Judas Iscariot - Heaven In Flames

Reissue / Judas Iscariot was born out of visions of war and hatred. Through the unity of wicked anti-Christian philosophy and elitist totalitarian ideology, Judas Iscariot has forged its own brand of sinister grim black metal.Once again, Judas Iscariot's sound and general direction changes somewhat when applied to the writing of a full-length record - just another turn in Akhenaten's slow evolution towards (or crystallization of) what he surely considers a 'pure' or 'true' sound. With each release, it seems, this band has evolved...but never in a really drastic manner, never in a fashion that would make Akhenaten lose his way. Going back and listening to these now makes it obvious to me just how he was working towards a sound that excapsulated and combined at least two different strains of black metal stylistics throughout this album there are several well-placed and eloquent segments of minor chord strumming and dissonant riffing (Akhenaten really is seeking to build on the legacy that Darkthrone and Burzum left behind with their use of dissonance, and he puts those ideas to good use in reating 'alienating' melodies) that create an ominous, despair-cursed, almost sickened atmosphere...as if the music, flowing forth from a jaded, suicidal soul, carries within it a species of contagion...truly some of Judas Iscariot's darkest riffs are on this record, and the way that the main melodies in the songs are written, chained together in marching, short-step rhythms, makes them blend perfectly into the keyboard tones...all of this, working together, creates some extremely compelling and imaginative soundscapes, atmospheres to lose yourself in...