### Watain: Casus Luciferi

#### 21/04/08 || theProphet

Watain made “Sworn to the Dark” in 2007, making them one of the hottest bands of that year and doubtless winning them legions of new fans. I was one of these, I had heard their name a couple of time, but just dismissed them as a band I would never have the time to look up. Well, said album made the band take a huge leap towards the top of my bands-to-look-up heap, and now I find myself in a place where time flows backwards. Let me explain.

As you will soon notice, in this review, Watain’s 2003 release “Casus Luciferi” gets compared to its follow-up more than once. If you think I am unorthodox for using a later album as a reference (normally the older material should judge the newer and not the other way around) it is partly because I heard “Sworn to the Dark” first, and also because I think that more of you are familiar with that album. What I am exercising here is mere costumer service, dammit! Anyways, some of you might find it unfair of me to not judge “Casus Luciferi” on its own merits. Well, I find it unfair that I will never, ever have a chance to listen to this unbiased.

And with these words I continue onto the actual review…

The songwriting on “Casus…” leaves you without complaints, the songs are fast, melodic, brutal and utterly dark. The riff structures are ambitious and all instruments are handled with commendable skill. Highlights include, opener “Devil’s Blood” which sounds very much like something from “Sworn to the Dark”. Other great tracks are the majestic “I Am the Earth” and the furious “From the Pulpits of Abomination”. Come to think of it, most of the songs here could probably be put on “Sworn to the Dark” without anybody noticing, explain to me why this album isn’t just as good then.

“Casus Luciferi” is also endowed with a great production, which sounds very much the same as it would later do on “Sworn to the Dark”. Also, the bass is easy to hear, for once on a black metal album something I owe to the fact that megalomaniac Erik Danielsson is the bassplayer…

Summing up, this album is not as good as…you guessed it “Sworn to the Dark”, the songs here are just not quite as good, yet similar. I guess you could say that the best song on “Casus Luciferi” would be like the fourth best song on “Sworn to the Dark”. Still, of course that doesn’t make this a remotely bad album. I am also confident in the fact that this album is a grower, much like, ehm, aforementioned album…

For now though, it gets:

7 gates of hell out of 10.

- Information
- Released: 2003
- Label: Drakkar Productions
- Website: www.templeofwatain.com
- Band
- E.: vocals, bass
- P.: guitars
- H.: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Devil’s Blood
- 02. Black Salvation
- 03. Opus Dei (The Morbid Angel)
- 04. Puzzles of Flesh
- 05. I Am the Earth
- 06. The Golden Horns of Darash
- 07. From the Pulpits of Abomination
- 08. Casus Luciferi (The Fall of Lucifer)