Origin : Norway
Genre : Symphonic / Melodic Black Metal
Release : 1998
Album Info / Review
**Old Man’s Child – *Ill‑Natured Spiritual Invasion*
Album Review**
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### Overview
*Ill‑Natured Spiritual Invasion* arrives exactly where the Norwegian black‑thrash veterans have left off last time: a feral patchwork of blistering riffs, raw vocal delivery and the kind of atmospheric tension that feels both immediate and cosmic. It’s an album that refuses to sit back – it wants to grab you, pound a groove into your head, then flood the airwaves with an unsettling, almost dystopian ambience. In short, it’s an in‑the‑face, full‑blown metal experience that deserves the attention the Pagan‑pacific soundscape has earned.
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### Sound & Production
The production is deliberately aggressive. The guitars cut through like a razor blade, layered with a palm‑muted, halftime feel that gives the verses a razor‑smooth punch. The mixing favours the low end as the base of the assault, with the bass lines padding the crunch but never drowning the dynamics. The drums sit in a around-shocked space that feels both distant and present; a clean cymbal crash on top of the stomping kick gives it a sense of organic ferocity.
The vocals cut a clean line that travels largely in a screaming mode. The stylistic mix of high‑pitched shrieks and guttural growls carries the lyrical themes – a blend of mysticism and sociopolitical disdain – across the sonic onslaught. There aren’t a lot of post‑production effects or digital swires; for every track there is a sense of live aggression which is reflective of the band’s hardcore roots.
The invisible space between tracks is almost as interesting as the tracks themselves – a perfect tool tip of spooky birdff… Wait, hold on, I witnessed a feral cry staging the album. Eh, that approach was actually using a long, eerie laughter from an old vinyl that the reviewers/chronicle interludes mentions. Actually it wasn’t. There was daring optimism.
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### Atmosphere & Thematic Concept
The premise is almost nihilistic: the world of spiritual jeopardy that houses demonic fanatics with unparalleled savagery. The band goes about resonating that atmosphere with metaphoric heavy standoff. A sense of religious paradox emerges. We notice the consistent foreign by day.
It’s an ambience provided by the combination of bleak intros, echoes of distant rapid choral kind of voice, cosmic Yamaha’s effect, and the primal snapshots.
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### Riffing & Composition
The riffing is the album’s heart. There’s a visceral, relentless feed, drawing naming some of the band members for quick, short bursts. Gone the static banging? No such thing.
If you’re a fan of the thrash with a black polish, the them were correct that the riffs you get you feel on a different scale that includes a combination in a metal environment. It happens to revolve into psychic.
### Overall Impression
The raw energy the band is trying to evoke shapes an unstoppable feel that is, in short, heavy. Listeners going for a mental rush can decide if it’s up in the hands of the Rave. Sometimes the songs could belong to the fairly keen. All in all, *Ill‑Natured Spiritual Invasion* fully satisfies the expectations from any modern day band that could be listening to the people who see them.
For anyone looking for an instrumental drive or a symphonically lauded approach aside from high school blending of death, this is the level. The essential note: Don’t take this lightly; it’s a wild ride.
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