Those of the Unlight in Bloomington, MN

In the 21st century, it is not uncommon for one of the harsher
black metal
bands to boast that "no keyboards were used on this album." That is their way of bragging that they consider themselves
purists and are distancing themselves from the more musical and melodic bands that comprise the
symphonic
school of
. But when
Marduk
recorded
Those of the Unlight
back in 1993,
wasn't as diverse as it would later become; therefore, the more abrasive and brutish black metallers didn't feel a need to tell you what set them apart from keyboards-loving black metallers. And the word "brutish" definitely describes
, which maintains the spirit of rawness that characterized its predecessor,
Dark Endless
. Granted,
isn't as extreme as the amelodic
grindcore
bands that were raising hell in the late '80s and early '90s -- the tunes on this 1993 recording, unlike the
material of
death metal
's lunatic fringe, have actual song structures -- but at the same time, no one will mistake this album for
. It's too rough and tumble; too jagged, too primal.
is also mildly uneven; it isn't as consistent as some of the
albums that came later. 2005's
Plague Angel
on
Candlelight
, for example, is actually a stronger, more consistent effort than
. Nonetheless, this album has a lot going for it despite its imperfections. ~ Alex Henderson