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I have to admit that I was a more than a little skeptical when I heard that Shagrath and King (of Dimmu Borgir and Gorgoroth) had formed a new Black Metal project. I have never really been a fan of either band as far as Black Metal goes but I decided to give it a listen and I’m glad I did but it’s a nice middle ground between the epic sound of Dimmu Borgir and the rawness of Gorgoroth, and that is surprisingly excellent to listen to.
“Acts of Sin” is easily one of this album’s highlights. It’s riddled with twists and turns and half-developed ideas that certainly bring to mind King Diamond’s prowess. “Devils’ Harlot” is much the same in that respect but it has a much more militant march to its grinding sound. “Ghosting” is a bit more grand in scale (you might even call it an epic as far as extreme music goes) and Shagrath’s vocal is absolutely insane. This song is unquestionably my favorite vocal performances of anything in his well-respected catalog. The song sounds like a cold twisted treat of Dissection and Khold mixed together. Another highlight is “Hill Norge” which is a bit more raw than the rest of the album but lends some dynamics to the record.
Overall this is a solid album with some great moments. I still have a hard time getting past the goofy outfits and the constant satan speak but there is simply no denying the musical prowess of Ov Hell here.
Bottom Line: The main thing I love about The Underworld Regime is that it’s not rawly produced like most of the Gorgoroth catalog and it leaves the Scooby Doo haunted house keyboards that Dimmu Borgir so boldly embrace out of the mix as well- the result is tight,
Reviewed by: Mark Fisher
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