Blasphemy — Gods Of War
Early Blasphemy albums, are understandable, considered classics of the genre. And that’s why these albums have seen a large number of reissues. Of the entire Blasphemy discography, Gods Of War is probably their most celebrated/ influential release. Originally released by French cult metal label Osmose Productions- it has gone onto be reissued around twenty-five times, in different formats/editions over the years.
This new 2018 edition on Nuclear War Now! Productions comes in the form of either a black or red vinyl LP, cassette, or CD. Both vinyl editions feature a poster taking in the albums cover artwork, but the red edition also takes in a patch and sticker.
The cover is a redesigned original albums sleeve. On a black background, we see a black and white image of a half-naked woman holding something like a sceptre in her raised hand. She stands in something like a chariot but looks more like a scallop shell. Two horses are harnessed to the chariot. On top is a red Blasphemy logo, executed in a stylized gothic font. At the bottom of the cover is the albums title, also in black gothic font with a red outline. To the right and left of the album title, there are two demonic or satanic seals of red colour. The original cover was colour, but the picture here is very similar.
Gods Of War consists of ten tracks. The total duration of the album is just over twenty minutes. This edition of the album has not been remastered, so, the sound remains the same. The duration of the compositions also has not changed. So, this is absolutely the same Gods Of War, that we all know & love. But still, I’d like to discuss the sonic side of things. As I said, the 20-minute album consists of ten tracks that are not very long. The longest track lasts a little over three minutes; the shortest twenty-six seconds.
Blasphemy belong to the style of black metal, mainly because of the themes of the songs and the image of the participants. In essence, the style of the band doesn’t have much to do with what we’ve become to think of black metal. The album is a serious and solid work at the junction of thrash/death metal with a large share of grindcore. For twenty minutes we are plunged into the atmosphere of brutal speed chaos, occasionally turning into an average pace. Low tuned death metal guitars sound very lively, though they also have a slightly damp sound to their tone. However, the guitars are recorded very smoothly and clearly, with almost no fuzziness. The bass guitar works in unison with the rhythm guitars, and doesn’t have a clear buzzing tone either , so its part does not stand out very much- nevertheless, it gives the overall sound depth and saturation. It’s also worth mention the amazing work of the drummer, as well as the clear sound of the drums.
The vocalist is most effective. He doesn’t have a wide range rather, it focuses in on a wheezing growling. However, there is both emotion and aggression present. And clearly, the vocalist gives his all into the songs. And really without these, Blasphemy would be not so recognizable/ distinctive .
In general, the sound of the album is extremely good. Despite the rigidity and brutality, there’s a kind of frightening atmosphere. It ’s a pity really that the album is so short.
For 1993, this album was very extreme, provocative and, to some extent, original. Ruffian, almost marginal texts, extreme sound, difficult-to-remember pseudonyms of band members and enchanting live shows made Blasphemy a cult band.
This album, as I said, was reissued so many times. Without a doubt, this is a clear indicator of quality. I can’t say I’m personally a big fan of reissue after to reissue, but this new edition is certainly classy enough- and it’s nice to have the choice of Vinyl, tape, or CD