Anyone like them?
A couple reviews:
Reviews for Sear Bliss's Glory and Perdition
Glorious - 100%
Written by Baletempest on February 3rd, 2005
Sear Bliss remain somewhat an oddball Black Metal band in both their status and their sound, still a somewhat underground band but never accepted as "Kvlt" or any of that nonsence bullshit.
Musicwise Sear Bliss have mixed a raging, raw Black Metal base with almost ambient keyboards and a brass (yes I mean trombones) section. Guitars vary a lot, most of the time they are raw, high velocity riffs as you might expect from most Black Metal bands, occassionally they lapse into more melodious territories but only to enhance the atmosphere on offer. There are a couple of passages in the album that are actually quite doomy and slow, harking back to their second album (The Haunting), which are mostly to allow the keyboards to come more into the foreground. Bass work is mostly towards the lower notes but does not always follow the guitars, indeed in the two instrumentals there are no guitars at all, just keys, a tiny amount of drums and atmospheric bass work, some of the best ever encountered in the Black Metal genre. Drumming lapses between blastbeats, complex fills and breaks and a slower gloomier style, always sounding exactly right for the rest of the music but never remaining as just the bare minimum. Vocals are kept to a rasping tongue, rough but clear enough to make out most of the lyrics without the insert. This time however Attila Csihar adds guest vocals on a couple of tracks, providing as flawless a performance as he did on Aborym's With No Human Intervention with some deep, ominous drones and truely demonic shreiks and howls adding an extra level of intensity to the fastest parts of these two songs.
Of course Atmosphere is the main function of Sear Bliss, creating haunting starscapes or images of deep forests at twilight. The main vessel for this is of course the keys, which stick to a slower pace and often a single layer. There are some good piano parts to be found in Blood Seranade as well and the odd string part but aside from this the main voice is a light, ambient sound which is quite high in the mix but is simply to soft to actually detract from the guitars. Then along comes the brass section, this has to be Sear Bliss' most unique aspect and it works wonderfully, adding a more traditional feel to the songs and giving them an extra, majestic feel. Mostly the tuba and baritone stay toward the lower end of the mix but the trombone often leads in a few sections but never for very long.
Dynamic, creative, refreshing and a perfection of the formula Sear Bliss have been working on for 10 years, Glory and Perdition is superb in every aspect of musicianship and atmosphere and is should cement Sear Bliss as one of the most unique Black Metal bands of all time. If you hate keys and slower sections then avoid this, everyone else who's even remotely interested in dark atmospheric and unique music should give this disc a try. Exquisite.
Stand out Tracks: Birth of Eternity, Night Journey, Blood Serenade
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Black Metal album of the year - 95%
Written by krozza on October 6th, 2004
It hasn’t been a big year for Black Metal. That’s what I think anyway. Aside from releases from Norway’s Khold and 1349, there hasn’t really been anything else to get overly excited about. No doubt, the pending Dark Throne masterpiece will put a fair dent in that opinion. As I write, the new Cradle of Filth sits beside me also - maybe that will surprise. As much as I look forward to blather on about those two discs, both will need to be on their game to match this outstanding piece of darkness from Hungary’s Sear Bliss.
Formed in 1993, ‘Glory and Perdition’ is Sear Bliss’ sixth release (five full lengths and an ep). Read again – SIXTH!! Yet, despite their almost veteran status, they still remain a rather ‘kvlt’ underground act. Whilst the Norwegian / Swedish Black Metal mafia has been receiving hype and publicity over the past decade, Sear Bliss has always been there in the background doing their own thing. And this is the perplexing thing about Sear Bliss’ profile – their style and material has always been ‘original’ in sound, and far more superior that many paint-by-numbers Euro Black Metal acts, yet they’ve never been able to establish a growing audience. ‘Glory and Perdition’ should change that.
Signed to the mighty underground label Red Stream (who know their shit folks!), Sear Bliss has delivered what is possibly their strongest and most cohesive album yet. As good as their last two albums were (Forsaken Symphony and Grand Destiny), I am a massive fan of 1997’s ‘The Haunting’. This was the album the put Sear Bliss on the map for me. Playing an epic, atmospheric Black Metal style, their sound was punctuated by ‘Brass’ instruments – namely Trombone and Trumpet. The results were breathtaking and original. I was floored - I have held this band in high regard ever since.
With ‘Glory…’ Sear Bliss has once again maintained the ‘Brass’ elements in their sound. It is a signature component of their sound – believe me, you won’t hear anything like this from any other band. Furthermore, their music continues to develop and grow, always offering up something a little different to what their contemporaries put forth. Sear Bliss has always been able to find a tremendous balance in their music. Their ability to deliver a raw, harsh blast beat style amid mid tempo segments and grandiose keyboard elements is truly outstanding. You want examples – try the ferocious ‘Night Journey’ and then listen to the brooding darkness of ‘Blood Serenade’ (a truly colossal epic monster!!) As a result, the music is always varied and never one paced or lacking in ideas. The guitar work of Csaba Csejtei and Istvan Neubrandt must be commended here also – their riffs are inventive and interesting, whilst their lead work dramatically accentuates the ‘epic’ quality of the bands sound. The production of Viktor Sheer is phenomenal – the bands harsh black guitar sound cutting through in fine style, whilst the trombones are placed prominently within the mix without ever becoming overbearing. There are so many layers working in unison on this – the result is one extremely powerful sound.
For fans of epic black metal with a simply grand and uplifting feel, Glory and Perdition is essential. Without question, for me it is the haunting brass elements of this band that gets me every time. However, I must admit that I’ve never taken as much notice of vocalist Andras Nagy as much as I have with this album. His style has always been utterly harsh and ‘grim’ laden (and affected by language barriers) but on ‘Glory..’ his performance is more dynamic and littered with more personable vocal inflections.
With some truly stunning artwork and accompanying booklet, Red Steam has once again outdone themselves in terms of presentation. Hopefully, some extra promotional effort will be afforded to Sear Bliss so that the punters can get to hear this band. Sear Bliss remains one of the last undiscovered Black Metal gems in Europe. As quality exponents of a truly uplifting epic black metal sound, their whole catalogue is a bomb. Get everything they’ve done; Get ‘Glory and Perdition’.
