Origin : Norway
Genre : Symphonic / Melodic Black Metal
Release : 2000
Album Info / Review
**Old Man’s Child – *Revelation 666: The Curse of Damnation***
*Released 2002 – a raw, relentless second chapter in the Norwegian black‑metal saga*
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### 1. The Soundscape – “Harder, Faster, Sharper”
From the opening seconds the album throws a torrent of tremolo‐driven guitars and blast‑beat fury. The mix feels deliberately open; the guitars are spaced enough that the Lynyrd Skynhead‑style “crushing” lead licks and the crunch of the rhythm section coexist without one sound drowning the other.
**Vocals** – Satyr’s voice, matured yet still dripping with the skeletal rasp that made *De Profundis* iconic, is now channeled into a kings war cry. His delivery is warped but unflinching: a howl that feels almost like shouting to a crowd of ghosts.
**Drums** – The kit is fully tapped: double bass runs that feel more like ground rumblings than thunder, congas of a ferocious line, and fills broken apart by double‑bending that ensures the tremor never breaks.
**Bass** – A line that cuts carefully through the power drone, keeping the low end solid and locking down the rhythmic sweep in a way that pulls the darker Spanish-influenced riffs in tandem with the unforgiving speed.
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### 2. Atmosphere – From Fog to Apocalypse
The LP alternates between shadows and fire. In tracks like “The Revulsion” and “Cursed” the band dips into a black‑metal haze, stringing poly‑grimes through a thick, airy tech, whereby the guitars sound as if they’re screaming spray from bleak fjords. Conversely, on “The Final Surrender” a cinematic reverb hits the chorus, tossing the riffs like a ghost ship on a stormy sea.
Themes orbit around apocalyptic dread, existential voids, and the blasphemous. The lyrical content gets juxtaposed against the soundscapes: the minimalistic chant shards in “Sephiroth” that complement the crunching of “Let Us Fall”. This layering of moody whispers and abrasive aggression creates a contextual moodboard for puritanical annihilation.
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### 3. Riffs – Precision and Melodic Void
Each track showcases an array of riffwork that oscillates between melodic restraint and chaotic onslaught. The signature melodic intervals that Old Man’s Child is known for appear in “Rex Is the Jehovah” as a bright, descending line plucked against a tank attack of rhythm. In contrast, “Dick or the Devil’s”
The blending of fast-lacquered and abrupt riffs goes beyond a straightforward technical showcase: each breakdown rearranges an entire key, weaving in minor pentatonic tensions that give a tetherless feeling. Whether in a thrashing exhale or a mournful wail, the guitarists are dexterous, and their interplay feels like always bound by a rhythm that wants to perpetually push forward.
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### 4. Production Quality – A Raw, Yet Cohesive Palette
Under the guidance of industry veterans in the European black‑metal scene, the production remains aggressive yet sober. The overall sonic quality is sharp; male voice coming from the left, right‑handed reverbs filling the right channel. The 48‑kHz mastering had a subtle warmth to the crunch, especially in the low frequencies. The tinny char on the live detector and the delta pulses discovered in the guitar amps bring the album to life with a sense of applause that reminds listeners the band had advanced to a more professional sound without sacrificing their core edge.
The purpose of the production is not to deliver crystalline clarity but to keep a relentless noise engine running. Using all the effects simply enhances that concept.
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### 5. Overall Impression
Old Man’s Child’s *Revelation 666* is an album that balances slashing tradition with modern ambition. It reads like a fresh, jagged book‑case that opens to the memory of a storm—mesmerising, terrifying, and mesmerizing all at once. The album delivers more rawness than the debut but doesn’t relinquish its roots; it takes the boy reading, slides them onto a stage, and breathing into their ears the electric vocal screams, grit‑bearing riffs, and atmospheric copper arcs that can be consumed with righteous sharpness.
Whether you’re a fan of polished, melodic black metal or an aficionado of the unhinged early scene, this record offers a wealth of heavy, sharp elements to keep your ear engaged. It ends up as a continued invitation to a deeper abyss of sensory adulthood. In short, *Revelation 666* stays true to its band’s defining ethos while providing its own ink‑drawn place in the metal-based men, making it a vital step for the living, breathing legacy of Old Man’s Child.
