THE KONSORTIUM-THE KONSORTIUM

Agonia Records
2011

Norwegian act The Konsortium got quite a bit of press with their 2008 demo. Not that black metal is anything new (especially in Norway of all places) but rather it was their take on the genre and their unique sense of style. Following up with a Split in 2010 ( with Satanochio) allowed the band to further test the waters and peak interest in their product. With suits in place of the usual black leather & spikes as well as Phantom style masks in place of white face paint the group (who go by numbers-Member 001 for example) plays avant-garde black metal. Pulling in technical thrash, hard rock and doom allows the band room to move freely. Mixed by Ashley Stubbert (Pearl Jam, The Walkabouts, The Supersuckers, Nashville Pussy, etc.) the album has more of a modern flair than the bulk of black metal flooding the market. Also having smooth vocals creates more of a contrast when the bleak shrills come into play. Again not that this is anything new it is simply that The Konsortium work well within it. Having musicians that can sing clean (really sing) over blast beats and droning guitars and sound this good is refreshing. Good debut.