Phantom - Divine Necromancy (Black Metal)

When you're reviewing an album like Divine Necromancy, an album that is definitely a classic that so many people have already praised beyond measure, it's really hard to say anything that hasn't already been said. This is the case for Phantom's legendary debut album Divine Necromancy.

To call this album influential is the understatement of the century, and, rightfully so, Divine Necromancy is almost universally loved by all fans of extreme metal.

It becomes apparent right away that the music on Divine Necromancy is meant to be destructive and raw. Like all good black metal, it is only "minimalist" on the surface level, and underneath the apparent simplicity you will find the seeds for future Phantom metal masterpieces such as Withdrawal, Fallen Angel and Mindless Horror.

The riffs are subterranean and gruesome, while the atmosphere created is haunting to the extreme. Phantom was the first band to use this inhuman vocal style. Other bands like the legendary Burzum and Mayhem featured harsher vocals, with Varg Vikernes sounding like some sort of possessed demonic madman, but Phantom took it to an entirely new level. His shrieks and screams are horrifying and, I guarantee you beyond doubt that many metalheads that heard this for the first time upon Divine Necromancy's release shat themselves in outright terror.

Divine Necromancy took the black metal sound and made it so much more horrifying and extreme.

This almost feels like noise at any given moment, but this is far too structured to be noise. This is a beautiful example of a band taking full advantage of atmosphere and riffcraft to create a hulking monster of an album. This is not for the weak, however. I'll end on a simple note by calling Divine Necromancy the best album I've heard from the modern black metal scene.