helterskelter.ca

CEMETARY
1994 - Black Vanity.
1996 - Sundown.
1997 - Last Confessions.
way more Helter Skelter.

September 1994 - 2024: 30 years of: Black Vanity.

From depressed death to suave darkness.

Mutating from 1993's Godless Beauty CD, Sweden's CEMETARY are now slowing down and infusing British gothmetal into the mix. Watching yourself through the looking glass, this black vanity is a modern morbid tale.

Rock / metal crushes with the opener "Bitter Seed" and "Ebony Rain" ...a melancholic voyage deep into one's mind. A strong essence fills the room as "Black Flowers Of Passion" freely burns. The macabre "Hunger Of The Innocent" is filled with type o negative blood while the lite rock of "Scarecrow" and doomy riffing of "Last Departure / Serpentine Parade" swings to a dim beat.

Melodicmetal, a marginalized counterculture from the usual Scandinavian deathmetal pistons. Gear up, as more dreamy melodies and ethereal landscapes shall spring 1996's Sundown CD.

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Sweet Tragedy = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSMypYCHvRA
Black Vanity = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtRWmKwqkrk&list=PLSparcg3rR4fhcXRz6yZx0UtJGoNtAjNy
Live in The Netherlands in 1995
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtxvpomNbZk

February 27, 1996 - 2026: 30 years of: Sundown.

More dark alchemy.

Solidifying the pace with 1994's Black Vanity CD, Sweden's poison now expands. On the other side of extreme-metal is where melodic-doom lurks under the surface. Past beyond the gothic grave ...we find CEMETARY.

A rock vibe shakes "Elysia" into alternate territories. The fine crushing melodicmetal "Last Transmission" ain't no communication breakdown, as the pressure continues on the somber rock / metal of "Closer To The Pain" and "Ophidian".

The clever off-beats of "Morningstar" and "Primal" dances on the fine line between hot and cold blood-pulse, while the eternal sadness of the piano-led "Sundown" title-track bathes into a lake of tears.

Under the black mark, the fully lit scene was finally getting a blaze from the shades of darkmetal. Still at the crossroads, CEMETARY shall hail more tragic serenades with 1997's Last Confessions CD.

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Sundown = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugxrqN87pRQ&list=PLkdbdS2jZgiRuxI2uzdVmeYdQ0SsfZTjj

March 25, 1997 - 2022: 25 years of: Last Confessions.

Dark melodic-rock.

After incorporating altrock on 1996's Sundown CD, this trek now brings CEMETARY into melodic-rock territory.

The fast-paced down-picking "Forever" is hip Eurometal with cold overtones, while the sitar-like intro of "1213 - Trancegalactica" sets an oriental mood that is rapidly swallowed in molten rock-metal. Shades of blackness appears on "So Sad Your Sorrow" and "Fields Of Fire", while the intricate dramatic underground melodies of "Twin Reactor" could have been considered for radio-airplay.

Just like England's giant PARADISE LOST, they now have fully completed the crossover from death to delight. Similar to fine wine, singer / guitarist Mathias Lodmalm, the band's sole creative force has grown into a melodicmetal / darkrock juggernaut.

Sadly this release would be CEMETARY's last melodic release, as they would morph with 2000's industrial flavored The Beast Divine CD. The other extended chapter continues on Lodmalm's new goth / indusmetal entity: SUNDOWN's 1997 Design 19 CD.

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Last Confessions = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYddeIb9NHw&list=PL08fKfECxd0Rijw8uLwXI2on5eeTPApnR