doom/death influence. The growls vocals alternate with the piercing shrieks making it really great. "Depressed" my favorite song right now from Antestor. An emotional piano piece opens. The song title really suits the song to a T. It conveys such melancholic and sad feeling. Antestor uses singing together with slightly throaty screeches to bring out the essence of this song. From "Searching" to "Inmost Fear" that was previously released on Northern Lights. They continue to show their mastery of fusing black with doom and death.
"Under The Sun" begins the other side of the cassette, consisting of some really weird chant-like singing in the middle, a union of mostly black and goth influences. This one is another of those great songs that are on this (pre-released) album that will captivate the listener's attention. "Thoughts" that follows was also previously released on Northern Lights, so most of the listeners will be familiar with the strong doom and sludge that is in the song. "Martyrium" the only instrumental so passionate and moving. It alternates between the quick pace and slow moving style. "Mercy Lord" the last song of the album is incidentally also released on Northern Lights previously. Great way to end the whole album. The goth/doom influence are so strong here. The enthralling female voice that sings the words that was previously done one growled death vocals is just blissful. There's no other song worthy to close this album except for this song which is also my favorite song off Northern Lights.
An album that will be one of the pinnacles of Christian metal scene. Too bad that this was never released. If you have a chance to get it. Grab it immediately, if you don't you will live to regret it.
9/10
Other coverage for this album
Dead Zine 2003Reviewed by FetusBe prepared to pee your wittle pants! It's a shame to say this is the only full length, 9 track LP from ANTESTOR. Yes, the majority of this LP is Christian black metal, but there is plenty of Doom/Death mixed throughout. Unlike many black bands that use only high pitched vocals there are plenty of low deathy vocals here, with some songs focusing almost solely on death vox. Unfortunately this was…Dead Zine 2003Reviewed by ScumWhat is it about northern Europe? Is it something in the water? From Norway comes a band that goes by the name Antestor, and I have gotten my hands on a pre-release of their first full length album. For those of you who are familiar with the Norwegian metal sound you already know about the way bands from this region delicately blend harmonic guitars in with crushing death fury. The guitars on…Dead Zine 2003Reviewed by NecRoSarX...and this is why I got into metal in the first place. Martyrium is such a big steamy slab of METAL, dripping with death metal juices, smothered in a frigid black metal gravy. There is a reason why Antestor was named one of the most brutal black metal bands in Pit magazine, keeping in mind that Pit deals with some of the most brutal unholy secular death and black metal bands out there. That says…Dead Zine 2003Reviewed by sesspoolAHHHH! This is what black metal was wanting to be when it existed in someone's mind... so long ago. This is by far the best black metal album I've ever heard in my life. From the piercing calm of some material... to the thundering emotion of other areas... Very good clean vocals... fantastic music and song structure... I can listen to this album 4 times in a row and not be tired of it. Lyrically,…Dead Zine 2003Reviewed by WoodensoulOne of the greatest doom/black metal albums has finally arrived!! It has been a few years in the waiting, but Martyrium finally was released at this year's Cornerstone festival. As soon as the merchandise table for Antestor was set up I rushed in and bought this cd, because I knew after their performance everybody would want one. Now this album is very different from Return of the Black Death,…Dead Zine 2003Reviewed by undeadMetal fans beware! Along with Extol's Undeceived, Antestor has released the best album of the year. This is an amazing blend of doom and sadness. For those of you as taken with Return of the Black Death as I am, this album may come as a little shock. Antestor sounds like two different bands as their transisted between doom and black metal between albums. But this is such an amazing switch. Both…Dead Zine 2003Reviewed by SORGThis is a remarkable cd for many reasons. Although this is just now seeing the light of day on Endtime Productions (it was released illegally on cassette a couple years back) this second release from Antestor is actually their first release as it was recorded BEFORE their Cacophonous records debut Return of the Black Death, not only was it recorded before tRotBD it was recorded all the way back…HM Magazine #90Reviewed by Jamie Lee RakeTime for a history lesson, y'all. Before everyone's fave corpse-painted godly Swedish deathmetalurgists Antestor tore it up a couple years back with their Scandinavian-folk-melodies-incorporating Return of the Black Death, they recorded a set of more traditionally deathly fare. Only, back in '95 when they recorded it, they didn't call it mere death metal. No, to mourn the Satanism so rife in…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Chris KingI was pretty excited to get Antestor's album Martyrium in the mail. Having heard that they play a form of black metal, and enjoying my recent exposure to that genre and its influences on metal bands, I really wanted to hear what Antestor had to offer. The only release of this album is a pre-release cassette from Morphine Records. The full release on CD never came about, and quantities are very…Similar sounding releases
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