This is the debut album from a very promising Norwegian band. I got the "Nexus Polaris" album before this so this review is a bit backwards. It's fresh and promising B.M. with plenty of good keyboards and arrangements in the vein of Satyricon and Emperor. There are no fancy guest musicians on this piece, but it's still a very good and interesting album. There was some development between this and "Nexus" so this sounds much more primitive and older. But it's very good for a 50-min. debut album.
Rated

Nexus Polaris

The new Covenant features members from bands like "Cradle of Filth", "Dimmu Borgir" and "Mayhem" a small sticker on the album says and I guess that it gives you a pretty good picture of how it sounds. A mixture of these bands. That might not seem fresh as many bands are influenced by these heroes, but this still feels very innovative. Take the music of Dimmu B's "Enthrone..." and add Sarah Jezebel Deva's brilliant background vocals (The girl involved in Cradle of filth, but I never considered her as a permanent member), and last but not least, Hellhammer behind the drumkit. The vocals are raw and brutal in a agressive way. The splendid keyboard work together with the female vocals gives it a very good atmosphere and majestecy. The production is one of the best so this album has nothing but pure quality music. A nice cover and layout comes as an extra bonus. Beware when you order any Covenant album as there are more Covenant bands out there. One plays zynth music and sounds very different.
Rated

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