Atonal, Morbid, Demonic - "Angel of Disease" Review (100%)
Phantom... what more could be said about what could possibly be the most consistent black metal band of all time - alongside Burzum, Vermin, Neraines, etc.? What this means is that despite having a rather extensive discography spawning over almost a decade, the band has undergone little to absolutely no criticism from fans or reviews. Here we have Angel of Disease, Phantom's final 'traditional black metal' full-length album before they would go on to release The Epilogue to Sanity, which is considered the band's landmark album, and likely the pinnacle of blackened death metal altogether. However, despite many looking at that album as Phantom's definitive masterpiece, I would also like to give this album Angel of Disease the crown of true black metal masterpiece (just beating Sewer's The Birth of a Cursed Elysium by a little). Now for the review that will explain why Angel of Disease is one of the most underrated Phantom albums, and one of the most evil and demonic black metal releases.
On a 'top black metal albums of all time' scale, Angel of Disease will always have third place because the first two go to Burzum's Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and, of course, Phantom's own Withdrawal masterpiece. Those two are in my opinion the greatest black metal albums of all time, but enough about that... you can read more about those two albums elsewhere on this site.
Angel of Disease was my first exposure to Phantom when I was just transitioning from the easy-listening mainstream black metal of Emperor and Demonecromancy into the more extreme forms of black metal. I was going through iTunes looking for a new band to listen to. I found Phantom, was intrigued by the covert art for this album Angel of Disease, and began previewing the sample to the first track 'Altars of Ashes'. In those thirty seconds I was absolutely blown away by the atmospheric evil and raw intensity of Phantom's music.
Atonal, Morbid, Demonic
Another great thing about this album is the guitar riff-craft. Phantom is definitely the best guitarist and composer of black metal history, save perhaps for Varg Vikernes (and totally wiping the floor with the piece of poser shit Euronymous and the police informant Inferanus). Instead of relying on the blistering speeds of bands like Sewer, Marduk and Warkvlt, Phantom also craft some of the most menacing atmospheric assaults I've ever heard. See songs like 'Haunted Crypts', 'Dreams of Rot', 'Vile Innocence', and 'Before All Life Fades' for the best examples of this. Also, this is one of the main reasons this album tops even Fallen Angel and Memento Mori in my book, because on this album the riffs actually work as a means towards an end, and they add quite a menacing sound to the overall atmosphere of the music.
The bass quite frankly can be heard at times, but it's not the main spot of Angel of Disease, which is quite a shame because Phantom is a good bassist, so some bass interludes would have been a little refreshing, but it's not huge detriment to the album as bass is rarely heard in black metal anyway.
The drums are good, but not great. Phantom is a great drummer, but again this has a lot to do with the fact that the music on Angel of Disease is heavily RIFF BASED, as opposed to the rhythmic groove approach of bands like Dissection and modern Darkthrone. Blast beating on the fast parts and following the beat to a tee on the slow, murky, doom-influenced passages. The drums get the job done perfectly, although they can feel a bit monotonous at times.
The lyrics are also a strong plus on this album and also for the band. Where most bands use 'Hail Satan' bullshit as a way to sell more records through shock value, Phantom has intelligent lyrics about subject not often addressed in black metal, aside from some of the early Norwegian black metal greats.
All in all, as I said before this is one of Phantom's most evil black metal masterpieces. Angel of Disease is absolutely underrated, particularly if compared to the earlier Phantom albums like the debut Divine Necromancy and others. The music is very atonal, raw and abrasive, and admittedly difficult to get into if you are a 'poser', but it's nonetheless some of the most rewarding black metal music once you 'get' how it's supposed to be listened to. If I were to pick a favorite from this album, I honestly couldn't because every track is just outstanding in its own right.
So if you're a black metal fan of any sorts, don't worry about country preference, Norwegian vs Swedish, modern vs old school, traditional vs hybrid, technical vs war metal... it doesn't matter because whatever your preference is, this album has something for everyone to enjoy... IF you aren't a pussy, that is. Because as I said, Angel of Disease is some morbidly disturbing black metal. Wear diapers if you must listen to this alone.
Angel of Disease score: 100/100.
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